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It looks like this thread is turning into a PYF Bas-Lag novel, so I'll have to chip in and say I prefer The Scar. The writing is really powerful in that one. I loved all the passages in which sea, waves, currents, ships and other maritime topics were described in great detail. Most of the times I can't stand descriptions in literature. I also love the post-apocalyptic mood of Bas-Lag evoked by evident technological decline, or lack of historical records for events as important as the Khepri exodus. Some of these days I'm even going to reread IC for the first time. I hope I'll find the ideological aspect more palatable. It's not that I have something against Marxism. It's just that I find some of the political issues explored in IC somehow too close to our reality and they ruin my immersion.
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Oct 29, 2008 22:17
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Hedrigall posted:
 That blurb is exceptionally badly written.
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Oct 31, 2008 00:19
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Megazver posted:I stopped reading Iron Council because people lugging a train around by pulling up the tracks behind it and laying them in front of it for no reason whatsoever that I can discern was effing ridiculous. But it's a metaphor for cyclical unemployment of the lumpenproletariat! Or something. Honestly, I hated that concept as well and couldn't finish the book although Scar is one of my favorite fantasy novels.
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Sep 9, 2009 15:51
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Squidbeak posted:I could be wrong, but in The Scar didn't the Grindylow chew big gashes in the Avanc or some such that made it sick? That is correct.
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Oct 31, 2010 12:14
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Hedrigall posted:What the hell is "ambient marketing"? It's when advertisers place their messages in outdoor/indoor locations other than traditional billboards and similar. You know, like spray painting brands on pavements and stuff.
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Feb 11, 2011 12:10
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boxen posted:Ugh. I just finished Perdido Street Station. I think it's easily one of the most frustrating books I've ever read. It feels like two or three unfinished short stories, half a dozen half-baked ideas, and an ending like a pile of poo poo hitting concrete. The only character I had any interest in by the end of the book was the damned Weaver, only because of the insane ramblings. I read (well, listened to an audiobook) of Kraken before this, and thought it was alright. It is so utterly different you'd have a hard time guessing it was written by the same author. It has a tighter narrative than PSS, if that's what you're looking for. It's closer to "literature" than what is commonly called "fantasy", more Saramago than Tolkien. So give it a chance.
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Jul 23, 2013 09:48
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Yeah, Embassytown is a classic, up there with Dune and stuff, IMO. Although I removed it from my must read fic list on Goodreads because it kept drawing silly recommendations.
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Apr 29, 2016 22:10
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the_homemaster posted:The only people who say this are commie scum. I'm not even a communist but that book really grew on me and now I think it's the best one. Actually, it's probably the best contemporary fantasy novel.
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Jun 3, 2016 00:03
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Dirty Frank posted:Everyone who says it does so with so much conviction that I feel like I must be wrong. I like the scar best. Then pss. I didn't particularly enjoy iron council. Not too long ago, I used to be like you. Then I reread IC.
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Jun 4, 2016 21:57
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Well, I have black friends and they say
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Apr 2, 2017 19:53
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I would like to announce a change of position. I no longer consider Scar to be the best Bas-Lag novel. After careful deliberation I have switched over to Iron Council. Embassytown is still the best Mieville overall and one of the finest recent sci-fi novels. That is all, thank you for reading.
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Apr 6, 2017 10:42
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anilEhilated posted:Care to elaborate? I always considered IC the weakest of the three. It kind of grew on me. I realized I actually liked all the pronounced political stuff, especially the themes of imperialism and the subjugation of the natives. Especially when the natives are as mysterious and strange as the Stiltspear. Another thing that really works for me is the entire western style vibe surrounding the Council itself. Mieville's writing also feels more mature than in PSS. The whole underground political scene of New Crobuzon is also very interesting to me. And finally, it has the best ending of the three books. I still think Scar has very strong elements, but is failed by some of the over exaggerated characters such as Uther Doul and the Lovers and, ultimately, sunk (lol) by its weak ending.
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Apr 6, 2017 23:17
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I’ve always imagined Breach as the CDA and thought Mieville was ripping off Monsters, Inc.
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Feb 24, 2018 15:01
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Spoiler alert! the spectre is communism
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Feb 24, 2019 11:20
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Neither Marxism nor capitalism are really ideologies, HTH
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Mar 3, 2019 13:17
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I want Robert Sheehan to play Brucolac
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May 17, 2019 06:54
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Iron Council is the best, although a bit Trotskyist. I’ve read Scar first, enjoyed all three. Don’t be afraid and just dive into Bas-Lag, it’s one of the truly unique and weird fantasy settings.
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Jul 3, 2022 20:35
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