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remymura 's review for:
Perdido Street Station
by China Miéville
Part of my program of close readings of exemplar fiction to learn techniques for my current project (and for general leveling up).
Second or third time read, though it's been at least 8-9 years since my last time. Still feels original and groundbreaking, especially from a worldbuilding perspective--fantasy for people bored with Tolkien-derived tropes. Reading Mieville inspires me to try harder and reach beyond my comfort zones in my world creation and description.
That said, I didn't connect deeply with the characters, which is important to me in most reads (and especially in informing my current project). Also, the male characters were more nuanced and complex than the women, and spoiler alert and sexual assault trigger warning:
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a rape that took place prior to the novel's events, and the subsequent punishment, is foundational backstory for one of the main characters (the rapist), and while the author attempts to center the victim towards the end, the portrayal was still focused on the costs to the abuser, not to the victim. And because this is all revealed right at the end, it reframes much of this story as a redemption arc of sorts for the perp, which was deeply unsatisfying. At the end, for all the focus on "choice-theft", Grimnebulin has an inkling of the cost to Kar'uchai, while Yagharek demonstrates none.
Second or third time read, though it's been at least 8-9 years since my last time. Still feels original and groundbreaking, especially from a worldbuilding perspective--fantasy for people bored with Tolkien-derived tropes. Reading Mieville inspires me to try harder and reach beyond my comfort zones in my world creation and description.
That said, I didn't connect deeply with the characters, which is important to me in most reads (and especially in informing my current project). Also, the male characters were more nuanced and complex than the women, and spoiler alert and sexual assault trigger warning:
.
.
.
a rape that took place prior to the novel's events, and the subsequent punishment, is foundational backstory for one of the main characters (the rapist), and while the author attempts to center the victim towards the end, the portrayal was still focused on the costs to the abuser, not to the victim. And because this is all revealed right at the end, it reframes much of this story as a redemption arc of sorts for the perp, which was deeply unsatisfying. At the end, for all the focus on "choice-theft", Grimnebulin has an inkling of the cost to Kar'uchai, while Yagharek demonstrates none.