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Heroic Knight
 
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| I liked Iron Council a great deal, though I think The Scar is probably still my favourite by a tiny margin. My attention started to wonder around the middle of Iron Council, but I was dragged right back in again towards the end. The revelation of Saul's final Golem in particular achieved that impressive feat of making me stare at the pages open-mouthed, which doesn't happen often. As for Marios' point, it was precisely the mixture of "I'm so gritty" urban scum-baggery with some incredibly ethereal sci-fi and pure high fantasy that caught my attention and held it. I think Flannel's right, though - from various comments I've overheard, I think Mieville is more divisive and polarising than a lot of other fantasy authors. And while we're on the subject, has anyone read King Rat? I gave it a go, but I have to admit that the 5 page essays about Jungle made my brain turn off before I'd reached the half-way point.
No spoken or written word can ever be a substitute for one's own practical experience. No-one too can convince another who does not wish to believe what he is told - only the doubter loses by his incredulity - T.C. Lethbridge
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Wag
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Richie H-R (1/26/2007)
As for Marios' point, it was precisely the mixture of "I'm so gritty" urban scum-baggery with some incredibly ethereal sci-fi and pure high fantasy that caught my attention and held it.
I don't mean to imply that I don't like "gritty" - I generally do, just as I like use of a broad and grandiloquent vocabulary. It's just that Mieville comes across as rather self-consciously trying to be gritty and thesauric. I wouldn't say it spoils it, but I felt rather conscious of him writing it, flipping open the thesaurus and thinking "no, not oily ... oleaginous!" - and similarly with gritty plot points - which is something you don't get with more smoothly (but equally gritty/vocabulous) books.
Marios
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Heroic Knight
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I read King Rat a while ago. I was a bit disappointed that it didn't come with a free CD of the music.
It's the most straightforward of all his books, and I found I was often expecting a twist that never happened.
Not a bad read, but of limited use for frothing about new roleplay settings.
(chris)
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Squire
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Currently reading "The Island at the Centre of the World" by Russell Shorto which is about the founding of New York (or rather it was New Amsterdam). Just finishing the last two chapters - very insightful and well written.
"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you."
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Heroic Knight
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| Picked up a copy of Ben Eltons "The First Casualty" in Oxfam last week, well worth a read, the first non comedy he has wrtiiten afaik but the style is still distinctive.
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and Minimeister
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Jenko (6/1/2007)
Picked up a copy of Ben Eltons "The First Casualty" in Oxfam last week, well worth a read, the first non comedy he has wrtiiten afaik but the style is still distinctive.Hmm? What's that one about then?
There is only overconfidence and terror.
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Heroic Knight
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Been working my way through the complete works of Elizabeth Chadwick. Historical fiction based on ballads. They tend to be highly enjoyable and have good sex scenes.
Maelstrom - Captain Sasagani of the Havocstani Medical Corps. "Every inch the wolf - all five feet of you."
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Prodigal
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| Just finished "The Princess Bride" by S Morgenstern / William Goldman Now starting on "The Day Watch" by Sergei Lukyanenko. Sequel (or second book in the trilogy) to "The Night Watch" which was fab, and so much more in depth than the movie 
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- Brighton Below : Organiser
- Serenity: Capt Tom Crowson
- RL: Simon / Trez
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Heroic Knight
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coffmeister (6/1/2007)[hr Hmm? What's that one about then? It's set at the end of WWI, a detective is sent to Belgium to investigate the "murder" of an officer who was suffering from shell shock, it's gritty, nasty in places but unputdownable, you'll know whodunnit very quickly but it doesn't make it any worse a read for that, sometimes it's just nice to be along for the ride! I'm a massive Elton fan, the only book of his I haven't enjoyed so far was High Society. If you enjoyed Past Mortem and House Arrest then this is one for you.
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