Perdido Street Station

[GOLLUM]

Originally Posted by Fried Egg

Well, I've finally finished it. All in all it was very good. My only criticism is that perhaps he was trying to cram a little too much into one story and perhaps it was a little too drawn out. Sometimes less is more. But that's a minor point really.

Now the question is where to go from here? "The Scar" maybe?

Definitely the Scar. It's not quite as good as Perdido but still a very good read. Then there's Iron Council which completes the loose trilogy of books. IC was OK but Perdido and The Scar are the standouts IMO.

If you want a stand-alone you can try King Rat or Un Lun Dun.

His latest City and the City which I have is supposed to be excellent.

Then there's his short story collection Looking For Jake which is also very good.

[gully_foyle]

Originally Posted by gully_foyle

I saw it at a charity shop today for $5.50. If I had been armed with that bit of info I would have snapped it up. Will it be there when I go back?

And it was. And now I have it to read.

Ursa, you are safe in the relative anonymity of the web, and also in the fact that I am too lazy/busy to hunt you down.

[gully_foyle]

I'm only half way through, and I've enjoyed the scene setting of the first half, and now the rollercoaster has truly begun. A great book.

[gully_foyle]

Wow, that was one heck of a trip! It was big and dense and ultimately bleak and I'd recommend it to anyone. Isaac and Lin has to be the all time great SFF love story.

I think I will wait a while before I tackle another of me ol' China's books though. Are they all this big? Are they set against the same background, i.e. New Crobuzon?

[Ursa major]

* Comes out of hiding. *

Glad you liked it, Gully.

I think Perdido Street Station is the longest of the three Bas-Lag books. The second, The Scar, starts off nearby to New Crobuzon, but is most concerned with other parts of the world. The third book, Iron Council, splits its narrative between New Crobuzon and parts of the continent on which it lies.

[gully_foyle]

Thanks, I'll keep an eye out for them when I recover from PSS.

[GOLLUM]

Originally Posted by gully_foyle

Thanks, I'll keep an eye out for them when I recover from PSS.

You'll love Scar......Iron Council less so. It's good but the weakest of the three books.

OH yeh....met China a couple of weeks ago and had a nice chat with him. He also personally signed a copy of PSS for me....I was very happy!..

[Another Will]

When I first read PSS, I must admit that, although I enjoyed it, I did not see why everyone seemed to be raving about it. It was after re-reading it, prior to reading the scar, that I really 'got' PSS, and saw it for the superb book it it.

I think this is because, as others have said, that you are plonked into world and it feels like the book assumes you know what the back history is, but you don't. When you re-read it, you understand it more, and the book really does shine.

If you are reading it and struggling, please persevere, and the second time it'll really be worth it.

Mr Mieville, if you are reading, can we have another story set New Crobuzon? That'd be lovely, ta.

[J-WO]

I've finished it and, gotta say, I'm going to miss New Crobuzon. Its like I'd just moved into a new city, was getting to know it, then had to leave. I swear I could make my way around, from Ravensgate to Dogfenn. Only one change on the rail, as memory serves.

[GOLLUM]

What about Scar and Iron Council J-Wo? They're still Bas-Lag novels.

[J-WO]

Originally Posted by GOLLUM

What about Scar and Iron Council J-Wo? They're still Bas-Lag novels.

True enough. But I'm sort of saving them- otherwise it'll be like gobbling a huge cake all in one go!

[GOLLUM]

I can also recommend the earlier King Rat and his short story collection Looking For Jake to continue your odyssey.

Scar is considered by several folk here to be superior to Perdido but I still like Perdido the most. Maybe because it's the first time I encountred China's marvellously drawn world.

I have City and the City but haven't read it yet.

[J-WO]

That Kraken looks worth a squint too.

[GOLLUM]

Indeed but then almost everything China's done to date has been worthwhile....

If you like China's world then you'll probably like Jeff Vandermeer's work as well.

[J-WO]

Hmm, I've heard a lot of good things. He talks a good interview, too, as memory serves. That always interests me in a writer.