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knives_in_ 's review for:
October: The Story of the Russian Revolution
by China Miéville
A good introduction to the Russian Revolution but not a perfect one. If this was intended to be the first book someone read about revolution, communism and the like then this is a failure in accessibility. This book is just over 300 pages long and took me quite some time to read because of the overly clunky style of writing and the use of words most people will not find in their vocabulary. There were many times I had to stop and scrutinise the exact meaning of something that could have more simply been explained or described. This book is overwrought with unnecessary complexity when simplicity would have served it better.
When there were literary descriptions they were had to understand and difficult to imagine, for someone who writes science fiction, you would have thought the author could describe a place well, but alas I hardly saw action in my mind. If his fiction is written in the same manner, then I would find it a chore to read and difficult to feel an attachment to.
Overall this book succeeds in keeping the chain of events and all the players in line and easily remembered, which is no small feat. It's worth reading if you're willing to struggle with it.
When there were literary descriptions they were had to understand and difficult to imagine, for someone who writes science fiction, you would have thought the author could describe a place well, but alas I hardly saw action in my mind. If his fiction is written in the same manner, then I would find it a chore to read and difficult to feel an attachment to.
Overall this book succeeds in keeping the chain of events and all the players in line and easily remembered, which is no small feat. It's worth reading if you're willing to struggle with it.