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New Crobuzon
Looking for Jake
What William Gibson did for science fiction, China Miéville has done for fantasy, shattering old paradigms with fiercely imaginative works of startling, often shocking, intensity. Now from this brilliant young writer comes a groundbreaking collection of stories, many of them previously unavailable in the United States, and including four never-before-published tales–one set in Miéville’s signature fantasy world of New Crobuzon. Among the fourteen superb fictions are
“Jack”–Following the events of his acclaimed novel Perdido Street Station, this tale of twisted attachment and horrific revenge traces the rise and fall of the Remade Robin Hood known as Jack Half-a-Prayer.
“Familiar”–Spurned by its creator, a sorceress’s familiar embarks on a strange and unsettling odyssey of self-discovery in a coming-of-age story like no other.
Looking for Jake
Foundation
The ball room / co-written with Emma Bircham and Max Schaefer
Reports of certain events in London
Familiar
Entry taken from a medical encyclopaedia
Details
Go between
Different skies
An end to hunger
'Tis the season
Jack
On the way to the front / illustrated by Liam Sharp
The Tain
“Jack”–Following the events of his acclaimed novel Perdido Street Station, this tale of twisted attachment and horrific revenge traces the rise and fall of the Remade Robin Hood known as Jack Half-a-Prayer.
“Familiar”–Spurned by its creator, a sorceress’s familiar embarks on a strange and unsettling odyssey of self-discovery in a coming-of-age story like no other.
Looking for Jake
Foundation
The ball room / co-written with Emma Bircham and Max Schaefer
Reports of certain events in London
Familiar
Entry taken from a medical encyclopaedia
Details
Go between
Different skies
An end to hunger
'Tis the season
Jack
On the way to the front / illustrated by Liam Sharp
The Tain
304 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
209 people are currently reading
6,592 people want to read
About the author
China Miéville
155 books15.1k followersA British "fantastic fiction" writer. He is fond of describing his work as "weird fiction" (after early 20th century pulp and horror writers such as H. P. Lovecraft), and belongs to a loose group of writers sometimes called New Weird who consciously attempt to move fantasy away from commercial, genre clichés of Tolkien epigons. He is also active in left-wing politics as a member of the Socialist Workers Party. He has stood for the House of Commons for the Socialist Alliance, and published a book on Marxism and international law.
Excerpted from Wikipedia.
Excerpted from Wikipedia.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 481 reviews
May 31, 2012
The name China Miéville isn't generally synonymous with short stories, probably because he doesn't write them that often. In the past decade, he's published 10 novels, and in the same span, produced only 16 pieces of short fiction. I mean, whatever. Dude is busy. I think he also became an economics genius, ran for political office, and did about 3 million arm curls during that decade too. Oh, and got a giant squid tattoo.
Anyway, it's pretty annoying to discover that he also does short fiction astonishingly well. I love Miéville as a novelist, but longform talent is no guarantee of an aptitude with short fiction. Also I generally don't much like short stories, which raises the bar higher still. And the jerk pretty much clears it with ease -- this is right up there with Stories of Your Life and Others on my list of "short stories collections that I didn't just half-heartedly flip through." Which, to be fair, is pretty much every other book of short stories I've read that Stephen King didn't write.
There are fourteen stories here, most having appeared elsewhere. A few earned some minor awards (the Locus? Is that a thing people care about?), but no Hugo or Nebula nods. Nevertheless, each of them has its strong points, and there are only one or two outright clunkers in the bunch -- an astonishingly high batting average if you ask me. There is very much of a Chinaness about them all though -- if you are a fan, their style and content will be pretty comfortable. If you aren't, nothing here is going to suddenly turn you on to the fact that everything he writes is pretty great and oh, how wrong you have been in the past. But if that's the case, you have been. Wrong.
Looking for Jake - The title story is probably one of my least favorite in the collection, if only because it feels so underdeveloped. The hazy premise -- a man searches for his missing friend in a world that has undergone some unexplained remaking that has seen random people disappear in an instant and letters dropped into mailboxes delivered to everywhere or nowhere by someone or something or nothing and buildings that are vacant but not vacant -- is mostly an excuse to play up a paranoid atmosphere, which other stories in the collection will do a lot better. Sets the mood though. GRADE: B-
Foundation - This one is my least-favorite, no probably about it. Also it is easily one of the least-subtle things China has written. A guy can speak to the foundations of buildings, which is a nice perk for a contractor, though mostly they just complain about how they are miserable and dead and filled with sand. Because they are the bodies of all the people dude killed in the Gulf War. Something something oil. It's an effectively chilling tale, but too telegraphed and thusly, rather unsatisfying. GRADE: C-
The Ball Room - I really liked this slight but inventive ghost story (co-written with two others), if only because it and I are simpatico on two key points: those ball pits kids play in? Are gross. And stores like Ikea? Are hell. GRADE: B+
Reports of Certain Events in London - An idea so China, China had to make himself the narrator just so he can tell us how NEW WEIRD the whole thing is. Meta-China is mistakenly delivered some notes and photos (intended for one Charles Melville) from a secret society tracking these rogue streets that have been appearing and disappearing around London. Cute idea, but the fragmentary presentation left me feeling a bit baffled. It won some award though, so what do I know? GRADE: B-
Familiar - Remember how large swaths of Perdido Street Station are just descriptions of how gross and pustule-covered everything is? This entire story is one big pustule. A witch accidentally makes a familiar out of his own discarded flesh. It evolves. Grossly. Later it fights with a big pile of living garbage. Still, can't say China doesn't make two blood-muck-garbage monsters fighting sound damn poetic. GRADE: C+
Entry Taken from a Medical Encyclopedia - The shortest story in the book, it is what the title says it is: the etymology and history of a brain-liquifying disease spread by the utterance of a single word. Yes, the word is included, but not the pronunciation. So get cracking! Brief, but amusing; snarky academic footnotes are always worth a few bonus points. GRADE: B+
Details - A contender for the finest story in the collection, this one explores a young boy's relationship with a weird neighbor who has locked herself away from the world because she's able to see "the devil in the details." You know, literally. An unusually intriguing idea, effectively told... and ended! A
Go-Between - The exploration of a man's paranoia: the narrator thinks he has been targeted to receive and send secret messages of world-shattering import. But he can't figure out if the message-senders are on the side of the devil or the angels. So he never sends their last message, and drives himself crazy trying to figure out if he did the right thing or not. We, as readers, can also posit a third option: he is nuts. GRADE: B
Different Skies - My favorite! Feels like vintage Stephen King: old man buys a fancy antique piece of glass in a consignment shop, installs it in his study window, and soon discovers that the view through that particular pane is now... a little different. It looks out onto a different sky, and there are presences lurking out there, taunting him. Wanting in. The last line gave me non-hyperbolic goosebumps. GRADE: A
An End to Hunger - You know that annoying website FreeRice.com that makes you play a word game and awards you "points" in the form of grains of rice donated to starving third world countries? Does that website make you want to throw your internet out a window, because what kind of put-a-bow-on-it feel-good useless corporate bullshit fake-charity is that? China Miéville agrees with you, based on this story of a hacker who decides to take a similar site down. It's a fun bit of corporate paranoia, and if you question the politics behind it, just remember that it was originally published in a socialist journal, so you know what you're in for. GRADE: B+
'Tis the Season - Hey, a funny one. Christmas (TM) has been purchased, copyrighted, and licensed, and don't let them catch you with a Christmas Tree (TM), Tinsel (TM), or Wrapped Gifts (TM) unless you have an official license, buddy. So what happens when a bunch of protestors decide to take back Christmas? Trenchant social commentary, I bet. GRADE: B
Jack - If you read Perdido Street Station, you no doubt remember Jack Half-a-Prayer, oh he of the late-book deus ex mantis-arm appearance. Here's a little more about where he came from and what happened to him later. If you've visited New Crobuzon before, you know it isn't going to be pretty. I still want to know more about this guy -- this glimpse is more about the city itself, its corruption and politics and the horrible way it tortures its criminals by literally remaking their bodies into representations of their crimes. But, so, mantis arm... sometimes the representations are kind of abstract, OK? GRADE: B+
On the Way to the Front - A brief "graphic" story about... hmmm. Well, there's this guy on a bus and... Some soldiers seem to be... But you can't quite tell... Is the guy dead? Or wait, are the soldiers? Is the art supposed to be so crappy? I think maybe it is something about... anti-war. Going with anti-war. GRADE: ?*
The Tain: The longest story, originally published separately as a novella by a specialty press. It's late, and I can't finish this right now, so TO BE CONTINUED in my review of that edition.
Look! Pretty:
* I also tried listening to this one as an audiobook, to see if it would be any clearer with a narrator explaining the images. Nope.
Anyway, it's pretty annoying to discover that he also does short fiction astonishingly well. I love Miéville as a novelist, but longform talent is no guarantee of an aptitude with short fiction. Also I generally don't much like short stories, which raises the bar higher still. And the jerk pretty much clears it with ease -- this is right up there with Stories of Your Life and Others on my list of "short stories collections that I didn't just half-heartedly flip through." Which, to be fair, is pretty much every other book of short stories I've read that Stephen King didn't write.
There are fourteen stories here, most having appeared elsewhere. A few earned some minor awards (the Locus? Is that a thing people care about?), but no Hugo or Nebula nods. Nevertheless, each of them has its strong points, and there are only one or two outright clunkers in the bunch -- an astonishingly high batting average if you ask me. There is very much of a Chinaness about them all though -- if you are a fan, their style and content will be pretty comfortable. If you aren't, nothing here is going to suddenly turn you on to the fact that everything he writes is pretty great and oh, how wrong you have been in the past. But if that's the case, you have been. Wrong.
Looking for Jake - The title story is probably one of my least favorite in the collection, if only because it feels so underdeveloped. The hazy premise -- a man searches for his missing friend in a world that has undergone some unexplained remaking that has seen random people disappear in an instant and letters dropped into mailboxes delivered to everywhere or nowhere by someone or something or nothing and buildings that are vacant but not vacant -- is mostly an excuse to play up a paranoid atmosphere, which other stories in the collection will do a lot better. Sets the mood though. GRADE: B-
Foundation - This one is my least-favorite, no probably about it. Also it is easily one of the least-subtle things China has written. A guy can speak to the foundations of buildings, which is a nice perk for a contractor, though mostly they just complain about how they are miserable and dead and filled with sand. Because they are the bodies of all the people dude killed in the Gulf War. Something something oil. It's an effectively chilling tale, but too telegraphed and thusly, rather unsatisfying. GRADE: C-
The Ball Room - I really liked this slight but inventive ghost story (co-written with two others), if only because it and I are simpatico on two key points: those ball pits kids play in? Are gross. And stores like Ikea? Are hell. GRADE: B+
Reports of Certain Events in London - An idea so China, China had to make himself the narrator just so he can tell us how NEW WEIRD the whole thing is. Meta-China is mistakenly delivered some notes and photos (intended for one Charles Melville) from a secret society tracking these rogue streets that have been appearing and disappearing around London. Cute idea, but the fragmentary presentation left me feeling a bit baffled. It won some award though, so what do I know? GRADE: B-
Familiar - Remember how large swaths of Perdido Street Station are just descriptions of how gross and pustule-covered everything is? This entire story is one big pustule. A witch accidentally makes a familiar out of his own discarded flesh. It evolves. Grossly. Later it fights with a big pile of living garbage. Still, can't say China doesn't make two blood-muck-garbage monsters fighting sound damn poetic. GRADE: C+
Entry Taken from a Medical Encyclopedia - The shortest story in the book, it is what the title says it is: the etymology and history of a brain-liquifying disease spread by the utterance of a single word. Yes, the word is included, but not the pronunciation. So get cracking! Brief, but amusing; snarky academic footnotes are always worth a few bonus points. GRADE: B+
Details - A contender for the finest story in the collection, this one explores a young boy's relationship with a weird neighbor who has locked herself away from the world because she's able to see "the devil in the details." You know, literally. An unusually intriguing idea, effectively told... and ended! A
Go-Between - The exploration of a man's paranoia: the narrator thinks he has been targeted to receive and send secret messages of world-shattering import. But he can't figure out if the message-senders are on the side of the devil or the angels. So he never sends their last message, and drives himself crazy trying to figure out if he did the right thing or not. We, as readers, can also posit a third option: he is nuts. GRADE: B
Different Skies - My favorite! Feels like vintage Stephen King: old man buys a fancy antique piece of glass in a consignment shop, installs it in his study window, and soon discovers that the view through that particular pane is now... a little different. It looks out onto a different sky, and there are presences lurking out there, taunting him. Wanting in. The last line gave me non-hyperbolic goosebumps. GRADE: A
An End to Hunger - You know that annoying website FreeRice.com that makes you play a word game and awards you "points" in the form of grains of rice donated to starving third world countries? Does that website make you want to throw your internet out a window, because what kind of put-a-bow-on-it feel-good useless corporate bullshit fake-charity is that? China Miéville agrees with you, based on this story of a hacker who decides to take a similar site down. It's a fun bit of corporate paranoia, and if you question the politics behind it, just remember that it was originally published in a socialist journal, so you know what you're in for. GRADE: B+
'Tis the Season - Hey, a funny one. Christmas (TM) has been purchased, copyrighted, and licensed, and don't let them catch you with a Christmas Tree (TM), Tinsel (TM), or Wrapped Gifts (TM) unless you have an official license, buddy. So what happens when a bunch of protestors decide to take back Christmas? Trenchant social commentary, I bet. GRADE: B
Jack - If you read Perdido Street Station, you no doubt remember Jack Half-a-Prayer, oh he of the late-book deus ex mantis-arm appearance. Here's a little more about where he came from and what happened to him later. If you've visited New Crobuzon before, you know it isn't going to be pretty. I still want to know more about this guy -- this glimpse is more about the city itself, its corruption and politics and the horrible way it tortures its criminals by literally remaking their bodies into representations of their crimes. But, so, mantis arm... sometimes the representations are kind of abstract, OK? GRADE: B+
On the Way to the Front - A brief "graphic" story about... hmmm. Well, there's this guy on a bus and... Some soldiers seem to be... But you can't quite tell... Is the guy dead? Or wait, are the soldiers? Is the art supposed to be so crappy? I think maybe it is something about... anti-war. Going with anti-war. GRADE: ?*
The Tain: The longest story, originally published separately as a novella by a specialty press. It's late, and I can't finish this right now, so TO BE CONTINUED in my review of that edition.
Look! Pretty:
* I also tried listening to this one as an audiobook, to see if it would be any clearer with a narrator explaining the images. Nope.
February 14, 2016
China Mieville is not necessarily known for his work in shorter works, but Looking For Jake, his 2005 collection of shorter fiction is an excellent representation of his narrative skill and for his redoubtable imagination. Mieville sets a mood, creates an emotion that stays with the reader throughout what turns out to be a diverse and dusky eclectic blend of creepy and dark fiction.
Looking for Jake – The opening salvo and titular short story is an artfully creepy sketch. An man searches for a friend in a world that has been disturbed and may relate to other stories later on, most notably the anchor of the collection, and the final story, The Tain.
Foundation – Our protagonist has the unique ability to speak to foundations of buildings, he is the architecture whisperer. Mieville connects this ability with a haunting curse and mixes in images and representations of the Gulf War. Ephemeral wisps of emotion and disquietude intermingle with the hard and fast structures of the buildings. Sandy, bloody symbolisms add depth to what is already an introspective musing.
The Ball Room - A very good ghost story. Mieville displays his narrative ability with the horror genre, one that he already proved towards the masterful end of the spectrum in King Rat. This story also proclaims his literary descent from and flatteringly affectionate connection to H.P. Lovecraft.
Reports of Certain Events in London – The most Lovecraftian of this very Lovecraftian collection, but with a uniquely Mieville twist of urban fantasy. Those who enjoyed The City and the City will like this one.
Familiar – Reminiscent of his novel King Rat with Perdido Street Station undertones, a conjurer erroneously creates a familiar out of his own discarded flesh. This is one that blurs into an almost Kafkaesque surrealistic sketch. One of the creepiest.
Entry Taken from a Medical Encyclopedia - The shortest story in the book, also maybe the weirdest in its own surreptitious way, it kind of grows on the reader like a detail from a nightmare that lingers after a screamed wakening. Delivered with a dead pan cold, scientific objectivity that lurks like a Jonathon Edwards Salem sermon,
Details - A very interesting and well-written sketch that inexplicably reminded me of the John Cheever short story, The Swimmer. Mieville explores a theme of isolation and otherworldly abstraction.
Go-Between – The reader is offered a steaming hot cup of paranoia and mental instability. Delicious.
Different Skies – I liked this one the best. Like Reports of Certain Events in London, this is a Mieville fomented Lovecraft revision. A rich old man discovers something very unsettling about a new window he has purchased. This one is so fundamentally horrifyingly that it recalls Poe.
An End to Hunger – Mieville the left-winger has some fun with a corporate espionage hacker nanotech story. His dark vision is in full form here and he shows why he is such an important writer of the modern speculative fiction movement.
'Tis the Season – Humorous, a playfully satirical jibe at capitalism and left wing policies at the same time. Mieville the weird fiction author has a scathing wit.
Jack – The Harry Tuttle-like hero from Perdido Street Station, Jack Half-a-Prayer, is the featured protagonist in this short sketch. Mieville invites his reader back to New Crobuzon for a look at the underside of heroism while also showing off his undercover political writing skills.
On the Way to the Front –Sketch, too short to really describe, but like the opening story, this one may be a connection to the anchor story …
The Tain - The longest story, a post-apocalyptic novelette about the defenders of London after an unexplained war that has left the world a ruin. But the author goes a very different direction and creates a very Mievillesque take on Through the Looking Glass.
Merged review:
The devil is in the details.
China Mieville has served us up a steaming hot cup of Lovecraftian, Huxleyian horror.
A middle-aged woman looks at clouds and sees faces looking down at her. She looks up into the branches of trees, at the bark of the trunk, at the swirls, eddies, lines and angles that form the patterns of the wood grain – and sees – something else.
A young boy is sent by his mother to deliver a bowl of neutral and colorless gruel to the woman. In a dark, damp, musty old passageway in a run down house that could have been described by old HP himself, the boy visits her and they share a dialogue through a closed shut door.
Paying tribute to Lovecraft and with more than a passing nod to Aldous Huxley’s The Doors of Perception, China Mieville, in this short work, has produced a creepy and thought provoking psychological terror.
Looking for Jake – The opening salvo and titular short story is an artfully creepy sketch. An man searches for a friend in a world that has been disturbed and may relate to other stories later on, most notably the anchor of the collection, and the final story, The Tain.
Foundation – Our protagonist has the unique ability to speak to foundations of buildings, he is the architecture whisperer. Mieville connects this ability with a haunting curse and mixes in images and representations of the Gulf War. Ephemeral wisps of emotion and disquietude intermingle with the hard and fast structures of the buildings. Sandy, bloody symbolisms add depth to what is already an introspective musing.
The Ball Room - A very good ghost story. Mieville displays his narrative ability with the horror genre, one that he already proved towards the masterful end of the spectrum in King Rat. This story also proclaims his literary descent from and flatteringly affectionate connection to H.P. Lovecraft.
Reports of Certain Events in London – The most Lovecraftian of this very Lovecraftian collection, but with a uniquely Mieville twist of urban fantasy. Those who enjoyed The City and the City will like this one.
Familiar – Reminiscent of his novel King Rat with Perdido Street Station undertones, a conjurer erroneously creates a familiar out of his own discarded flesh. This is one that blurs into an almost Kafkaesque surrealistic sketch. One of the creepiest.
Entry Taken from a Medical Encyclopedia - The shortest story in the book, also maybe the weirdest in its own surreptitious way, it kind of grows on the reader like a detail from a nightmare that lingers after a screamed wakening. Delivered with a dead pan cold, scientific objectivity that lurks like a Jonathon Edwards Salem sermon,
Details - A very interesting and well-written sketch that inexplicably reminded me of the John Cheever short story, The Swimmer. Mieville explores a theme of isolation and otherworldly abstraction.
Go-Between – The reader is offered a steaming hot cup of paranoia and mental instability. Delicious.
Different Skies – I liked this one the best. Like Reports of Certain Events in London, this is a Mieville fomented Lovecraft revision. A rich old man discovers something very unsettling about a new window he has purchased. This one is so fundamentally horrifyingly that it recalls Poe.
An End to Hunger – Mieville the left-winger has some fun with a corporate espionage hacker nanotech story. His dark vision is in full form here and he shows why he is such an important writer of the modern speculative fiction movement.
'Tis the Season – Humorous, a playfully satirical jibe at capitalism and left wing policies at the same time. Mieville the weird fiction author has a scathing wit.
Jack – The Harry Tuttle-like hero from Perdido Street Station, Jack Half-a-Prayer, is the featured protagonist in this short sketch. Mieville invites his reader back to New Crobuzon for a look at the underside of heroism while also showing off his undercover political writing skills.
On the Way to the Front –Sketch, too short to really describe, but like the opening story, this one may be a connection to the anchor story …
The Tain - The longest story, a post-apocalyptic novelette about the defenders of London after an unexplained war that has left the world a ruin. But the author goes a very different direction and creates a very Mievillesque take on Through the Looking Glass.
Merged review:
The devil is in the details.
China Mieville has served us up a steaming hot cup of Lovecraftian, Huxleyian horror.
A middle-aged woman looks at clouds and sees faces looking down at her. She looks up into the branches of trees, at the bark of the trunk, at the swirls, eddies, lines and angles that form the patterns of the wood grain – and sees – something else.
A young boy is sent by his mother to deliver a bowl of neutral and colorless gruel to the woman. In a dark, damp, musty old passageway in a run down house that could have been described by old HP himself, the boy visits her and they share a dialogue through a closed shut door.
Paying tribute to Lovecraft and with more than a passing nod to Aldous Huxley’s The Doors of Perception, China Mieville, in this short work, has produced a creepy and thought provoking psychological terror.
February 10, 2020
I’ve hesitated to take the plunge into this collection for quite a while. Despite loving Miéville’s novels, I somehow couldn’t imagine his style working as well in short-story format. Well, his Miévilleness has proved me wrong. I'm not going to delve into plot details in these bullet reviews because part of the fun was going into each story blindly, unaware of what kind of crazy you'd be faced with at each turn of the page.
Looking for Jake: A chilling and ominous overture. A low-key atmospheric post-apoc piece that set the pace for what's to come ★★★★☆
Foundation: This was obviously inspired by some real-world event, and I was enjoying picking up on the clues that hinted at what it was based on, only to find that China flat-out tells you in the acknowledgements section. Very on-the-nose; clearly China felt strongly about said event, but I’m not sure the short story was the best format for dealing with it ★★★☆☆
The Ball Room: Co-written with two other people, it feels like the least China of the lot. A rather run-of-the-mill spooky ghost story. Good, the setting is the main thing, but the story is formulaic ★★★☆☆
Reports of Certain Events in London: An intriguing Lovecraftian tale. The framing device and found text structure might look gimmicky but is really well pulled off ★★★★☆
Familiar: A blend of Wicca, Frankenstein and urban fantasy spiced up with a dash of Heidegger. Horrible, disgusting, made me want to throw up several times ★★★★★
Entry Taken from a Medical Encyclopaedia: I love dictionary/encyclopaedia-format stories, like David Foster Wallace's Datum Centurio (from Brief Interviews with Hideous Men) or Alexander Weinstein's Excerpts from The New World Authorized Dictionary (from Children of the New World). This here is a nice, creepy addition to this particular micro-genre ★★★★☆
Details: Nothing short of brilliant. Compared to The Ball Room, the other overt horror story in this collection, this shows what I expected of Miéville when tampering with this genre. It’s a sort of cosmic horror, in the vein of Lovecraft, and it frankly made me scared to look around me for a while immediately after finishing it ★★★★★
Go Between: This one was highly reminiscent of Thomas Pynchon, dealing extensively in paranoia. A wonderful character study with a delightfully vague premise. It doesn’t need any more info than it offers ★★★★★
Different Skies: Has a classic horror feel to it, like Poe or Maupassant. The more I think about it, this story feels like short story perfection. The framing device, the unreliable narrator, the themes of youth vs old age… everything is distilled into a blend as fine as whiskey ★★★★★
An End to Hunger: I was enjoying this one up until the moment I realised where it was all heading and was left thinking, Oh… is that it? Was expecting a bit more from it, but still engaging storytelling and an amusing character study ★★★★☆
‘Tis the Season: This felt like a concept that could have appeared in Children of the New World, only Weinstein would have played it straight. Luckily Miéville knows how to relax and play it for laughs. It’s kind of dumb and China knows it, therefore the result is good fun ★★★☆☆
Jack: Set in the universe of Perdido Street Station, which I haven’t read. Serves the double purpose of tantalising those who haven’t yet read the Bas-Lag novels and providing fan service to those who have ★★★☆☆
On the Way to the Front: Bit of a mystery, this one. I feel like the book format doesn’t benefit the comic vignettes. The pictures look ugly and cramped, hard to make out, and the story is cryptic enough without that added difficulty. A failed experiment imo ★★☆☆☆
The Tain: Builds upon a Jorge Luis Borges micro-story. At times reminded me of I Am Legend, and the conclusion put me in mind of UnLunDun. Miéville has a complicated relation with heroes. The concept is brilliant and terrifying, but the story is mind-numbingly dull. Didn't justify it's novella length, would have worked better as a story ★★★☆☆
Looking for Jake: A chilling and ominous overture. A low-key atmospheric post-apoc piece that set the pace for what's to come ★★★★☆
Foundation: This was obviously inspired by some real-world event, and I was enjoying picking up on the clues that hinted at what it was based on, only to find that China flat-out tells you in the acknowledgements section. Very on-the-nose; clearly China felt strongly about said event, but I’m not sure the short story was the best format for dealing with it ★★★☆☆
The Ball Room: Co-written with two other people, it feels like the least China of the lot. A rather run-of-the-mill spooky ghost story. Good, the setting is the main thing, but the story is formulaic ★★★☆☆
Reports of Certain Events in London: An intriguing Lovecraftian tale. The framing device and found text structure might look gimmicky but is really well pulled off ★★★★☆
Familiar: A blend of Wicca, Frankenstein and urban fantasy spiced up with a dash of Heidegger. Horrible, disgusting, made me want to throw up several times ★★★★★
Entry Taken from a Medical Encyclopaedia: I love dictionary/encyclopaedia-format stories, like David Foster Wallace's Datum Centurio (from Brief Interviews with Hideous Men) or Alexander Weinstein's Excerpts from The New World Authorized Dictionary (from Children of the New World). This here is a nice, creepy addition to this particular micro-genre ★★★★☆
Details: Nothing short of brilliant. Compared to The Ball Room, the other overt horror story in this collection, this shows what I expected of Miéville when tampering with this genre. It’s a sort of cosmic horror, in the vein of Lovecraft, and it frankly made me scared to look around me for a while immediately after finishing it ★★★★★
Go Between: This one was highly reminiscent of Thomas Pynchon, dealing extensively in paranoia. A wonderful character study with a delightfully vague premise. It doesn’t need any more info than it offers ★★★★★
Different Skies: Has a classic horror feel to it, like Poe or Maupassant. The more I think about it, this story feels like short story perfection. The framing device, the unreliable narrator, the themes of youth vs old age… everything is distilled into a blend as fine as whiskey ★★★★★
An End to Hunger: I was enjoying this one up until the moment I realised where it was all heading and was left thinking, Oh… is that it? Was expecting a bit more from it, but still engaging storytelling and an amusing character study ★★★★☆
‘Tis the Season: This felt like a concept that could have appeared in Children of the New World, only Weinstein would have played it straight. Luckily Miéville knows how to relax and play it for laughs. It’s kind of dumb and China knows it, therefore the result is good fun ★★★☆☆
Jack: Set in the universe of Perdido Street Station, which I haven’t read. Serves the double purpose of tantalising those who haven’t yet read the Bas-Lag novels and providing fan service to those who have ★★★☆☆
On the Way to the Front: Bit of a mystery, this one. I feel like the book format doesn’t benefit the comic vignettes. The pictures look ugly and cramped, hard to make out, and the story is cryptic enough without that added difficulty. A failed experiment imo ★★☆☆☆
The Tain: Builds upon a Jorge Luis Borges micro-story. At times reminded me of I Am Legend, and the conclusion put me in mind of UnLunDun. Miéville has a complicated relation with heroes. The concept is brilliant and terrifying, but the story is mind-numbingly dull. Didn't justify it's novella length, would have worked better as a story ★★★☆☆
November 10, 2020
-Temas y decorados en la órbita de Miéville, pero derivas y subgéneros que no son tan habituales.-
Género. Relatos.
Lo que nos cuenta. El libro Buscando a Jake y otros relatos (publicación original: Looking for Jake, 2005) es una recopilación que ofrece once relatos, una obra ilustrada y dos novelas cortas, escritos la mayoría (y publicados) entre 1998 y 2004 (por ejemplo, uno del que ya hemos hablado en este blog: El azogue), con la excepción de cuatro que llegaron inéditos a este libro (uno de ellos escrito con otros dos autores, Emma Bircham y Max Schaefer), y que nos permitirán conocer, entre otros, a un hacker muy particular, un par ambientes posapocalípticos, algunas versiones diferentes de Londres y varias clases de magia.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
Género. Relatos.
Lo que nos cuenta. El libro Buscando a Jake y otros relatos (publicación original: Looking for Jake, 2005) es una recopilación que ofrece once relatos, una obra ilustrada y dos novelas cortas, escritos la mayoría (y publicados) entre 1998 y 2004 (por ejemplo, uno del que ya hemos hablado en este blog: El azogue), con la excepción de cuatro que llegaron inéditos a este libro (uno de ellos escrito con otros dos autores, Emma Bircham y Max Schaefer), y que nos permitirán conocer, entre otros, a un hacker muy particular, un par ambientes posapocalípticos, algunas versiones diferentes de Londres y varias clases de magia.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
October 6, 2023
Raccontino alla Miéville. Rapido, gustoso. Nulla di eclatante, comunque. Ha scritto di meglio.
July 6, 2018
Matters shuffle along, pressed and steamed by the incessant heat. Each piece in this collection appears more climate controlled, as if penned upon a sofa while listening to The Fall and waiting for delivery Korean barbecue. You can recognize my resentment. I wanted to read Thomas Ligotti last night to no avail. Then early this morning when it was already jungle muggy outside. I read a story Reports of Certain Events in London, and this I was pleased by found documents, amateur societies and phantom streets. That high bar was to prove elusive. Nothing else left me as uneasy. Though there was a wonky tale, one which smelled of The Destructors, it’s a paen to aging felt contrived, though idea of a haunted stained glass was worth pondering. End to Hunger is an interesting gloss on the early days of the Internet and yet the pose of the (anarchist) activist artist is ultimately sad not tragic.
September 22, 2021
"People need something, you know, to escape. They do. They need something to make them feel free."
- China Miéville, "Jack" from Looking for Jake
I'm not going to go into much detail on these stories. But, I'm happy to give them stars:
1. Looking for Jake - ★★★★
2. Foundation - ★★★★★
3. The Ball Room* - ★★★★
4. Reports of Certain Events in London - ★★★★
5. Familiar - ★★★★★
6. Entry Taken from a Medical Encyclopaedia - ★★★
7. Details - ★★★★★
8. Go Between - ★★★★★
9. Different Skies - ★★★★★
10. An End to Hunger - ★★★★★
11. ' Tis the Season - ★★★
12. Jack - ★★★
13. On the Way to the Front - ★★ (audio/writing) ★★★1/2 (art) ★★★ (together)
14. The Tain - ★★★★★
* with Emma Bircham and Max Schaefer
- China Miéville, "Jack" from Looking for Jake
I'm not going to go into much detail on these stories. But, I'm happy to give them stars:
1. Looking for Jake - ★★★★
2. Foundation - ★★★★★
3. The Ball Room* - ★★★★
4. Reports of Certain Events in London - ★★★★
5. Familiar - ★★★★★
6. Entry Taken from a Medical Encyclopaedia - ★★★
7. Details - ★★★★★
8. Go Between - ★★★★★
9. Different Skies - ★★★★★
10. An End to Hunger - ★★★★★
11. ' Tis the Season - ★★★
12. Jack - ★★★
13. On the Way to the Front - ★★ (audio/writing) ★★★1/2 (art) ★★★ (together)
14. The Tain - ★★★★★
* with Emma Bircham and Max Schaefer
June 14, 2020
A mixed bag, but mostly good.
Highlights:
""Looking for Jake" 4.5 stars
Classic Mieville - one long letter to Jake chronicling the breakdown of London, true to form it's difficult to discern of the Breakdown is in the real world or within the author.
"Go Between" 4.5 stars
A truly disturbing story about a man getting strange directives hidden within everyday objects he buys, he ponders about the nature of the directives are they good or evil, do they actually matter in the real world ?, the insight into his more and more paranoid thinking is brilliant.
"Tis the season" 4 Stars
A story about a society where corporation has trademarked everything especially Christmas and a kind nod to the socialist movement i know is close to Mieville's heart.
"Jack" 4 Stars
Any new story from New Crobyzon is welcome, here we hears the background story of one of our familiars, Jack Half-a-Prayer, told by one he knew him back then.....
"The Tain" 5 Stars
A small masterpiece in Novella length, following a post-apocalyptic London, after the images in the mirrors has rebelled and broken free
Highlights:
""Looking for Jake" 4.5 stars
Classic Mieville - one long letter to Jake chronicling the breakdown of London, true to form it's difficult to discern of the Breakdown is in the real world or within the author.
"Go Between" 4.5 stars
A truly disturbing story about a man getting strange directives hidden within everyday objects he buys, he ponders about the nature of the directives are they good or evil, do they actually matter in the real world ?, the insight into his more and more paranoid thinking is brilliant.
"Tis the season" 4 Stars
A story about a society where corporation has trademarked everything especially Christmas and a kind nod to the socialist movement i know is close to Mieville's heart.
"Jack" 4 Stars
Any new story from New Crobyzon is welcome, here we hears the background story of one of our familiars, Jack Half-a-Prayer, told by one he knew him back then.....
"The Tain" 5 Stars
A small masterpiece in Novella length, following a post-apocalyptic London, after the images in the mirrors has rebelled and broken free
October 9, 2023
”He was confused, shaking his head. He would not look at me. Something’s happened, he said. Something…there was a collapse…nothing works properly…there’s been a…a breakdown…
He was being very inexact. That wasn’t his fault. It was a very inexact apocalypse.”
”I’ve crept into the underground stations in the months since, to check the whispered rumors for myself. I’ve seen the trains go by with the howling faces in all the windows too fast to see clearly, something like dogs, I’ve seen trains burning with cold light, long slow trains empty except for one dead-looking woman staring directly into my eyes, en route Jesus Christ knows where.”
If H.P. Lovecraft had been a first-rate writer he might have written stories like these. Since we all understand what the word Lovecraftian conjures, it is often applied to these and others of Miéville’s uncanny tales. But that seems to me a bit off — somehow fundamentally unfair. Because Miéville, unlike Lovecraft, IS a first rate writer. He produces a sense of uncanny terror not through baroque language, but through precise and skillful manipulation of words. He understands how leaving his abominations just off stage, or seen only glancingly out of the corner of your eye is far more terrifying than lines of eldritch purple prose. He uses a few, brief, skillful strokes, allowing his readers minds to fill in the implied horror. It’s masterful. In the future, perhaps stories like these will no longer be call Lovecraftian, but rather acknowledged as Miévillian.
He was being very inexact. That wasn’t his fault. It was a very inexact apocalypse.”
”I’ve crept into the underground stations in the months since, to check the whispered rumors for myself. I’ve seen the trains go by with the howling faces in all the windows too fast to see clearly, something like dogs, I’ve seen trains burning with cold light, long slow trains empty except for one dead-looking woman staring directly into my eyes, en route Jesus Christ knows where.”
If H.P. Lovecraft had been a first-rate writer he might have written stories like these. Since we all understand what the word Lovecraftian conjures, it is often applied to these and others of Miéville’s uncanny tales. But that seems to me a bit off — somehow fundamentally unfair. Because Miéville, unlike Lovecraft, IS a first rate writer. He produces a sense of uncanny terror not through baroque language, but through precise and skillful manipulation of words. He understands how leaving his abominations just off stage, or seen only glancingly out of the corner of your eye is far more terrifying than lines of eldritch purple prose. He uses a few, brief, skillful strokes, allowing his readers minds to fill in the implied horror. It’s masterful. In the future, perhaps stories like these will no longer be call Lovecraftian, but rather acknowledged as Miévillian.
September 19, 2019
China Miéville siempre despierta cierta expectación con cada nuevo trabajo. El escritor londinense siempre es capaz de destacar en un campo tan labrado y repleto de tropos. Sus ideas y tramas, que deambulan entre la ciencia ficción y la fantasía por el camino de lo extraño, surrealista e inquietante, derivan casi siempre hacia una vertiente más política y social. Miéville es un narrador único, con un peculiar y atractivo imaginativo desbordante de ideas. Buena muestra de ello da este recopilatorio titulado Looking for Jake, que en su versión original fue publicado en 2005 (DelRey Books), y ahora disfrutamos en completo castellano gracias a La máquina que hace Ping con prólogo de Cristina Jurado para la ocasión.
Puede que no todas de sus catorce historias sean tan efectivas, pero mantienen una idea, una semilla que a priori resulta atractiva para cualquier lector de género. Miéville se sale de los márgenes establecidos, de lo que estamos habituados a leer, con descabelladas y peculiares ideas. Juega a su favor que casi todos sus escenarios nacen de lo cotidiano, un elemento que resulta tan inmersivo como perturbador para el lector. Tanto como su capacidad especulativa, con una especial tendencia para dejar los huecos a rellenar en cada historia. 'Buscando a Jake y otros relatos' recopila catorce piezas que funcionan como una buena carta de presentación de todo lo que es capaz el autor británico. Son oscuros, inquietantes, intrigantes, imaginativos y siempre te hacen pensar en todo lo que puede dar de sí una historia corta.
Mi top tres lo encabeza la imaginativa 'Informes sobre diversos sucesos acaecidos en Londres', un maravilloso relato en primera persona donde a través de una serie de documentos descubrimos las actividades de un grupo de personas que estudia ciertas calles autónomas que aparecen y desaparecen en misteriosas circunstancias. Le sigue de cerca la terrorífica 'Parque de bolas', donde vivimos una historia más clásica en una tienda de muebles gigantes estilo Ikea. Y lo cierra 'Mensajero', una historia de aire paranoico sobre un hombre que recibe objetos con instrucciones de entregarlos. Un día se plantea dejar de hacerlo y quedarse con uno de los objetos, empieza a dudar de todas sus acciones. ¿Ha hecho el bien, el mal o esta simplemente loco? Eso queda a juicio de cada uno.
Puede que no todas de sus catorce historias sean tan efectivas, pero mantienen una idea, una semilla que a priori resulta atractiva para cualquier lector de género. Miéville se sale de los márgenes establecidos, de lo que estamos habituados a leer, con descabelladas y peculiares ideas. Juega a su favor que casi todos sus escenarios nacen de lo cotidiano, un elemento que resulta tan inmersivo como perturbador para el lector. Tanto como su capacidad especulativa, con una especial tendencia para dejar los huecos a rellenar en cada historia. 'Buscando a Jake y otros relatos' recopila catorce piezas que funcionan como una buena carta de presentación de todo lo que es capaz el autor británico. Son oscuros, inquietantes, intrigantes, imaginativos y siempre te hacen pensar en todo lo que puede dar de sí una historia corta.
Mi top tres lo encabeza la imaginativa 'Informes sobre diversos sucesos acaecidos en Londres', un maravilloso relato en primera persona donde a través de una serie de documentos descubrimos las actividades de un grupo de personas que estudia ciertas calles autónomas que aparecen y desaparecen en misteriosas circunstancias. Le sigue de cerca la terrorífica 'Parque de bolas', donde vivimos una historia más clásica en una tienda de muebles gigantes estilo Ikea. Y lo cierra 'Mensajero', una historia de aire paranoico sobre un hombre que recibe objetos con instrucciones de entregarlos. Un día se plantea dejar de hacerlo y quedarse con uno de los objetos, empieza a dudar de todas sus acciones. ¿Ha hecho el bien, el mal o esta simplemente loco? Eso queda a juicio de cada uno.
October 29, 2018
In this collection, China Mieville let me know very quickly that he is an author that just goes for it, that trusts his skill and creative versatility to tell unusual tales. Most of the time, it works. My favorites include The Tain, Details, Different Skies, and The Ball Room (the best one, IMO).
A very good outing by one of weird fiction's most creative authors.
A very good outing by one of weird fiction's most creative authors.
February 20, 2022
Сборник от царя на откачената фантастика: http://knigolandia.info/book-review/l...
В този сборник разказите на Миевил до един се развиват в Лондон и имат определен призрачен оттенък. В първата история по улиците на британската столица хора изчезват постоянно, като неясно какви същества причиняват тези събития (сходна е и тематиката на последния разказ, в който поне врагът е ясен: отраженията от огледалата успяват да напуснат своите затвори и атакуват човечеството със свирепа мощ). Във втория разказ главен герой е човек, който разговаря със сградите, и по-точно с вградените в тях кости на починалите. Третата история е з�� игрална зала за деца в голям магазин, където понякога се появява едно дете, което никой не е оставял.
Del Ray Books
http://knigolandia.info/book-review/l...
В този сборник разказите на Миевил до един се развиват в Лондон и имат определен призрачен оттенък. В първата история по улиците на британската столица хора изчезват постоянно, като неясно какви същества причиняват тези събития (сходна е и тематиката на последния разказ, в който поне врагът е ясен: отраженията от огледалата успяват да напуснат своите затвори и атакуват човечеството със свирепа мощ). Във втория разказ главен герой е човек, който разговаря със сградите, и по-точно с вградените в тях кости на починалите. Третата история е з�� игрална зала за деца в голям магазин, където понякога се появява едно дете, което никой не е оставял.
Del Ray Books
http://knigolandia.info/book-review/l...
January 11, 2014
I really enjoyed half of the novels that I've read by Mieville, and rather disliked the other half. Likewise, in this collection of stories, I enjoyed about half of them. The other half were boring. That is why I've rated this book with three out of five stars. Here are some brief summaries of a few of the stories.
The first story, titled "Looking for Jake", was one of the boring stories. People in London start disappearing randomly, and the protagonist looks for his friend Jake. There didn't seem to be much point to the story. There are no explanations given for the disappearances, and there was no feeling that anything happens in the story. No imaginative ideas, either.
The next story, titled "Foundation" is about a guy who can "listen" to the walls of a structure and hear the foundation explain whether it is structurally sound. Not a very deep story (pun intended?), but a fun story, if only because it seems rather imaginative.
"The Ball Room" is about a room like they have at Ikea stores where young children can play for a period of time while parents do their shopping. There is a ghost in the room, and the story just doesn't seem to show much imagination.
"Jack" is about a character and setting from Mieville's novel Perdido Street Station. This story was my favorite, probably because of my familiarity with the background. This story is macabre, so watch out.
"The Tain" is a novella, alternately told from the point of view of enemies, a human and a--I'm not really sure, but a weird life form from behind the mirrors.
I listened to this book as an audiobook. Each story was read by a different narrator. Regardless of which stories I liked or dislike, the readers are all superb, and made the listening experience much more enjoyable than it would have been otherwise.
The first story, titled "Looking for Jake", was one of the boring stories. People in London start disappearing randomly, and the protagonist looks for his friend Jake. There didn't seem to be much point to the story. There are no explanations given for the disappearances, and there was no feeling that anything happens in the story. No imaginative ideas, either.
The next story, titled "Foundation" is about a guy who can "listen" to the walls of a structure and hear the foundation explain whether it is structurally sound. Not a very deep story (pun intended?), but a fun story, if only because it seems rather imaginative.
"The Ball Room" is about a room like they have at Ikea stores where young children can play for a period of time while parents do their shopping. There is a ghost in the room, and the story just doesn't seem to show much imagination.
"Jack" is about a character and setting from Mieville's novel Perdido Street Station. This story was my favorite, probably because of my familiarity with the background. This story is macabre, so watch out.
"The Tain" is a novella, alternately told from the point of view of enemies, a human and a--I'm not really sure, but a weird life form from behind the mirrors.
I listened to this book as an audiobook. Each story was read by a different narrator. Regardless of which stories I liked or dislike, the readers are all superb, and made the listening experience much more enjoyable than it would have been otherwise.
June 15, 2019
3.5 stars. Great to revisit New Crobuzon again! Recommended for fans of Perdido Street Station.
Merged review:
A wonderful, HPL inspired, chilling story.
Merged review:
Mieville knocks some of these out of the park, proving his talent for creating dark, immersive and wildly imaginative settings like you've never seen, or even dreamed before, in the shortest of stories. Rating based on the following:
Details (5.0) - The devil is in the details. Mieville wonderfully channels the spirit of HPL in this chilling story.
Different Skies (5.0) - Another wonderful HPL inspired chilling story.
Jack (3.5) - Great to revisit New Crobuzon again! Recommended for fans of Perdido Street Station.
On The Way To The Front (?) - Like some kind of comic/graphic novel that's totally out of sequence and has every 9 out of 10 pages torn out.
The Tain (3.0) - A twisted vampire/zombie inspired story, very weird, but did not resonate. Did remind me a bit of I Am Legend, which is a fave.
Merged review:
Like some kind of comic/graphic novel that's totally out of sequence and has every 9 out of 10 pages torn out.
Merged review:
A wonderful, HPL inspired, chilling story.
Merged review:
Mieville knocks some of these out of the park, proving his talent for creating dark, immersive and wildly imaginative settings like you've never seen, or even dreamed before, in the shortest of stories. Rating based on the following:
Details (5.0) - The devil is in the details. Mieville wonderfully channels the spirit of HPL in this chilling story.
Different Skies (5.0) - Another wonderful HPL inspired chilling story.
Jack (3.5) - Great to revisit New Crobuzon again! Recommended for fans of Perdido Street Station.
On The Way To The Front (?) - Like some kind of comic/graphic novel that's totally out of sequence and has every 9 out of 10 pages torn out.
The Tain (3.0) - A twisted vampire/zombie inspired story, very weird, but did not resonate. Did remind me a bit of I Am Legend, which is a fave.
Merged review:
Like some kind of comic/graphic novel that's totally out of sequence and has every 9 out of 10 pages torn out.
February 21, 2013
One of those rare occasions where I got to borrow a book from my girlfriend. (She has good taste, but since she lives in Belgium, I tend to encounter books first. But this one I kept meaning to pick up and somehow didn't.) I wasn't sure what I thought of the idea of China Miéville doing short stories: his novels are so often so sprawling, so full of gleefully grotesque imagery, that I didn't think he could contain himself within a short story.
He can.
Some of the stories are more effective than others -- I particularly enjoyed Reports of Certain Events in London, somehow, I couldn't really say why. Anyway, if you like Miéville's stuff, these short stories are a good opportunity to see him constrain himself somewhat and write tight little stories. If you can't seem to get a handhold with Miéville, but you like the idea of his work, this might be it.
He can.
Some of the stories are more effective than others -- I particularly enjoyed Reports of Certain Events in London, somehow, I couldn't really say why. Anyway, if you like Miéville's stuff, these short stories are a good opportunity to see him constrain himself somewhat and write tight little stories. If you can't seem to get a handhold with Miéville, but you like the idea of his work, this might be it.
April 19, 2020
Buscando a Jake es una colección extraña. Lo es por la imposibilidad de hallar un hilo conductor que reúna conceptualmente a los relatos que la componen, y también por la variedad de formas, contenidos argumentales y recursos estéticos que articulan cada uno de los textos. Sin embargo, en todos ellos se trasluce una fuerza imponente, esa sensación lovecraftiana de que hay algo aguardando, escondido en el texto, que no se muestra del todo. En todos ellos se sugiere más de lo que se nombra, lo cual genera una sensación que, sin llegar al horror sobrenatural, provoca inquietud.
Reseña completa: https://libros-prohibidos.com/china-m...
Reseña completa: https://libros-prohibidos.com/china-m...
October 15, 2017
Una historia de terror psicológico con aires de horror cósmico que juega con el concepto de pareidolia y nos habla de las diferentes formas en que cada uno podemos dar significado a las mismas cosas.
Lo podéis encontrar traducido al castellano en SuperSonic #8.
Lo podéis encontrar traducido al castellano en SuperSonic #8.
June 23, 2019
Že by to boli nejak extra vypointované poviedky, to zas nie, ale Miéville je proste človek, ktorý aj z takej tisíckrát prevarenej témy ako upíri dokáže na ploche 30 strán vytrieskať toľko omfg momentov, koľko sa iným spisovateľom nepodarí vymyslieť za celý život.
May 12, 2021
Na Chinu Miévilla se už několik let chystám - na Kindlu na mne čekají už čtyři jeho romány, ale náhoda tomu chtěla, že podobně jako u antalogie New Weird, jsem i Pátrání po Jakeovi koupil v nějaké drastické slevě, tuším za 40,- Kč. 🤑
Hodnocení jednotlivých povídek je níže, tady jen krátké celkové shrnutí. Obecně, musím říct, že pokud by Miévilla nepředcházela sláva jeho románů, tak jenom na základě této sbírky bych od něj už nic dalšího nečetl. Většina povídek mě nijak zvlášť nezaujala, ani formou, ani nápadem, ani jazykem. Všechno mi to přišlo takové fádní, spíš čtení na dovolenou, nebo na ukrácení času, než čtení pro požitek. 🤷♂️
Možná, že jazyková stránka jde za českým překladem a doufám, že výše zmíněné romány budou mít v angličtině jinou úroveň.
------------
Hodnocení jednotlivých povídek:
Pátrání po Jakovi. Titulní povídka, rozpačitý dojem. Londýn po jisté neurčité katastrofě. Slušná atmosféra, ale trochu nuda. ⭐⭐⭐
Základy. Město postavené na kostech mrtvých a jeden muž jim naslouchá. ⭐⭐⭐
Míčkovna. Duchařská historka z dětského koutku. ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Hlášení o jistých událostech v Londýně. Bludné ulice, které spolu (možná) bojují. Dopisová forma found footage. ⭐⭐⭐
Familiár. Taková čarodějná zrůdička z odpadků. Nechutný průběh a bezradný závěr. ⭐⭐
Heslo z lékařské encyklopedie. Na počátku bylo slovo. A to vytvořilo červa v mozku. Synapse, pitomci! ⭐⭐⭐
Jednotlivosti. Cáklá ženská vidí "věci". ⭐⭐
Prostředník. Paranoidní poslíček konspiračních balíčků. Chybí pointa, zbývá paranoia. ⭐⭐⭐
Odlišná nebe. Průhled do jiného světa, do jiné doby. Generační konflikt mezi starcem a dětským gangem. ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Konec hladovění. Zlatý devadesátky a hacking ze staré školy. A klasická paranoia. Jímá mě nostalgie, tak proto asi (nezasloužené) vysoké hodnocení. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Šťastné a veselé. Masová demonstrace za komerčně ukradené vánoce. Dost levičácké. ⭐⭐
Jack. První ochutnávka Nového Krobuzonu, dobrý závěr, překvapivý. ⭐⭐⭐
Cestou na frontu. Komiks, který jsem nepochopil a který komiksově nefunguje (rozeznání postav, dynamika panelů, střih, atd.). ⭐⭐
Amalgám. Krátká novelka, rozšíření a pokračování Borgesových zrcadlových přízraků v ulicích postapokalyptického Londýna. ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Hodnocení jednotlivých povídek je níže, tady jen krátké celkové shrnutí. Obecně, musím říct, že pokud by Miévilla nepředcházela sláva jeho románů, tak jenom na základě této sbírky bych od něj už nic dalšího nečetl. Většina povídek mě nijak zvlášť nezaujala, ani formou, ani nápadem, ani jazykem. Všechno mi to přišlo takové fádní, spíš čtení na dovolenou, nebo na ukrácení času, než čtení pro požitek. 🤷♂️
Možná, že jazyková stránka jde za českým překladem a doufám, že výše zmíněné romány budou mít v angličtině jinou úroveň.
------------
Hodnocení jednotlivých povídek:
Pátrání po Jakovi. Titulní povídka, rozpačitý dojem. Londýn po jisté neurčité katastrofě. Slušná atmosféra, ale trochu nuda. ⭐⭐⭐
Základy. Město postavené na kostech mrtvých a jeden muž jim naslouchá. ⭐⭐⭐
Míčkovna. Duchařská historka z dětského koutku. ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Hlášení o jistých událostech v Londýně. Bludné ulice, které spolu (možná) bojují. Dopisová forma found footage. ⭐⭐⭐
Familiár. Taková čarodějná zrůdička z odpadků. Nechutný průběh a bezradný závěr. ⭐⭐
Heslo z lékařské encyklopedie. Na počátku bylo slovo. A to vytvořilo červa v mozku. Synapse, pitomci! ⭐⭐⭐
Jednotlivosti. Cáklá ženská vidí "věci". ⭐⭐
Prostředník. Paranoidní poslíček konspiračních balíčků. Chybí pointa, zbývá paranoia. ⭐⭐⭐
Odlišná nebe. Průhled do jiného světa, do jiné doby. Generační konflikt mezi starcem a dětským gangem. ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Konec hladovění. Zlatý devadesátky a hacking ze staré školy. A klasická paranoia. Jímá mě nostalgie, tak proto asi (nezasloužené) vysoké hodnocení. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Šťastné a veselé. Masová demonstrace za komerčně ukradené vánoce. Dost levičácké. ⭐⭐
Jack. První ochutnávka Nového Krobuzonu, dobrý závěr, překvapivý. ⭐⭐⭐
Cestou na frontu. Komiks, který jsem nepochopil a který komiksově nefunguje (rozeznání postav, dynamika panelů, střih, atd.). ⭐⭐
Amalgám. Krátká novelka, rozšíření a pokračování Borgesových zrcadlových přízraků v ulicích postapokalyptického Londýna. ⭐⭐⭐⭐
August 25, 2019
A estas alturas cualquier aficionado a la Literatura Fantástica que se precie conoce a China Miéville. Quizá le apasione o quizá le cueste entrar en sus mundos extraños y retorcidos y no sea muy seguidor suyo, pero lo que no se puede negarle es que se ha convertido en una de las grandes figuras del género con sus muy personales libros. Una ciencia ficción y fantasía que derivan hacia lo extraño —lo weird—, lo surrealista, lo metafísico, lo inquietante y desasosegante, y la sátira política. De todo ello dan buena cuenta los relatos recogidos en este volumen, la primera de sus antologías y magníficos ejemplos de su producción primigenia, cuando todavía su nombre no sonaba, al menos para el lector español, tanto como ahora. La máquina que hace Ping! ha tenido el enorme acierto de rescatar la antología, la mayor parte de cuyo contenido permanecía inédito en nuestro país, reuniendo un magnífico equipo de traductores que mantiene sin fisuras toda la esencia del autor, toda la maravilla y extrañamiento de sus textos, todo el disfrute de unos textos que permanecían inexplicablemente sin traslación al español. Una estupenda oportunidad de conocer al autor antes de enfrentarse a sus novelas más largas.
Reseña completa en Sagacomic:
https://sagacomic.blogspot.com/2019/0...
Reseña completa en Sagacomic:
https://sagacomic.blogspot.com/2019/0...
October 2, 2012
Sometimes short stories are a great way to introduce yourself to an author you haven't read before. I found China Mieville while reading an anthology and was intrigued but not sure if I would like him so I found his collection of short stories.
If these are fantasy I would call them dark fantasy for lack of a better word. In all truth I would label them as mostly horror with some science fiction thrown in but it seems that Mieville wants a different label. I'm not saying that I don't like his writing, I do but let's call this what it is.
A couple of these quite literally sent chills up my spine and I have to say I really loved the Meta fiction. He also showed that he handled post apocalyptic really well. There were a few stories that fell flat but that may be because they really needed to be longer
I think my interest is peaked enough to hunt out more of his books.
If these are fantasy I would call them dark fantasy for lack of a better word. In all truth I would label them as mostly horror with some science fiction thrown in but it seems that Mieville wants a different label. I'm not saying that I don't like his writing, I do but let's call this what it is.
A couple of these quite literally sent chills up my spine and I have to say I really loved the Meta fiction. He also showed that he handled post apocalyptic really well. There were a few stories that fell flat but that may be because they really needed to be longer
I think my interest is peaked enough to hunt out more of his books.
February 26, 2021
A writer who’s literally able to manifest into words his wealth of imagination. And on that same note, perhaps that imagination also projects what we sometimes relate to as part of our collective imagination, shaped also by stories such as these.
Not all the stories worked as well as some of course (in particular the comic strip one - not really sure what’s that all about)
The summary on the back of the book succinctly describes what’s in the collection. And the prose of course is nothing short of tantalizing.
Not all the stories worked as well as some of course (in particular the comic strip one - not really sure what’s that all about)
The summary on the back of the book succinctly describes what’s in the collection. And the prose of course is nothing short of tantalizing.
August 17, 2024
I went into this expecting Dark Fantasy and was pleasantly surprised at the number of horror tales included. I'm giving this 4 stars but there's definitely some 5 star classics scattered throughout. For instance, The Ball Room is scary as shit. If you're even slightly susceptible to ghost stories giving you goosebumps, this one knows all the right buttons to push. Another amazing entry was the Lovecraftian story Details, which will have me second guessing everything I see in the corner of my eye for a long time coming.
Read
December 27, 2024Some stories I liked, some were a bit boring. A lot of them do a great job of creating unease and a feeling that something is off. It's cool how the stories gradually reveal themselves to be more fantasy. The characters weren't necessarily super developed or compelling, but the ideas and creativity make up for that, and the writing is obviously great.
March 26, 2016
A collection of short stories that range from sci-fi, horror, and fantasy all told with a compelling voice that kept me intrigued throughout each tale. The shorts are various lengths, with the longest being a bit under 100 pages. I had never read anything by China Mieville and found this to fulfill my collection of short stories for a challenge. I'd read reviews comparing him to HP Lovecraft, and I can now see how that comparison could be made. The writing style and the subject matter of the stories is a bit out there and a fun adventure. I thought there was a vat of creativity in these writings and enjoyed how it was told.
I would consider there to be 14 short stories in this collection. I say consider as there is one cohesive story that has multiple headings as each event occurs, Reports on Certain Events in London. My favorite one...hmmm. I'm torn between three: Looking for Jake (the opening story), Reports on Certain Events in London, or The Tain (the closing story). While I enjoyed the others as well, these three left the biggest impact on me.
Here's a brief synopsis of each story:
1. Looking for Jake
An end of the world catastrophe. Various methods are used to disable cities throughout world. This is the tale of an unknown man trying to make sense of this and find his friend, Jake.
2. Foundation
Strange / weird tale. A many who hears the foundation speak. The foundation of not just buildings but all things.
3. The Ball Room
A furniture store with a ball room that has paranormal activity told from the POV of security guard. A weird accidental injury of one kid at the Wendy house, which then caused two sitters to quit. The story explores this and the following events.
4. Reports on Certain Events in London
The premise of these chapters is a letter / packet is sent to China by mistake. He opens it without realizing it isn't for him. He is so engrossed in the details that he can't stop reading it. This was very interesting. While I didn't understand all the science, I was fascinated by it and Googled a few things to try to piece it together on my own. All the chapters with 'Urgent: Report of Investigation' seem related to this. I don't want to go into anymore as the unraveling of the mystery was of much enjoyment to me.
5. Familiar
New take on a witch's familiar. It's disgusting, but I couldn't not read it. The disgusting factor doesn't make it unreadable just more relates to how the Familiar came to be and the effects.
6. Entry Taken from a Medical Encyclopedia
Told in format of scientific study and analysis regarding a brain parasite and its research over the years. I like the idea and how it was set up more so than the sustenance.
7. Details
A unique telling of a boy who each Wednesday visits a woman to bring her lunch and read to her. She begins to explain the details to him & how once you see them you can't stop.
8. Go Between
What if you received anonymous instructions seemly magically? Would you pass along the information? Then what if just as suddenly as they started, they stopped. What would you think? How would you handle this situation?
9. Different Skies
A man buys an antique window and tells his tale through his journal. There is something beyond the window, something chilling. I loved this writing style and how he unfolded this story.
10. An End to Hunger
Two friends: one a computer programmer and the other his confidant. The programmer is creating havoc for a conglomerate taking donations per click. A battle wages.
11. 'Tis the Season
All of Christmas is trade marked...everything, literally. It's illegal to celebrate how we see. Each person must obtain a license or will be arrested for celebrating without one.
12. Jack
A dystopian society where law breakers are remade - a thief has their hand replaced with an animal or machine part. This is the musings of someone who knew Jack and works in the remakings. It's the tale of Jack and his impact on this person and the society.
13. On the Way to the Front
I didn't get this one. It's a graphic short story, but it was very hard to see detail of drawing on my Kindle. It had to do with something soldiers and a bus stop.
14. The Tain
London is attacked and leveled. Sholl is surviving in this new world and mapping the changes to the city. The imagos are fighting to avenge their species. The reader receives stories from both perspectives and it switches between the two as the tale progresses. I loved the descriptive language and imagery in this story. I was fascinated by the use of science mixed with horror. This is by far the longest of the short stories, and it was not at all boring.
Writing this review helped me settle on a rating of 4-stars. One thing about the writing style I particularly enjoyed was that it left a lot to my imagination. There was enough explanation provided to me that while the ending may have felt abrupt I wasn't upset by its conclusion. I may have to give one of his novels a try.
I would consider there to be 14 short stories in this collection. I say consider as there is one cohesive story that has multiple headings as each event occurs, Reports on Certain Events in London. My favorite one...hmmm. I'm torn between three: Looking for Jake (the opening story), Reports on Certain Events in London, or The Tain (the closing story). While I enjoyed the others as well, these three left the biggest impact on me.
Here's a brief synopsis of each story:
1. Looking for Jake
An end of the world catastrophe. Various methods are used to disable cities throughout world. This is the tale of an unknown man trying to make sense of this and find his friend, Jake.
2. Foundation
Strange / weird tale. A many who hears the foundation speak. The foundation of not just buildings but all things.
3. The Ball Room
A furniture store with a ball room that has paranormal activity told from the POV of security guard. A weird accidental injury of one kid at the Wendy house, which then caused two sitters to quit. The story explores this and the following events.
4. Reports on Certain Events in London
The premise of these chapters is a letter / packet is sent to China by mistake. He opens it without realizing it isn't for him. He is so engrossed in the details that he can't stop reading it. This was very interesting. While I didn't understand all the science, I was fascinated by it and Googled a few things to try to piece it together on my own. All the chapters with 'Urgent: Report of Investigation' seem related to this. I don't want to go into anymore as the unraveling of the mystery was of much enjoyment to me.
5. Familiar
New take on a witch's familiar. It's disgusting, but I couldn't not read it. The disgusting factor doesn't make it unreadable just more relates to how the Familiar came to be and the effects.
6. Entry Taken from a Medical Encyclopedia
Told in format of scientific study and analysis regarding a brain parasite and its research over the years. I like the idea and how it was set up more so than the sustenance.
7. Details
A unique telling of a boy who each Wednesday visits a woman to bring her lunch and read to her. She begins to explain the details to him & how once you see them you can't stop.
8. Go Between
What if you received anonymous instructions seemly magically? Would you pass along the information? Then what if just as suddenly as they started, they stopped. What would you think? How would you handle this situation?
9. Different Skies
A man buys an antique window and tells his tale through his journal. There is something beyond the window, something chilling. I loved this writing style and how he unfolded this story.
10. An End to Hunger
Two friends: one a computer programmer and the other his confidant. The programmer is creating havoc for a conglomerate taking donations per click. A battle wages.
11. 'Tis the Season
All of Christmas is trade marked...everything, literally. It's illegal to celebrate how we see. Each person must obtain a license or will be arrested for celebrating without one.
12. Jack
A dystopian society where law breakers are remade - a thief has their hand replaced with an animal or machine part. This is the musings of someone who knew Jack and works in the remakings. It's the tale of Jack and his impact on this person and the society.
13. On the Way to the Front
I didn't get this one. It's a graphic short story, but it was very hard to see detail of drawing on my Kindle. It had to do with something soldiers and a bus stop.
14. The Tain
London is attacked and leveled. Sholl is surviving in this new world and mapping the changes to the city. The imagos are fighting to avenge their species. The reader receives stories from both perspectives and it switches between the two as the tale progresses. I loved the descriptive language and imagery in this story. I was fascinated by the use of science mixed with horror. This is by far the longest of the short stories, and it was not at all boring.
Writing this review helped me settle on a rating of 4-stars. One thing about the writing style I particularly enjoyed was that it left a lot to my imagination. There was enough explanation provided to me that while the ending may have felt abrupt I wasn't upset by its conclusion. I may have to give one of his novels a try.
August 17, 2022
Ideas muy originales, ciudades y arquitecturas que te hacen pensar. Gran recopilatorio de cuentos. Mis favoritos quizás sean Cimientos, Familiar y Mensajero.
April 6, 2020
Maybe this says something about me, but so far I haven't found the "New Weird" writers that weird overall. I'm glad that writers are trying to carry on with strangeness of Lovecraft and company without all the blatant racism but what it seems like for me is that too often the writers think having a strange concept is enough to make the story stand out without having to generate the requisite atmosphere to make the situation truly unsettling.
Apparently the term was coined by M John Harrison in an introduction to the last story in this very volume and while he tends to get lumped in with the guard he's frankly been doing the weird thing for decades before the writers branded with the term nowadays even started to operate, and for the most part did it better (the last book I read from him, "The Course of the Heart" isn't even a major work and still ran rings around anything in this collection . . . and these stories weren't bad!). Jeff VanderMeer seems to be the standard bearer these days but his stories about mushroom people were kind of hit or miss for me. I'm actually looking forward to Jeffrey Ford but I probably won't get to his novels for, er, a decade or so, if we're all still here by then so stay tuned, I guess.
China Mieville is probably tied with VanderMeer in terms of prominence and definitely at his best has one of the more distinctive styles in the genre. Possessed of a vocabulary that makes English teachers weep tears of joy and a gift for innocuous but highly disturbing imagery he's capable of crafting stuff that sticks in your brain. "Perdido Street Station" is his best known (and possibly his best) work, a magical-Steampunk-Victorian-horror amalgamation notable for its keen sense of place and a plot that takes a sharp left turn partway through and keeps charging forward toward a cliff made a decaying teeth in the shape of your past lovers. Regardless of whatever else you want to say about it, it definitely has style.
His other novels haven't fared so well with me. While "The Scar" had an interesting blend of concepts, I ended up not much caring what happened to anyone and "The Iron Council" suffered much the same fate for me, although I didn't even find the concept that compelling. The claustrophobic atmosphere that choked much of "Perdido Street Station" had a lot to do with its success, as it turns out and he so far hasn't been able to recapture that feeling for me.
Sometimes though what you can't sustain over the course of a novel you can pack better into a short story and so I approached this collection with some interest, even though the stories themselves seemed really short . . . fourteen stories in about three hundred pages, with one of them topping out at about eighty pages. In the one sense that's good because if the story was lackluster you could at least be consoled that it'd be over quickly but given the sprawl of his novels I wondered if he'd be able to recapture the same flavor, just with a little more density.
As it turns out his editor is better off taking him off his leash because it looks like he needs to roam over the whole territory to be effective.
Most of the stories are vaguely horrific in nature, taking an off-kilter concept that's introduced gradually, generally by way of a first person protagonist, and then left to unfurl until someone's inevitable doom arrives or the strangeness dissipates leaving shimmering questions in the air. And while he's good at coming up with ideas, he seems to have some difficulty in wrapping them in the strangeness they require. Stories like "Looking for Jake", "Foundation", "Familiar", "An End to Hunger", and "Go Between" tease out their premises but never really grab hold of the otherworldliness the stories are often begging for, leaving them to come across as a bit flat. "Looking for Jake" suffers the most from this, as in trying to keep the threat vague we're never quite sure what the narrator is up against, or why we should care (it also feels like someone trying to write a Grant Morrison "Doom Patrol" story, where any single story probably out-weirds anything here, so it’s a high bar to vault over). The rest just kind of swirl about with a sense of wrongness or slowly coalescing paranoia that never leaves you feeling as cold as you should. For me, what worked with the old weird authors was the slowly growing sense that the protagonists had accidentally (or made decisions without understanding the consequences) stumbled into a situation beyond rational understanding and all the reader can do is watch it inevitably consume them, sometimes not even out of any sense of malice or punishment but because simply that's the way the universe works and they don't grasp that truth until its far, far too late, leaving you as the reader the only person left to linger on their fate.
The rest mentioned have more concrete concepts but even with their glimpses of the wheels that turn behind the world we know they never quite clutch at the heart. Maybe I'm just picky, or maybe I'm working in a NJ pharmacy during a pandemic and am not easily rattled by fiction these days (its closed door, so I'm not assuming the same risk as my former retail brethren or the nightmare that are hospitals right now).
Interestingly, his kind of cliche additions to the New Weirdness work better than they have any right now. Its pretty much de rigueur for weird writers to concoct a tale that involves multiple fonts and sources to make it seem realer (special bonus if the character has the same as the author), but "Reports of Certain Events in London", where "China Mieville" receives a series of letters not meant for him discussing something that will make look at city blocks a lot differently (even if it also does feel vaguely copped from Grant Morrison) actually works, tapping into that difference between the world we see and the world as it is that makes the better weird stories resonate. The same with "Entry Taken From a Medical Encyclopedia" (another go-to format for the genre), about a strange parasitic disease that infects people in a mundane yet unsettling way, something only enhanced by the dry tone.
The ones that worked best for me were actually the straightforward ghost/horror stories. The best of these is "The Ball Room" which takes something utterly banal (a ball pit in a department store where parents can leave their kids) and gradually ups the creepiness without ever getting into the heart of the source, letting every explanation curl like smoke and never quite come into reach, with even its resolution hovering just out of view. It has perhaps the only heartstopping moment in the collection for me, where the tone shifts from "Well, this is odd" to "This is definitely bad". The other horror tale, "Details" isn't as effective, featuring a young boy's relationship with a woman in his apartment complex who seems to be an oracle of some kind . . . it effectively takes something mundane and turns it into a surprisingly malevolent concept that genuinely chilling.
But beyond those couple highlights the rest are a mixed bag. "Tis the Season" seems like something Cory Doctorow would write, and probably needed to be fleshed out more to be funnier or more cutting. "Different Skies" reads like someone trying to be a scary version of a Borges story whose name escapes me right now (whichever one had the guy seeing a different world through a window) and doesn't quite cut it. Fans of "Perdido Street Station" were perhaps happy to see "Jack" which deals with an aftermath of an incident in that story . . . I'm unfortunately not so in love with that novel that I needed a revisit and in the end the story feels more like a story waiting to start and right about to when it ends. "On the Way to the Front" could be his first attempt at writing a comic (which he would later do successfully, or at least I enjoyed "Dial H" although since it lasted only fifteen issues I might have been the only one) and while Liam Sharp has his strength the story doesn't quite seem to play to them, and he can't totally convey whatever Mieville is driving at (the book is also way smaller than a typical comic book, which scrunches the art and makes the details harder to make out, not a benefit for Sharp, who draws lots of fine lines) so the story is a bit of a headscratcher.
That leaves "The Tain", a novella that won a Locus Award and thus should be the capstone to the collection, or at least the money shot. And its . . . all right. Featuring a world that's supposed to have vampires even as it turns out they're something else entirely, it at times feels like "I am Legend" told from both perspectives but beyond an early scene where the protagonist walks into a mostly empty London that's gone seriously weird (the "doves" are the most effective image for me) and a later description of what people were doing when the original crisis hits, it again mostly feels like a story killing time until the actual story starts, at which point it ends. The concept never feels illustrated in the right way, its too concrete where it needs to be shadows, but the shadowy stuff feels too literal. Its also another Borges riff (if I haven't convinced you yet to get the complete collection of his short stories if any of this sounds vaguely interesting, let this be the official recommendation) and while I can appreciate the direction Mieville is taking it in, that's about all I can do.
So, a bit of a hodgepodge and for those who are more in love with Mieville's style than I am the hits might number a bit higher for you and the near-misses could be more forgivable. But nothing is outright bad here, so worst case scenario it’s a quick and inoffensive read with no masterpieces but no duffers either. Mieville is talented but I wonder sometimes if he's one of those writer who does his best work when he hits certain chords and any ventures outside that sound are just harmless noodling . . . not grating, but never rising above a background hum.
Apparently the term was coined by M John Harrison in an introduction to the last story in this very volume and while he tends to get lumped in with the guard he's frankly been doing the weird thing for decades before the writers branded with the term nowadays even started to operate, and for the most part did it better (the last book I read from him, "The Course of the Heart" isn't even a major work and still ran rings around anything in this collection . . . and these stories weren't bad!). Jeff VanderMeer seems to be the standard bearer these days but his stories about mushroom people were kind of hit or miss for me. I'm actually looking forward to Jeffrey Ford but I probably won't get to his novels for, er, a decade or so, if we're all still here by then so stay tuned, I guess.
China Mieville is probably tied with VanderMeer in terms of prominence and definitely at his best has one of the more distinctive styles in the genre. Possessed of a vocabulary that makes English teachers weep tears of joy and a gift for innocuous but highly disturbing imagery he's capable of crafting stuff that sticks in your brain. "Perdido Street Station" is his best known (and possibly his best) work, a magical-Steampunk-Victorian-horror amalgamation notable for its keen sense of place and a plot that takes a sharp left turn partway through and keeps charging forward toward a cliff made a decaying teeth in the shape of your past lovers. Regardless of whatever else you want to say about it, it definitely has style.
His other novels haven't fared so well with me. While "The Scar" had an interesting blend of concepts, I ended up not much caring what happened to anyone and "The Iron Council" suffered much the same fate for me, although I didn't even find the concept that compelling. The claustrophobic atmosphere that choked much of "Perdido Street Station" had a lot to do with its success, as it turns out and he so far hasn't been able to recapture that feeling for me.
Sometimes though what you can't sustain over the course of a novel you can pack better into a short story and so I approached this collection with some interest, even though the stories themselves seemed really short . . . fourteen stories in about three hundred pages, with one of them topping out at about eighty pages. In the one sense that's good because if the story was lackluster you could at least be consoled that it'd be over quickly but given the sprawl of his novels I wondered if he'd be able to recapture the same flavor, just with a little more density.
As it turns out his editor is better off taking him off his leash because it looks like he needs to roam over the whole territory to be effective.
Most of the stories are vaguely horrific in nature, taking an off-kilter concept that's introduced gradually, generally by way of a first person protagonist, and then left to unfurl until someone's inevitable doom arrives or the strangeness dissipates leaving shimmering questions in the air. And while he's good at coming up with ideas, he seems to have some difficulty in wrapping them in the strangeness they require. Stories like "Looking for Jake", "Foundation", "Familiar", "An End to Hunger", and "Go Between" tease out their premises but never really grab hold of the otherworldliness the stories are often begging for, leaving them to come across as a bit flat. "Looking for Jake" suffers the most from this, as in trying to keep the threat vague we're never quite sure what the narrator is up against, or why we should care (it also feels like someone trying to write a Grant Morrison "Doom Patrol" story, where any single story probably out-weirds anything here, so it’s a high bar to vault over). The rest just kind of swirl about with a sense of wrongness or slowly coalescing paranoia that never leaves you feeling as cold as you should. For me, what worked with the old weird authors was the slowly growing sense that the protagonists had accidentally (or made decisions without understanding the consequences) stumbled into a situation beyond rational understanding and all the reader can do is watch it inevitably consume them, sometimes not even out of any sense of malice or punishment but because simply that's the way the universe works and they don't grasp that truth until its far, far too late, leaving you as the reader the only person left to linger on their fate.
The rest mentioned have more concrete concepts but even with their glimpses of the wheels that turn behind the world we know they never quite clutch at the heart. Maybe I'm just picky, or maybe I'm working in a NJ pharmacy during a pandemic and am not easily rattled by fiction these days (its closed door, so I'm not assuming the same risk as my former retail brethren or the nightmare that are hospitals right now).
Interestingly, his kind of cliche additions to the New Weirdness work better than they have any right now. Its pretty much de rigueur for weird writers to concoct a tale that involves multiple fonts and sources to make it seem realer (special bonus if the character has the same as the author), but "Reports of Certain Events in London", where "China Mieville" receives a series of letters not meant for him discussing something that will make look at city blocks a lot differently (even if it also does feel vaguely copped from Grant Morrison) actually works, tapping into that difference between the world we see and the world as it is that makes the better weird stories resonate. The same with "Entry Taken From a Medical Encyclopedia" (another go-to format for the genre), about a strange parasitic disease that infects people in a mundane yet unsettling way, something only enhanced by the dry tone.
The ones that worked best for me were actually the straightforward ghost/horror stories. The best of these is "The Ball Room" which takes something utterly banal (a ball pit in a department store where parents can leave their kids) and gradually ups the creepiness without ever getting into the heart of the source, letting every explanation curl like smoke and never quite come into reach, with even its resolution hovering just out of view. It has perhaps the only heartstopping moment in the collection for me, where the tone shifts from "Well, this is odd" to "This is definitely bad". The other horror tale, "Details" isn't as effective, featuring a young boy's relationship with a woman in his apartment complex who seems to be an oracle of some kind . . . it effectively takes something mundane and turns it into a surprisingly malevolent concept that genuinely chilling.
But beyond those couple highlights the rest are a mixed bag. "Tis the Season" seems like something Cory Doctorow would write, and probably needed to be fleshed out more to be funnier or more cutting. "Different Skies" reads like someone trying to be a scary version of a Borges story whose name escapes me right now (whichever one had the guy seeing a different world through a window) and doesn't quite cut it. Fans of "Perdido Street Station" were perhaps happy to see "Jack" which deals with an aftermath of an incident in that story . . . I'm unfortunately not so in love with that novel that I needed a revisit and in the end the story feels more like a story waiting to start and right about to when it ends. "On the Way to the Front" could be his first attempt at writing a comic (which he would later do successfully, or at least I enjoyed "Dial H" although since it lasted only fifteen issues I might have been the only one) and while Liam Sharp has his strength the story doesn't quite seem to play to them, and he can't totally convey whatever Mieville is driving at (the book is also way smaller than a typical comic book, which scrunches the art and makes the details harder to make out, not a benefit for Sharp, who draws lots of fine lines) so the story is a bit of a headscratcher.
That leaves "The Tain", a novella that won a Locus Award and thus should be the capstone to the collection, or at least the money shot. And its . . . all right. Featuring a world that's supposed to have vampires even as it turns out they're something else entirely, it at times feels like "I am Legend" told from both perspectives but beyond an early scene where the protagonist walks into a mostly empty London that's gone seriously weird (the "doves" are the most effective image for me) and a later description of what people were doing when the original crisis hits, it again mostly feels like a story killing time until the actual story starts, at which point it ends. The concept never feels illustrated in the right way, its too concrete where it needs to be shadows, but the shadowy stuff feels too literal. Its also another Borges riff (if I haven't convinced you yet to get the complete collection of his short stories if any of this sounds vaguely interesting, let this be the official recommendation) and while I can appreciate the direction Mieville is taking it in, that's about all I can do.
So, a bit of a hodgepodge and for those who are more in love with Mieville's style than I am the hits might number a bit higher for you and the near-misses could be more forgivable. But nothing is outright bad here, so worst case scenario it’s a quick and inoffensive read with no masterpieces but no duffers either. Mieville is talented but I wonder sometimes if he's one of those writer who does his best work when he hits certain chords and any ventures outside that sound are just harmless noodling . . . not grating, but never rising above a background hum.
January 14, 2012
Something I keep coming back to with China Mieville is how much he trusts his readers to not give up when they get confused. His favorite method of introducing you to ANYTHING is to drop you in the middle of a situation (or a city, or a world), and feed you little tidbits of an explanation until you finally know what's going on. Or don't. And the gaps in the information will stay in your brain so much longer than if he'd gone point-by-point through the story.
The short stories don't leave as much time or space for long drawn-out mysteries, but Mieville still leaves things tantalizingly unexplained. The subject of the title story "Looking for Jake" is a good example; a vague apocalypse. You know that the world is coming to an end, but you never find out why, or how, or what happens to all the people when they disappear, and the end of days isn't even the main concern of the narrator. "Details" gives you a little more explanation of what's going on (only a little), but there are still pieces left out: answers you don't understand to questions you didn't get to hear. ("Tell your mother seven. But only four of them concern her, and three of them used to be dead." You could get a whole STORY out of those two sentences.) I could kick myself for skipping "Reports of Certain Events in London" the first time I checked out this book, all because I thought a collection of letters and meeting notes would be boring. It turned out to be one of my favorites in the book, and I can't even explain WHY, because the best part is the slow reveal of SOMETHING that happened, but as usual, without a complete explanation. I wish Mieville would release another collection of short stories. Fourteen of them in this book just aren't enough.
The short stories don't leave as much time or space for long drawn-out mysteries, but Mieville still leaves things tantalizingly unexplained. The subject of the title story "Looking for Jake" is a good example; a vague apocalypse. You know that the world is coming to an end, but you never find out why, or how, or what happens to all the people when they disappear, and the end of days isn't even the main concern of the narrator. "Details" gives you a little more explanation of what's going on (only a little), but there are still pieces left out: answers you don't understand to questions you didn't get to hear. ("Tell your mother seven. But only four of them concern her, and three of them used to be dead." You could get a whole STORY out of those two sentences.) I could kick myself for skipping "Reports of Certain Events in London" the first time I checked out this book, all because I thought a collection of letters and meeting notes would be boring. It turned out to be one of my favorites in the book, and I can't even explain WHY, because the best part is the slow reveal of SOMETHING that happened, but as usual, without a complete explanation. I wish Mieville would release another collection of short stories. Fourteen of them in this book just aren't enough.
August 3, 2013
Another brilliant, if bleak, effort from Miéville.
If I had to choose one word to tie in all of these short stories (and one novella, The Tain), I'd have to say "paranoia". Almost every story involves a character fearful of something — often without obvious cause.
Miéville's wordplay is, as always, amazing. The title of The Tain is hugely obscure, and yet right out of a dictionary: the tain is the reflective silver backing of a mirror. The creatures that come from the tain call themselves "patchogues". Does that derive from the town on Long Island, NY, of which the Urban Dictionary says "A place where all of your dreams can come true, or you could get shot dead at a stoplight"? Or is it simply "patch o' gue"? I'm sure I'll never know.
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