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This seems to be his new homepage.

I read the other book (Perdido Street Station) a week ago. I though it was pretty good.
(although perhaps with an overdose of unconnected storylines)
There's a sequel to that one out too, called The Scar

This seems to be his new homepage.

I read the other book (Perdido Street Station) a week ago. I though it was pretty good.
(although perhaps with an overdose of unconnected storylines)
There's a sequel to that one out too, called The Scar

A lot of people seem to think that the Hugos are being lessened by being granted to works that aren't strictly sci-fi.

But these days there's very little sci-fi that's actually science fiction. Most of it is fantasy with computers.

China Mieville (one of the Hugo-nominated authors this year) has an excellent essay on the subject of what he calls "weird fiction" at his website, http://www.panmacmillan.com/features/china/debate. htm

3 authors that are IMHO hugely under appreciated:

1/ James Blaylock - P K Dick Award winner - wonderful fantasy, often based on the West Coast, he manages to create wonder out of ordinary human experience by his unique way of describing the world.

Philip K Dick described his work as "A magical world, magically presented...having journeyed there you will not wish to leave, nor ever to forget."

2/ Lucius Shepard - Nebula Award winner writes a mix of SF, fantasy and horror. Green Eyes and Life During Wartime are my favourites.

3/ Rudy Rucker - fiction and nonfiction. The XXXware series are a good fun read. Check 'Mind Tools' and the 4th Dimension for some math mind fuck.

...and China Mieville is one to watch...

3 authors that are IMHO hugely under appreciated: 1/ James Blaylock - P K Dick Award winner - wonderful fantasy, often based on the West Coast, he manages to create wonder out of ordinary human experience by his unique way of describing the world. Philip K Dick described his work as "A magical world, magically presented...having journeyed there you will not wish to leave, nor ever to forget." 2/ Lucius Shepard - Nebula Award winner writes a mix of SF, fantasy and horror. Green Eyes and Life During Wartime are my favourites. 3/ Rudy Rucker - fiction and nonfiction. The XXXware series are a good fun read. Check 'Mind Tools' and the 4th Dimension for some math mind fuck. ...and China Mieville is one to watch...

... is the most interesting writer I've come across recently, both in terms of writing style and ideas. His fiction is a kind of parallel world steampunk, describing a universe where steam-powered computers and coal-burning cyborgs coexist with magiacians schooled in quantum physics.

An interesting thig about Mieville is that like William Gibson or Mervyn Peake, his settings are as important or more important than the characters. His second book, Perdido Street Station, takes place in the massive city of New Crobuzon, and in many respects, the city is the protagonist. The sequel, The Scar, takes place on a floating pirate city called Armada; it's a lot like Waterworld with the suck knob turned way down.

[NB: skip Mieville's first book, King Rat; it's a second-rate urban fantasy set in contemporary London.]

Mieville's home page is here.

Check out China Mieville.

I haven't read his first novel, King Rat, yet, but the reviews are good.

I can say, however, that Perdido Street Station and The Scar, both set in the world of Bas-Lag, are incredibly good reads.

Mieville's writing has been described as slipstream - a new genre that incorporates steampunk, SF, and gothic horror. I'm not sure about the classification, but I'm eagerly awaiting his next book.

Pretty crummy website.

You'd think that by now publishers would have ensured they were on top of what must surely be their most important marketing medium.