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The guy who looks like an adult baby at Penny Arcade posted:His writing is incredibly smug. I can feel him leering at me through his typewriter, shoulders up, breathing hard. Aahahahahaha where is that gif of the giant  barfing dozens of tiny s
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May 14, 2012 20:23
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Reviews are beginning to pour in for Railsea and it's all quite positive! Tor.com: http://www.tor.com/blogs/2012/05/right-on-track-railsea-by-china-mieville io9: http://io9.com/5905228/ride-china-mievilles-crazy-train-in-railsea The Wertzone: http://thewertzone.blogspot.com/2012/05/railsea-by-china-mieville.html Hedrigall fucked around with this message at 11:27 on May 15, 2012 |
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May 15, 2012 11:24
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shrike82 posted:What... It's always great seeing the guy who devours latest in the Star Wars Expanded Universe criticizing someone else for being a bad writer. Nucleic Acids fucked around with this message at 06:30 on May 17, 2012 |
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May 17, 2012 06:26
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Every train captain having their own missing limb and harrowing tale of losing it to a unique animal that they then build a worldview around is one of the cleverest nonWodehousian turns I've seen a trope take in quite some time.
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May 18, 2012 23:25
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I just lost it when (late-ish spoiler) you find out that Naphi didn't actually lose her arm to Mocker Jack. Naphi in general is too good.
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May 19, 2012 19:59
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I'm curious as to why Mieville decided to label Railsea as a YA work; I think it fits in nicely with his "adult" oriented work.
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May 21, 2012 04:00
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Good YA fiction (according to Terry Pratchett, anyway) is identical to adult fiction except the words aren't as long and the sex isn't as obvious.
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May 21, 2012 04:42
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Here's a bunch of rejected designs for the UK cover of Railsea. The final version looks way better than any of those, but I'm getting a bit sick of the unified branding of his books in general. I kinda wish they all still had unique cover designs, like the US ones are still getting.  Oh, and could somebody who has the physical book tell me the page count (and whether it's the UK or US edition)? Just curious, while I wait for mine to arrive 
Hedrigall fucked around with this message at 14:42 on May 21, 2012 |
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May 21, 2012 14:39
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A warning for UK kindle users: in Railsea every instance of the word "and" is replaced by "&". It doesn't make it unreadable but it is annoying so you may wish to get a physical copy instead, or wait for a revised version. Edit: Actually, looking at the extract on the Tor website this is present there, so it may be a deliberate stylistic choice. I guess I'm too dumb to appreciate it if it is because I don't see what it adds . I'm not very far into the book though so maybe I'll get it later on.
Hallucinogenic Toreador fucked around with this message at 19:13 on May 24, 2012 |
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May 24, 2012 19:06
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It's explained later on in the book, yeah.
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May 24, 2012 19:32
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Mrs. Badcrumble posted:It's explained later on in the book, yeah. Is it a major spoiler? Would you mind spoiling it for us? Because that minor stylistic choice is almost making me give up on the book.
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May 26, 2012 00:40
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Grand Prize Winner posted:Is it a major spoiler? Would you mind spoiling it for us? Because that minor stylistic choice is almost making me give up on the book. I don't think it's a major spoiler. You'll notice there are fourth wall breaking chapters where the narrator talks about the world. Early in the book, these segments flesh out the world and are kinda cool. Then the "&" one comes up. They use "&" in place of "and" because it connects things but also loops back on itself...like the Railsea itself...ohhhhhhhhh!  I think its kinda dumb, and got why he was doing with it early on. The aside to explain why he was doing it was really really dumb (Give your readers some credit, Mr.Mieville) but I got past it. Its a stylistic choice, that from where I am in the book (The 70% mark), seems to have no bearing on the plot whatsoever. I can totally understand why someone would find it annoying, though. Snuffman fucked around with this message at 01:21 on May 26, 2012 |
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May 26, 2012 01:16
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Eh, that's the one thing that has bothered me as an adult adult the few times when I've tried to read young adult books; I can't really tell if something that's underestimating me would be doing so to someone at the book's intended reading level. Hell, I still thought the Redwall series was awesome when I was 10. The idea that language changes over time might have been comparatively mindblowing back then. Though there's no age at which "We're Going to Get Unbelievably Drunk (in a Pub)" is not funny.
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May 26, 2012 04:32
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Just finished Railsea. It was pure reading joy, and the ending revelations were hilarious. Like something out of Monty Python or Discworld. Just the idea that at the end of the known world is a race of de-evolved, animalistic, capitalist bureaucrats waiting to present humanity with a transport bill, that's utterly brilliant.
Hedrigall fucked around with this message at 14:29 on Jun 10, 2012 |
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Jun 10, 2012 14:23
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Hedrigall posted:Ok I bought it I don't think anyone answered you on this--it will come out every month until they cancel it without notice (I am only partly joking). If you check BSS regularly, in the DC comics thread or this thread: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=2507321, you should be able to keep abreast of any changes and when it will come out. Serious comic book people keep their comics in a special plastic bag along with a cardboard back to maintain their quality. I just keep mine in a pile on my bookshelf. Issue #2 came out last week and it was really good as well I thought. Shamanticore forever!
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Jun 10, 2012 23:25
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I'll read it later but i need to ask... I've bought graphic novels but never this kind of serial comic before, so basically, how does this work? Does it come out weekly? Monthly? (of course when it's published as a graphic novel/omnibus I'll get that too)
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Seldom Posts posted:I don't think anyone answered you on this--it will come out every month until they cancel it without notice (I am only partly joking). How much do they usually cost? And will a comic store typically stock every issue published so far?
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Jun 10, 2012 23:40
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Beige posted:How much do they usually cost? And will a comic store typically stock every issue published so far? There are other people who can answer this better than me, but based on my experiences as a fairly reqular buyer: Depending on where you live, they will usually cost from $2.99-$3.99 (USD) sometimes they go up a buck or two. A comic store usually orders a set number, and unless they sell out fast, once they are gone, they are gone. Also, if they sit around unsold they will usually be disposed of after awhile. If they do sell out fast, they usually order some more. That said, most stores will have some back issues. You can probably still pick up issue #1 right now, but maybe not 6 months from now. The store will probably be willing to find old copies for you if you want, but they might charge more.
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Jun 11, 2012 00:53
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Loved Embassytown. Just finished PSS. drat that was a cold ending. Do the other Bas-lag books end with the plot beating the poo poo out of everyone, cause if so I don't know if I can read them.
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Jun 15, 2012 06:45
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Dean of Swing posted:Loved Embassytown. Just finished PSS. drat that was a cold ending. Do the other Bas-lag books end with the plot beating the poo poo out of everyone, cause if so I don't know if I can read them. They kinda do, Iron Council is a little better in that regard, The Scar much worse, though others may disagree.
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Jun 15, 2012 07:59
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Oasx posted:They kinda do, Iron Council is a little better in that regard, The Scar much worse, though others may disagree. I disagree! The Scar has the happiest ending of the three Bas-Lag books. Still bittersweet, but nowhere near the slap-and-spit in the face that PSS is, or the hopeless ennui of Iron Council's ending.
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Jun 15, 2012 08:08
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Hedrigall posted:I disagree! The Scar has the happiest ending of the three Bas-Lag books. Still bittersweet, but nowhere near the slap-and-spit in the face that PSS is, or the hopeless ennui of Iron Council's ending. This is how I feel as well about the Bas-Lag books. Although if you really want to talk about a PSS-style ending, Iain M Banks's Consider Phelbas is pretty much the best/worst example of it.
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Jun 15, 2012 08:42
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Hedrigall posted:I disagree! The Scar has the happiest ending of the three Bas-Lag books. Still bittersweet, but nowhere near the slap-and-spit in the face that PSS is, or the hopeless ennui of Iron Council's ending. I have mentioned it before, but the ending to The Scar is one of the reasons it is my least favourite Bas-Lag book, i like it better each time i re-read it, but it is still hard to shake the feeling that everything that happened in the book was pointless. In general i really hate 'This is what really happened' endings, and i thought that everything to do with Silas Fennec & Uther Doul being fake (or however you phrase it) just took a lot of enjoyment out of the book for me. On the other hand Perdido Street Station was pretty much the good guys winning, definitely pretty bleak as all of Mievilles books are, but still overall a happy ending. Though the fact that it is by far my favourite book, probably means i don't mind things like what happens to Yagharek.
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Jun 15, 2012 13:07
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Yeah - it's interesting that people think of PSS as having a 'bad ending' (in terms of outcome rather than quality) because in a way its almost a classic 'good ending' - the bad guy is destroyed by the protagonists, though the gallant hero must pay the ultimate price for his victory. Even Yagharek isn't a bad ending - its just a twist. It is sad that Yag was not the person you thought he was - not sad because he is punished. I think The Scar has the weakest ending by far - not because it is the 'easiest' ending to swallow, but because, like Oasx said it just feels slightly too contrived. I think China could have included half as much exposition and it would have been brilliant - if Uther said "oh well once this happened I saw my chance and made my move and I was lucky" instead of "I was plotting everything out from months and months ago because I knew you could be the one to do this if this incredibly unlikely series of independent events occurred as planned" I think it would have been a much tighter ending. It's still a great book - but I think its more like a fictional travel companion than a novel.
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Jun 15, 2012 13:40
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Captain_Indigo posted:Yeah - it's interesting that people think of PSS as having a 'bad ending' (in terms of outcome rather than quality) because in a way its almost a classic 'good ending' - the bad guy is destroyed by the protagonists, though the gallant hero must pay the ultimate price for his victory. Even Yagharek isn't a bad ending - its just a twist. It is sad that Yag was not the person you thought he was - not sad because he is punished. The interesting thing to me about The Scar is that the ending changes the focus of the book, to me. Instead of being mostly about Bellis and her journey and the things that she sees, it's more a story about Uther Doul and how he responded to what he saw as a threat to his society. To me, the ultimate reveal changes the entire structure of the narrative. I didn't like it at first, because it felt like he pulled the rug out from under me kind of quickly. But in retrospect it's grown on me.
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Jun 15, 2012 18:59
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Hedrigall posted:I disagree! The Scar has the happiest ending of the three Bas-Lag books. Still bittersweet, but nowhere near the slap-and-spit in the face that PSS is, or the hopeless ennui of Iron Council's ending. I couldn't disagree more about Iron Council's ending.
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Jun 15, 2012 20:40
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Mrs. Badcrumble posted:I couldn't disagree more about Iron Council's ending. I'm inclined to agree with your disagreement. It's a bit late at present to hash out my ideas on it, but I saw Iron Council's ending as a more tempered sort of hopefulness than fantasy tends to offer when it gets political.
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Jun 16, 2012 07:22
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After reading Railsea, I can say a couple of things about it: It continually shines though in the writing that Mieville had a lot of fun putting this together: in that sense, it's a bit like Kraken for young adults. There are echoes of his earlier books all the way through the novel: in particular, the Bas-Lag trilogy. The action in Railsea is staged on a world that's a strange amalgam of The Scar and Iron Council and the city of Manihiki displays the same cold-blooded pursuit of its own interests as New Crobuzon does. This extends to the characters: when reading about Sham's new friend, the charming but treatcherous pirate Robalson (Rob-all, son?), it's impossible not to think of Silas Fennec and Sham himself bears a certain resemblence to Saul Garamond, the heavyset and rather introverted hero of Mieville's first novel, King Rat. The book does seem to have been edited in a bit of a rush: I kept coming across passages that had been obviously quickly rewritten to maintain the book's internal consistency and the whole book feels as if it was written in something of a hurry. That isn't a complaint, as I thoroughly enjoyed the book and thought it was probably the most engaging thing that he's written since Iron Council. A rapidly executed sketch can be just as expressive as a painstakingly constructed oil painting, if the artist has the skill to carry it off. Mrs. Badcrumble posted:I love the Bas-Lag books, but I'm perfectly happy with ending them on Iron Council and perfectly happy if China never writes another one. Yes, the Bas-Lag books were great, but it's also great that Mieville's moved on from them and has been continually experimenting with different themes and different types of fiction. It would be so easy for him to develop Bas-Lag into a 'brand' and go down the easy route of churning out what experience has proved will sell: "Out next month: Book 19 of the New Crobuzon Saga - 'Dog Fenn regained'! Expect to meet a host of familiar faces, as well as finally discovering the dark secret of New Crobuzons founding etc etc etc." Thank goodness he's had the integrity to spare us that.
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Jun 23, 2012 19:51
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Finished Railsea tonight. Loved it. The ending felt strangely abrupt for me, but I didn't mind it at all. I loved the ocean-railsea analogies when the pirates make the captain walk the plank and Abacat was easily one of Mieville's best and most interesting female character's. Perhaps I have a stupid sense of humor - but I don't think I've ever laughed as hard at anything in a book as “We’re Going to Get Unbelievably Drunk (in a Pub).”
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Jun 23, 2012 23:35
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Umph posted:Kraken was fun to read for me. It started out as this normal crime drama and ended up like King Rat. Also I thinkthe Gaiman comparison isnt that fair as hes invoked legendary characters into novels before. I'm in the minority though as I think Gaiman is overrated. I've just read it and I see why people compare it to Gaiman as the plot is pretty close to Neverwhere, in particular does anyone know if Goss and Subby/Mr Croup and Mr Vandemar are referencing some third series, because "immortal unstoppable mysteriously empowered pair of mercenaries" is an oddly specific recurring trope. Though on that note, the book makes a great companion to Neverwhere because each authors take on similar events highlights their stylistic quirks. In particular the stuff they use as iconic aspects of london is really telling. That said, basic story aside I think it's closer to the Pratchett-esque romp someone was hoping for earlier in the thread. The familiar strike in particular is a very Pratchettesque device, but the demon-police, the various cults and the hapless relationship between the police and the magical underworld all seem like things that could've cropped up in a Pratchett urban fantasy book. The way the magic depended on perception and metaphor was obviously very similar as well.
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Jun 29, 2012 21:17
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Captain_Indigo posted:Finished Railsea tonight. Loved it. The ending felt strangely abrupt for me, but I didn't mind it at all. I loved the ocean-railsea analogies when the pirates make the captain walk the plank and Abacat was easily one of Mieville's best and most interesting female character's. My favourite was soil anchor instead of sail anchor. This comes up pretty early on, and as soon as I read it I was like, alright, he's going to have some fun with this it's going to be good. V for Vegas fucked around with this message at 03:38 on Jun 30, 2012 |
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Jun 30, 2012 03:33
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Sargeant Biffalot posted:I've just read it and I see why people compare it to Gaiman as the plot is pretty close to Neverwhere, in particular does anyone know if Goss and Subby/Mr Croup and Mr Vandemar are referencing some third series, because "immortal unstoppable mysteriously empowered pair of mercenaries" is an oddly specific recurring trope. Though on that note, the book makes a great companion to Neverwhere because each authors take on similar events highlights their stylistic quirks. In particular the stuff they use as iconic aspects of london is really telling. I would compare it favourably with Good Omens by Pratchett and Gaiman.
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Jun 30, 2012 15:01
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At the moment I am reading Kraken. This is my first Miéville book and I am really enjoying it so far, but I find the world he creates more interesting than the plot or characters. The plot isn't gripping me, and I wouldn't say I engage with the characters, but something is keeping me hooked regardless, and I will probably end up reading more of his work, so: Did anyone else find this to be an issue with Kraken/is it an issue with all of his books? Has he written books with more gripping plotlines, or at least more likeable/relatable characters? There's nothing "wrong" with Billy's character, or Dane's character for that matter, but I don't really care about whatever's going to happen to them later in the story. That said, when Goss and Subby find Marge after Billy's disappearance/Leon's death there is a palpable sense of threat, that part of the book was very well written.
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Jul 2, 2012 18:35
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Kraken is a very divise book so it is not the best to compare to his other work. In general Mieville is best at world building, his books normally have good plots but his characters are often the weakest part. I think in this case it is because Kraken is really weak when it comes to the plot, which is why many fans don't like it.
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Jul 2, 2012 19:19
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I like the concept, and the detail about the cults is awesome, but he seems to fail to do anything with these ideas. I really want to like it, but something feels incomplete about it. I'll definitely finish it, but I wouldn't be surprised if I feel deeply unsatisfied when I do so.
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Jul 2, 2012 19:35
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Yes, that's more or less the feeling you'll probably get from his other books. It's more about the exploration of an idea at a time, but not the full DnD listing all the stats and history of it that most fantasy goes into. He just shotguns them into the book and you enjoy that sort of pace or don't. (although each novel has one or two key crazy loving ideas that the plot/theme rides on, to be fair)
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Jul 4, 2012 05:23
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Mieville was getting talked up in the D&D book thread and it made me want to check in here. For anyone who hasn't read anything of his beyond his fiction, give his critical and academic essays a read; I find them far more interesting and engaging (granted I'm not a big scifi person). He maintains a fantastic blog as well: http://chinamieville.net/ or his fantastic piece on the financial crisis from last year: http://londonsoverthrow.org/onepage.html
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Jul 7, 2012 16:42
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Just finished Railsea, my expectations were a bit lowered since it was announced as YA. But i loved it, its up there with Perdido Street Station and Embassytown as my favourite Mieville books, a few questions though : 1.The rails lay on soil right? They how come some of the bigger predators didn't just crush the rails or come up beneath them? I get that the Angels repair tracks, but none of the gigantic Moldywarpes we hear about in the books ever seem to try and do something when being hunted. 2. Did they ever explain how the trains driven by animals work with all the predators in the ground? Is it simply a combination of tough animals pulling the train (rhinos were mentioned) and it being in a climate without the really big predators? 3. The burrowing train the scavenger has (can't remember the characters name) does it ride on rails that go into the ground or does it just bury itself? And how does it avoid all the dangers underground?
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Jul 11, 2012 19:40
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Oasx posted:Just finished Railsea, my expectations were a bit lowered since it was announced as YA. But i loved it, its up there with Perdido Street Station and Embassytown as my favourite Mieville books, a few questions though : They were the kinds of questions I'd briefly wonder about as well, but then I decided it was not worth picking holes in such a great concept, just accept it and enjoy the ride.
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Jul 11, 2012 20:08
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Junkenstein posted:They were the kinds of questions I'd briefly wonder about as well, but then I decided it was not worth picking holes in such a great concept, just accept it and enjoy the ride. Not knowing is not going to make me like the book any less, it was more of a question as to whther i had missed an explanation in the book or if other people had some theories. I have no doubt that Mieville would have good answers if asked.
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Jul 11, 2012 20:18
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Oasx posted:Just finished Railsea, my expectations were a bit lowered since it was announced as YA. But i loved it, its up there with Perdido Street Station and Embassytown as my favourite Mieville books, a few questions though : 1. I think there are just so many rails, destroying some is useless. One moldywarpe did try to lure them onto a change of gauge to throw them off. 2. I think there was a reference to them 'not lasting long'? 3. That I don't know. Moving quickly??
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Jul 12, 2012 09:20
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