Elitist Book Reviews

Several times now I’ve sat down with my wife and have attempted to explain a China Miéville book. I’ve tried to tell her how cool it is and how amazing the ideas are.

I tried to tell her about THE CITY AND THE CITY and how it was about two cities that occupy the same space, and how you weren’t allowed to look at the other city. How you could be identified by the way you walked and talked as being from one city or the other. I once tried to tell her about a special kind of magic in KRAKEN, where you were able to fold large, three dimensional objects as if they were a piece of paper down into small pieces of origami. I even tried to tell her about a cool race of cactus like people that lived in the Bas-Lag novels (PERDIDO STREET STATION, THE SCAR, and IRON COUNCIL).

Each and every time I tried to tell her about these things, I failed miserably. My wife is a loving person and she tried her best not to laugh in my face (she even succeeded a few times) as I miserably explained these amazing ideas. And that’s the difference between China Miéville and most other authors I read. There are stories that sound ridiculous--they sound absurd and absolutely should NOT be cool--and yet when Miéville talks about them, you get it. You really understand the idea and it makes sense and it’s wonderful.

So I’m going to talk to you for a bit about RAILSEA, and as I explain it you might laugh. You might think it sounds silly. And you’re right. It does sound silly, but again, when Miéville writes about it, you get it. It’s cool.

RAILSEA (when you really boil it down) is basically a weird-fiction rehashing of Herman Melville’s classic novel, MOBY DICK. But instead of hunting for the great white whale on an ocean liner, in RAILSEA we travel on large trains that hunt down giant moles that burrow under the ground and occasionally breach up to the surface. In Miéville’s latest, we are hunting for the great white mole, Mocker Jack.

Sounds ridiculous right? And yet the book is an absolute blast.

This is the book I was hoping Miéville would write when he gave us UN LUN DUN. I liked UN LUN DUN, but it didn’t have the particular brand of Miéville-weird that I so love. Well this book has that weirdness in spades. Along the voyage, there are various encounters with moles (giant mountain sized moles) and huge antlions and other creatures. Anything. Everything. People are afraid of touching down on bare earth for fear of some creature coming up and killing you (a rational fear in this world).

As usual the writing is top notch. Miéville is a wordsmith and wields his words like a painter does his brushes and paints. It’s certainly streamlined a bit more here, making it more readable for younger audiences, but there are still moments of pure poetry in the way he writes.

The one complaint that I have with the book really is the way it was marketed. I know that sounds weird, but it’s true. It was presented to me as a YA book, but it still never read like one. I know the language was never too much, but I just don’t get the YA thing at all. IF someone were to come up to me and tell me there favorite books were Harry Potter, HUNGER GAMES and TWILIGHT…well, RAILSEA isn’t exactly the book I would recommend to them next. If I knew a young adult who was a bit more advanced, slightly in to weird things, then sure. I would give them RAILSEA, but I would also give them a bunch of other regular SF and Fantasy. There’s really no sense in making it, and marketing it as YA if its primary audience is going to be the adult Miéville fans that already exist.

Like I said, that’s a small thing. This book worked for me. It’s weird and it’s absurd, but it wears those things on its sleeve, proudly. It’s a book that knows it’s ridiculous and revels in it. I did too.

Age Recommendation: 12+ really nothing wrong here, just a bit of violence
Language: Not much, just a few scattered words, and nothing too harsh
Violence: A few images. One scene of cutting up a mole corpse.
Sex: Not really. Want this book? Here's your link: RAILSEA

My dad and I have an ongoing argument. My dad seems to think that PERDIDO STREET STATION by China Miéville is a superior work to THE SCAR (also by Miéville, set in the same world as PERDIDO). While I know better. THE SCAR is better, better plotted, cooler stuff. In one thing we are agreed, however. In my opinion THE SCAR is a 10 (on a scale of one to ten, ten being perfect) whereas PERDIDO is a 9.9. For my dad it’s PERDIDO that gets the 10 and THE SCAR the measly 9.9. They are both good books. Fantastic books, genre-altering books.

Why am I telling you all of this? Because EMBASSYTOWN, the latest novel by China Miéville, is probably a strong 9.8 in my opinion. Easily my favorite of Miéville's books since THE SCAR.

EMBASSYTOWN was what I expected from THE CITY AND THE CITY. It’s a brilliant novel based on a very cool central premise surrounded by vivid weird imagery that only Miéville can provide on this scale

Now how do I explain EMBASSYTOWN? Every time I felt I was getting a good grasp on the novel, Miéville would change directions and throw me another curve ball. I could say it’s about a girl named Avice who lived in Embassytown and showed that she could become an immerser: one who could travel the immer between worlds awake and transport starships. But it’s not about that. I could tell you it’s about an alien race who speak simultaneously through two mouths. These aliens are unable to understand their same speech spoken back to them unless it is through a conscious being (computers don’t work) and even are unable to understand it unless a mental link exists between the two speakers. They are unable to lie and unable to speak in the abstract. They create living breathing metaphors for concepts they long to describe. But it’s not really about that. It’s about addiction. It’s about politics. It’s about language and truth and meaning.

IT IS WONDERFUL!

I raced through this book. I loved the ideas and concepts. I found myself going over and over again, in my mind, the ramifications of the dilemmas of the characters. I found myself thinking back to experiences in my own life. This book is amazing. It was everything I wanted it to be and then a little more.

This is Miéville writing straight up Science Fiction for the first time (you could argue technically that the Bas-Lag novels are SF, but they are something else altogether), but it’s not SF like you’ve ever seen. Mieville isn’t worried about explaining the cool technology of the world so much as the aliens, and even then it’s not the outward appearance that counts but the utterly alien viewpoint. The Hosts, as they are called in the book, are something truly extraordinary. They are alien beings in every sense of the world offering a different way of looking on life, the universe and everything. These are not Star Trek aliens, these are real, different, intelligent beings.

As with most of Miéville’s books, the city, Embassytown, shows itself as almost another viewpoint character. That might be one of the reasons I love Miéville’s work so much. I feel like these are real, living, breathing, gritty places. Not necessarily places I want to live, but real, nonetheless.

If I were to find a flaw with the book it would be the narrator, Avice. She goes through the plot of the novel, experiencing and even engaging in the major events, yet I got the feeling that she was merely a vehicle to drive the story forward. I never got a handle on her, or her character. She was there to tell the story, to show it to us, but nothing more.

But what a story it is. Several times I felt the book coming to a crescendo only to have another twist and another problem thrown in my face. The book explores the implications of language and truth and humanity expertly. I can only hope that Miéville writes more in this world. Given his track record however, whatever he writes will be worth picking up and reading.

Recommended Age: 16+ It’s a complicated book with some deep concepts.
Language: Surprisingly light for Miéville. Still a bit, but not a ton.
Violence: A few deaths and other things, but it never seemed graphic to me.
Sex: It's Miéville. Of course sex is talked about. It doesn't get too graphic in this one, but it is definitely mentioned...as are threesomes.

China Miéville is like Dan Simmons in a way. No matter how odd or bizarre the idea or synopsis, the novel turns out well. Imagine Miéville's editor when China said, "So I'm gonna write this novel. It's a comedy. Kinda. In London. Kinda. Where a giant squid is stolen. And there are people running around with a giant hand in place of their head--Knuckle-heads, get it? And there is a Star Trek phaser that works. And there are cults of every kind whose gods are all legit. And they all have real and scheduled Apocalypses." With his track-record, what can Miéville's editor say but, "Awesome! I'll sell it tomorrow for a ton of money. Yay us!" (Note: This is similar to a post our friend, Larry Correia, did on the previously mentioned Dan Simmons. It was awesome, and it reminded us completely of how we feel about Miéville)

Yeah. This is China Miéville's KRAKEN. Billy Harrow is a cephalopod specialist at London’s Natural History Museum. He is leading a tour group to see a preserved giant squid, but it is soon discovered that the squid has been stolen. How? Well, that's the question on everyone--and everything's--mind, and they are all chasing Billy, whom they all think has the answers. Because, you see, the giant squid being stolen has caused the timetable on the impending Squidpocalypse to be dramatically sped up.

There is no way to describe this book without it sounding completely bonkers.

And yet, this is China Miéville. We have come to expect stuff from him that would be completely "out of left field" for any other author (except Simmons and Gaiman). The first hundred pages of KRAKEN proceed fairly normally, and we feel that for this book to keep its readers, that small token measure of normalcy was important. But then things go completely bizarre. When Billy gets abducted partway through the novel, the transition from "normal" to "what the heck?" happens in a paragraph. Looking back on it, it would have been nice to have a cleaner transition. In fact, as the novel proceeds, it is the clarity of the weirdness that is lacking at times. This is odd for Miéville, as his descriptions are typically so disturbingly clear you want to take a shower after reading them.

The story in KRAKEN takes place in London, but not an overly familiar one. It feels more like an adult version of Miéville's YA novel, UN LUN DUN (which we reviewed a while back). Apart from a few recognizable buildings, it feels like a fantasy world. The characters, typical of Miéville, are oddly fascinating. We have, again, Billy Harrow the squid specialist. He is being chased by The Tattoo, a sentient (it's explained in the novel, don't worry) tattoo on a guy's back. There is the the FSRC--the Fundamentalist and Sect-Related Crime Unit--a branch of London’s finest that, well, investigates the multitude of sects and cults. An ancient Egyptian spirit known as Wati is the head organizer of an ongoing strike put on by the Familiar's Union. Seriously. We are only scratching the surface here.

Throughout KRAKEN, there is an odd kind of humor. Remember, this is a comedy. Kinda. It is that dark humor that has had its place in Miéville's Bas Lag novels, and it saturates this newest effort. There are moments that will make you laugh out loud, and others that will make you shake your head due to its...wrongness.

KRAKEN clocks in at just under 500 pages. We found that pages 100-200ish, and pages 300-375ish tended to meander a bit too much. The rest was paced terrifically, especially the crazy ending (which made everything in the book make all sorts of sense). We will note that this is one of our least favorite Miéville novels. Don't take that to mean it is bad--all of his stuff is awesome--but it just doesn't have the appeal that, say, PERDIDO STREET STATION has. Additionally, KRAKEN is probably the least accessible Miéville novel. If you had never read a Miéville novel, this would not be the place to start--start with PERDIDO.

All in all this was a terrific, albeit completely bizarre, read. If you are a fan of Miéville, you shouldn't miss this novel. However, if you haven't liked the one or two Miéville novels you have read, this one probably won't change your opinion.

Recommended Age: 18 and up
Language: It's Miéville. There is all sorts of language.
Violence: Somewhat, but nothing graphic.
Sex: None.

First, we want to thank Kaylynn ZoBell for letting us borrow her copy of this novel. She is full of awesome, and hopefully, will be published soon so we can do advance reviews of her work (no pressure there, Kaylynn).

Secondly, it's been a long time since we have been this conflicted over a novel.

UN LUN DUN, by the excellent China Miéville, is a Alice in Wonderland-style tale about two girls living in London who are mysteriously transported to Un Lun Dun (UnLondon...get it?). One of the girls, Zanna, is the Prophesied One who is supposed to save Un Lun Dun from a disaster. The other girl, Deeba, is the Prophesied Sidekick (seriously, it's mentioned in the glossary of a talking book they encounter).

UN LUN DUN is a YA novel that feels...UnYA (our cleverness with words is only exceeded by our eliteness). The two girls feel like they belong in a Middle-Grade book, the story feels YA, yet the writing has a tendency to flirt with the normal adult-level fiction. This is China Miéville, and normally this means we get the truly dark and bizarre. With UN LUN DUN, it felt like Miéville was really trying to not be so dark and twisted, but perhaps he tried too hard. The reason Miéville is so awesome is specifically for his imaginative ability to create the disturbing. There really is none of that here, and we were a bit put off. However, UN LUN DUN does have its moments. Most of the imaginative aspects are built around word-play, and they all work surprisingly well. Unbrellas (yes, that is an "n" not an "m," and they are alive), Black Windows (window frames with spider legs), Parakeets (they have a feather shaped like a key), ninja trash bins (complete with lids and nunchucks), and a dozen uses of the word "smog." Those are just an incredible small sampling of the crazy inhabitants of Un Lun Dun. To help out your imagination, the book it littered with interior illustrations. They are awesome, and we wish more novels had them (not to mention Miéville did them himself).

The best part about UN LUN DUN is when you realize who the real hero is (and how fitting it is), and how the main characters go about their heroic quest. Miéville does a fantastic job in breaking the rules here (We know, vague. No spoilers, remember?).

Are you confused as to whether we liked or disliked the novel? For a while we were too. However, the more we thought on it--like most of Miéville's novels--the more we found ourselves charmed by it. It was so bizarre, and so different, that we can't help but appreciate it. Miéville mentions that he got a lot of advice from Neil Gaiman. We can tell, and while UN LUN DUN isn't as strong and Gaiman's work (this novel will most ofter be compared to his novel, NEVERWHERE), it is still worth borrowing or the price of a cheap paperback (what we mean is, don't pay more than $10 for it). Though, we've got to say, the hardback is stunning in appearance. One of the most beautiful, unique covers we've seen in a while.

Recommended Age: 14 and up. It's hard to say here because the novel is all over the place.
Language: Perhaps one word. Nothing to worry about here.
Violence: Not really, which is odd for Miéville. Just a lot of...strange.
Sex: No. Once again, odd for Miéville. You shouldn't be reading this book for that kind of content anyway. Move along.

Read on for our completely incredible opinions on THE CITY AND THE CITY by China Miéville.

China Miéville is an author who doesn't settle for one genre. He has sampled many, many different genres, and somehow manages to give them each a unique creative style all their own. While many might argue what genre to lock Mr. Miéville in, we at Elitist Book Reviews think he is nearly as awesome as we are and doesn't need to be bound to a single style.

While THE CITY AND THE CITY is a fairly large departure from his previous works, Mieville blends the familiar and the unknown together to create a believable mystery. The protagonist, Tyador Borlú, loves his city and country of Beszel, and works there as a police inspector.

The story begins when Borlú becomes involved in the murder investigation of a postgraduate woman, whose body was dumped in Beszel. Throughout the murder investigation we become acquainted with the very special and peculiar relationship Beszel has with the city and country Ul Qoma.

These two very different countries occupy the same physical space. Even us of great intellect and ability for the abstract thought were just a bit boggled. As we read about Borlú's investigation we were continually exposed to words/terms like crosshatching, grosstopically, unseeing, and breaching.

The relationship between the two cities will hold your attention--much more so than the actual murder investigation--and may just frustrate readers as the bizarre relationship is never completely clear. However, we felt this lack of clarity makes the book even that much more fun and unconventional as we tried to figure out if there is some fantastical element to the division of the cities, or if it is simply laws and customs separating one city into two distinct entities.

The plot is intriguing enough to keep reading, but it is stretched thin and somewhat predictable in a number of places. Without the unique relationship of the cities, this would read as a very simple mystery book where the readers, especially if you are as awesome as we are, figure out the 'whodunnit' way before the characters do. With the addition of Beszel and Ul Qoma, THE CITY AND THE CITY becomes an extravagant tale of political intrigue and will spark your imagination in ways no other author has yet.

Miéville is one of our favorite authors, and is a favorite author among other authors. Perhaps we had our expectations a little bit too high as we approached THE CITY AND THE CITY but despite how enjoyable it was, the execution seemed somewhat lacking and the length was disappointing. However if you want an intelligent and brain-bending setting that will leave you thinking, here is a book for you.

In our opinion which should be, as we have said before, fact to you, THE CITY AND THE CITY was worth our money and is most likely worth yours, go pick it up here:
THE CITY AND THE CITY

Recommended Age: 18 and up
Language: Borlú and his teammates swear like professionals.
Violence: There is very little actual violence in the main segment of the book, consisting of largely a few gunshots, but being a murder mystery, implied violence is abound.
Sex: There is a slight bit of nudity described.


Special Note: Keep in mind that when you do read and love this book, this isn't quite like Miéville's other novels. Though we LOVE his other works, PERDIDO STREET STATION and THE SCAR, there is a possibility that you won't like how graphic or foreign they can be.