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kaelcarp · 6th February 2008, 01:18 PM

I think it depends on what sort of story you like most. While all of his books are quite good, I think some appeal marginally to more tastes than others. I would definitely start with one of the Bas-Lag books, though...

Perdido Street Station:
Start here if you: Like amazingly inventive worlds and ideas; like urban settings; prefer depth rather than breadth of setting; horror elements mixed in with fantastical ones.
Don't start here if you: Want a fast moving plot that (it takes over 200 pages to get to the meat of the story, but the journey is a treat); want an expansive view of the world (it is almost entirely confined to one city).

The Scar:
Start here if you: Want a expansive view of the world; like a somewhat but not completely unusual story structure; like seafaring stories.
Don't start here if you: Want very sympathetic characters; want a feeling of a big payoff (the story features a series of elements that are put before you and pulled back, which some have found disappointing).

Iron Council:
Start here if you: Are into leftist politics; want a story that takes off running from the first page; like odd story structures; like westerns.
Don't start here if you: Prefer apolitical stories.

My favorite is The Scar, but I probably wouldn't have appreciated it as much if I hadn't read PSS first. If you're not sure, start with PSS. You really can't go wrong.

6th February 2008, 01:18 PM	#3 (permalink)
kaelcarp Registered User Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: New York Posts: 86	Re: Where should I start? I think it depends on what sort of story you like most. While all of his books are quite good, I think some appeal marginally to more tastes than others. I would definitely start with one of the Bas-Lag books, though... Perdido Street Station: Start here if you: Like amazingly inventive worlds and ideas; like urban settings; prefer depth rather than breadth of setting; horror elements mixed in with fantastical ones. Don't start here if you: Want a fast moving plot that (it takes over 200 pages to get to the meat of the story, but the journey is a treat); want an expansive view of the world (it is almost entirely confined to one city). The Scar: Start here if you: Want a expansive view of the world; like a somewhat but not completely unusual story structure; like seafaring stories. Don't start here if you: Want very sympathetic characters; want a feeling of a big payoff (the story features a series of elements that are put before you and pulled back, which some have found disappointing). Iron Council: Start here if you: Are into leftist politics; want a story that takes off running from the first page; like odd story structures; like westerns. Don't start here if you: Prefer apolitical stories. My favorite is The Scar, but I probably wouldn't have appreciated it as much if I hadn't read PSS first. If you're not sure, start with PSS. You really can't go wrong.