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The Scar
I'll try not to reveal too much of the plot in this review. It doesn't spoil the book if you know what's going to happen next (I've read it a couple of times myself), but watching it all unfold through the language of China Mieville is far better than reading my bland precis here. I'll just say that it's gripping enough to make you want to keep reading, and to linger over the marvelous settings. It's also a more straightforward narrative than Perdido Street Station, so if you found the twists in that one a bit confusing don't let it put you off The Scar. To get my biases and preferences on the table, I'm normally a straightforward science fiction reader of the usual suspects, for instance William Gibson, Neal Stephenson, some David Webber, Peter Watts (you've got to read Starfish), Ken Macleod, and Richard Paul Russo.
Bas-Lag, the setting for The Scar, is a strange world. Physically it's not clear it's even spherical. Technologically, it's steampunk, with punch card-driven calculating engines, steam-powered heavy industry, and airships. Magic, referred to as thaumaturgy, works in this world, but the understanding of it is like late 19th Century physics. The scientists of Bas Lag know there is a physical underpinning to thaumaturgy, and they understand some of the particles and forces involved. It is manipulated by calculation and machines, not spells and wands, but some are more skilled in its use than others. The inhabitants themselves are of many different races. Some (the beetle headed kepri, the cactacae, and the remade) will be familiar if you've read Perdido Street Station. Others, for instance the ab-dead, the anophelii, and the grindylow, are new. None seems out of place in Bas Lag, and all have a part to play in the story. The richness of the setting, with all of its excellently described details, really brings Bas-Lag to life.
The story is told mostly from the point of view of Bellis Coldwine, a linguist fleeing New Crobuzon on the first vessel she can get passage on, a prison ship taking a cargo of remade prisoners to one of New Crobuzon's colonies. She and the other main characters in the book are interesting -- not just for their strangeness, but for how they adapt themselves to and deal with the situations they find themselves in. For instance, there's Uther Doul, born in the city of High Chromlech, where the reanimated high-caste dead rule over the living; Tanner Sack, remade in New Crobuzon's punishment factories with tentacles grafted to his chest; and the Lovers, the scarred rulers of the most powerful part of a very strange city.
As in Perdido Street Station, China Mieville uses language wonderfully, particularly descriptive language. All the small details have the perfect names, from pubs called "Unrealized Time" and "The Clock and Cockerel" (now isn't that an excellent name for a pub?), to ships called "Grand Easterly" (shades of Isambard Kingdom Brunel) and "Terpsichoria," to the Witchocracy, Hive of the Jet Sorrow. His descriptions of places and characters are just as good. In other reviews of his work, you'll see comparisons to Charles Dickens and Stephen King, and in fact just about every other descriptive writer you could name.
For me, the main theme of the book is scarring -- physical and emotional -- what it means and what its effects are. All of the main characters in the book, and even the land of Bas-Lag itself, have been scarred. For some, as a chirgeon says, "Scars are not injuries, Tanner Sack. A scan is a healing. After injury, a scar is what makes you whole." For others, like the Lovers, scars are a source of power while for the scabmettlers they are protection.
I'd highly recommend The Scar to just about anyone, apart from hard-core space opera fans perhaps. It's an enjoyable read, but it's also a good book in a larger sense. The first two thirds are perhaps superior to the last third but when it's all so good who am I to quibble? It has great descriptive passages combined with a interesting plot involving compelling characters, set in a fully realized world. The only problem is, how is China Mieville going to top it in his next book?
You can purchase The Scar from bn.com. Slashdot welcomes readers' book reviews -- to see your own review here, read the book review guidelines, then visit the submission page.
The scar is an excellent read. Take note of the latter chapters, as one can learn a lot from them.
Here's the amazon link which provides a bunch of formal reviews as well as the usual customer reviews.
No way in heck I'm trying the sequel. I wish I could get my money back for the first.
How come /. only reviews books I've already read? Oh well. Still, I have to say, while Perdido was an excellent book in its own right, I was impressed by how much better The Scar was. Mieville has an excellent ability to make you want more by throwing out snippets of descriptions of people and places and civilizations inhabitaing bas-Lag that invariably made me want to learn more.
One of the creepiest and most striking images from the book was Doul's description of his home city of High Chromlech, with its quiet streets full of shuffling high-caste dead, with their lips sewn together. Only a fine writer could pack so much imagination and imagery into a few short pages, and The Scar is full of this, It's part Dickensian (though less so than Perdido), part Lovecraftian, part Moorock, but transcends all those sources. The main character is a bit of a dud (the supporting characters are far more interesting), and the ending fizzles just a little, but the ride getting there justifies the trip. I really enjoyed it, and I highly recommend it to Slashdot!!
I'd highly recommend The Scar to just about anyone, apart from hard-core space opera fans perhaps
Damn..
well that pretty much counts me and all MY friends out...
Starting today, I will be posting non-referral links only...
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http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0345444388
Amazon has this book for $3.75 cheaper than bn
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Remember folks, we wouldn't all be geeks if there wasn't a public library around. Support your public library. Support library levies. The more money they make, the better materials and services they can have.
Un-news
Then again I bought this (hardback) for 4 quid in a bargain bookship to held prop up a bowing bookshelf, so I didn't mind!
As I have said many times, those that read incontinence into the frail pages of your poor attempt to speak about the subjects that you so wistfully grasp at, I assure you that your view will be reduced to spring water contaminated with cheese.
"Who are in control, they are not in control of anything - they don't even control themselves!" - Glen Beck
We've been losing so many of the original generation of Golden Era SF authors. It's a common lament among my friends whenever we read another obit ( I think Hal Clement died recently).
.... aaiigghh... I love authors that can show me something NEW !!!
The only thing that cheers me up is seeing that every now and then another amazing writer hits the scene. China Mieville is one of those, IMHO.
His stuff is just about the most original I've seen in the last 10yrs, at least. I can't even put it in a genre. The reviewer mentions steampunk, but that's not complete... there are so many elements and
It's not for everyone. One poster mentioned he couldn't read the book, and set it down after 100pp.
I actually think that might be a common reaction. There are a lot of folks who seem unable to read stuff that's written in a original style, (i.e. not blandified for mass readership)
Reminds me of a friend that I loaned Samuel Delaney's Dhalgren to. He gave it back a few days later, and said he coldn't make it past the first 10pp or so, because it was messing with his head too much.
Of course, that guy (my friend) had a tendency to have bad trips, so it may not entirely have been Delaney's awesome writing.
Sorry, I'm not attacking the book, since I haven't read Perdido, nor any work by this author, but if the review is an indication, this falls into the category of sci-fi author who feels the need to throw strange terminology out there to make it feel "different". In my experience, this is what happens when an author can't make the story compelling enough on its own merits - I mean, every sci-fi or science fantasy work has strange, inexplicable elements. And, sure, some of them will have odd and unusual names. But it should be done where it's important to the plot, the storytelling and the characters, not just because it sounds cooler to call it a "sneebleblex" than a "car". And generally nonstandard words that at least convey an image to the target audience are substantially better than random combinations of non-standard phonemes.
Anyway, this isn't intended to be a flame against this author, just a general gripe I have with a type of sci-fi. I'm going to go back to snortling my chir-blek now.
Reminded me of a more poetic/descriptive Gibson/Sterling in the Difference Engine.
I'd ordered it, and then read some of the Amazon.com reader-reviews, and wondered if I'd made a mistake. I didn't - was an amazing book.
Is that where all the LPBs come from?
Obliteracy: Words with explosions
We are not so stupid that in the headlights of your machine we can not see the truth. Spam can not be eaten by true Islamics!
"Who are in control, they are not in control of anything - they don't even control themselves!" - Glen Beck
The setting isn't the city of New Crobuzon, and the story of Issac Dan der Grimneblin, Lin, and Yagharek is not continued in The Scar.
Anyone who got past this nonsense has my bemused respect. No wonder nobody reads sci-fi. Yagharek indeed.
Boromir, son of Faramir, King of Gondor and Minas Tirith
Yeah, I have just read both Perdido Street Station and the Scar and I have found both volumes to be very interesting indeed.
Mieville manages to do a mixture of genres an ideas without falling for the old cliches of "to find something new, just mix some of the old". Surprisingly enough, the author manages to surprise the reader with a few snippets of worlds not yet visited, of tales yet untold.
The ideas seem to have been trimmed down just for the sake of being too large to fit on the book and have crumbled out of the pages to perhaps surprise us in the not too distant future, with more novels to come.
Another interesting thing is that Mieville has not resorted to the too common fashion of forcing multi-volume series on the readers, just to please editorals. Luck? Dunno, but it is somehow surprising how C.M. has managed to overcome this being a relatively new writer and not so well known after all.
I sincerely hope that Mieville is going to write about a totally different subject for one novel, just to prevent ending up as a soap-opera former-genius writer, falling into the lure of Bas-Lag for 5 novels or so. After that creative hiatus, a couple of good histories set up in the same world would be greatly welcome! Yeah, whatever, but I absolutely hate the Robert-Jordan-esque eternal feet-dragging, that's my op.
C.M. is about to join my small list of favourite writers, name inscribed in golden letters, just alongside Gene Wolfe, Julian May, Dan Simmons, Linda Nagata and a few others...
dani++
Never heard of it...probably why it stinks.
Blar.
You have written much about the narrative and writing skills inherent in The Scar. Essentially, those who read "traditional" fantasy will struggle with the ambiguities that present themselves. We never find out the answers to some very pertinent questions (although we do find out some). What Mieville has done is transformed the story structure of fantasy. For some, this "new structure" is not new. It is a common theme in the traditional stories of many Indigenous Peoples. It is, however, something quite daring (although I am sure some detractors will say it is pretentious), for the target audience of the aforementioned traditional fantasy.
Gene Wolfe you say! The only author I can honestly say who has made a career defying expectations with brilliant writing is Gene Wolfe. Wolfe, however, stayed true to the essence of his mythic source material. Although the Scar is a better book then the excellent Perdido Street Station, I do believe that Mieville has not yet reached his full potential. One interesting plot thread running through both of the Bas Lag books involves a key scientific principle. What is interesting is that it is presented in two diametrically opposed theories in the books. One is true and one is not. We don't know which one prevails. Goodness knows what will come next, but I'm hoping that Bas Lag will be revisited.
How come /. only reviews books I've already read?
so that you may post comments about the book. otherwise, it may say 5 of 10 comments. 5 of which have been moded down troll or flamebait. the other five, focused on the day's SCO story,goatse,soviet russia, and welcoming our new overlord of the hour. (2 links to goatse.)
We're like rats, in some experiment! -- George Costanza
I see it in the same class as some of Iain M. Banks & Jeff Noon. I'd appreciate suggestions of other similar writers from /.ers who have read these three.
And for those have to get a joke in: what is the name of this subgenre?
Yup, The Scar is better than Perdido St. Station. It's a great read.
Isn't this the title of book 6 in the Harry Potter series?
You know, I thought I might make it through this life without actually seeing tubgirl. Thanks.
Right, then.
But his post explains they .sig; I guess he didn't read LOTR, either.
philcrissman.com.
I wrote a short review of The Scar for my blog. Here goes:
This is something as unusual as a fantasy book that I enjoyed reading. Except for Tolkien I postively loath fantasy - all that Eddings and Shananananana crap - which seems mostly to be stupid D&D induced masturbatory escapism recorded and published for God knows what reason. Interestingly, I read something by Mieville describing how much he hates Tolkien - I love it, especially The Silmarillion, but I can see why disliking Tolkien is probably a necessity for producing good fantasy.
This isn't about kings and dwarves and dragons, but rather set in a fantasy world with technological level fixed in early industrial, rather than medieval, times. Mieville uses this as a basis for a fastasy in the true sense of the word - not just picking off Tolkien and folk stories, but imagining a completely different world what I've read anywhere else. He has fun doing it, and so does the reader.
Still, there are things about the book that don't work out completely. Some things about it aren't really credible (most of the book is set in a floating city made up tethered ships - at times you are left wondering why one of the characters doesn't just light a match and say goodbye to the whole place. There is a reason fireships were feared in maritime combat when most hulls were wooden). The main character achieves very little, which is fine but ultimately she is completely forgetable, which is unforgivable. And while I don't mind that the book doesn't come to a text-book conclusion one is left wondering by the end of the six hundred pages why one didn't just stop reading two hundred pages earlier. It doesn't help that Mieville writes out the most compelling characters much earlier.
claiming perdido street station was horrible and the characters lacked development is just silly. had you paid any attention you would have realized that the city was the main character of the book and everyone else was supporting cast.
i, for one, immensely enjoyed his longish descriptions of new crobuzon and the myriad species that lived there. comparisons to dickens in this regard would not be unjustified.
to classify perdido, or the scar as SF is really the heart of the problem though. mieville himself refers to his style of writing as 'weird fiction' - which i think is much more descriptive. many people also feel that this could have been classified as 'horror' which i can also see.
as much as i enjoyed perdido - the scar was better. it's a monumental book and will be looked back on as being seminal.
i'd read a napkin that this guy had written on.
Go read some bible: nubible.com
It's Silmarillion, not Similarian. Thought you nerds loved those lame jokes! :)
Blar.
You haven't read Iain M. Banks yet, have you? Highly recommended, start with Consider Phlebas and work your way through to his masterpiece, Use of Weapons.
Treehugger? Treehugger... Treehugger!
Perdido Street Station impressed me with its well-crafted descriptions of unique places and characters, but what really impressed me was the way it sucked me into the story and made me feel the horror, anguish, and excitement of the characters. The monsters in the story were truly terrifying, and Lin's situation hit me especially hard.
The Scar has much of the same ornate yet gritty texture as PSS, and the prose is equally well-crafted, but I didn't have a strong emotional response to it. I found the bad guys and monsters more ordinary than those in PSS, and nothing in the book really scared or excited me.
The Scar is still worlds better than most of the sci-fi I've read recently, but it seemed somehow shallower than Perdido Street Station.
If you like Consider Phlebas a lot, I'd recommend the first book by a fairly new author. It's called Altered Carbon, by Richard K. Morgan. Great hard-boiled style. In fact it's the book I picked up when I put Perdido down, and it washed the taste right out.
We seem to have similar tastes; I finished reading _Altered Carbon_ a week ago and loved it.
Have you read Morgan's other book set in the same universe, _Broken Angels_?
I hear different, in a good way, and *even better*!
Treehugger? Treehugger... Treehugger!
Same here, its one of the few books reviewed here that I have actually read and love. The thing I love about The Scar and Perdido Street Station, are the settings. PSS is set in a gargantuan, stinking, almost Victorian city interlaced with railways and skyrails. The Scar is set on a flotilla of vessels, kind of a patchwork city of boats, ships and pontoons. Each is so beautifully imagined and described, it is difficult not to imagine what it would be like to live there. Take Bellis Coldwine's house for example, a 2 storey house in the chimney of a ship :)
I also love 'The Tain' by Mieville, set in post apocalyptic London (which has been done many times before) but Mieville makes it new with a very very original menace to the remaining survivors.
FYI, His next novel is due out sometime next year, entitled 'The Iron Council'. I wonder if this has anything to do with the Construct Council in 'Perdido Street Station'?
Fair or not, when reading _Perdido Street Station_ I couldn't help but think about how, in both structure and style, it seemed to have the sensibilities one would appreciate in a graphic novel. Some of the things that I found tiresome after a spell -- e.g., baroque descriptions, indulgently detailed environments, thinly-drawn characters -- would actually work quite well in an illustrated trade.
To know inauthenticity is not the same as being authtentic.
Perdido Street Station was brilliant, an aggressively ambitious and inventive work. Don't listen to the naysayers, give it a chance. I haven't read something so original in a long time.
The characters in The Scar were somewhat thinner, but I wouldn't say that of Perdido. Even the Slake Moths had character there.