All I'll say is that mieville likes trying new things, and liking or hating one or some of his books is not usually a good barometer of how you'll feel about the others. You might not like it! But I think it's darkly hilarious.
Clarification needed, is that inclusive of chapter 6 or exclusive?
inclusive
A magician gives you a ring that, when worn, will let you see the world as it truly is.
However, the ring will never leave your finger, and you will be unable to ever describe to another living person what you see.
Knocked out chapters 1 and 2 before bed last night. Going to take a bit for me to get used to this writing style I think. Also curious as to what exactly the book is teasing us about, I have some ideas but will hold off on speculation until more folks start reading it.
I'm definitely curious so far though.
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Raijin QuickfootI'm your Huckleberry YOU'RE NO DAISYRegistered User, ClubPAregular
Ugh... I need to start this. What have a wrought upon myself?
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Goose!That's me, honeyShow me the way home, honeyRegistered Userregular
I'll get this book tomorrow. I'm excited to do a book thing!
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ZoelI suppose... I'd put it onRegistered Userregular
This city has a really narrow selection of prostitutes.
A magician gives you a ring that, when worn, will let you see the world as it truly is.
However, the ring will never leave your finger, and you will be unable to ever describe to another living person what you see.
I just want to make sure that there isn't something wrong with my ebook copy, but, is the grammar and sentence structure intentionally stilted and not standard English?
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Goose!That's me, honeyShow me the way home, honeyRegistered Userregular
Yeah, it's a little weird, but it's because the narrator/main character's native language isn't English I think. Makes some of it a little weird to parse.
Yeah, it's a little weird, but it's because the narrator/main character's native language isn't English I think. Makes some of it a little weird to parse.
Cool just wanted to double check, there was some interesting vocabulary choices that I felt was intentional but there were also lots of little things like missing articles like "an." I'm definitely having to reread some sentences to make sure that I'm getting it right.
Story is starting to pick up, just finished chapter 4, looking forward to when our conversation embargo lifts.
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ZoelI suppose... I'd put it onRegistered Userregular
Oh hey the embargo up to the start of chapter 7 (so everything including 6) ended.
It's kinda weird how the murder is being used to describe the setting rather than the setting being something that's explained. It feels almost like the entire thing is just the author trying to make the world feel logical rather than worrying about what goes on in that world.
I'm also having a problem with this "Breach" thing. Seems like something out of "Papers, please."
A magician gives you a ring that, when worn, will let you see the world as it truly is.
However, the ring will never leave your finger, and you will be unable to ever describe to another living person what you see.
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UnbrokenEvaHIGH ON THE WIREBUT I WON'T TRIP ITRegistered Userregular
for me it feels more like the characters take the setting for granted so we're learning about it in bits and pieces, and it's being illustrated more by the things that break from the norm, like art exercises that have you draw the negative space in and around a chair rather than drawing the chair itself.
it does mean that understanding what's really going on and how Beszel works is a slow process which could be frustrating, but for me it's just making me want to keep reading so mission accomplished. It sure beats the hell out of having an outsider character/reader proxy who only exists to have someone for the locals to explain things to.
+2
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Goose!That's me, honeyShow me the way home, honeyRegistered Userregular
I'm only in chapter 3 because this has been a hectic week and I've been coming home from work and catching up sleep.
ZoelI suppose... I'd put it onRegistered Userregular
What would you guys think if we did it more on an every couple days one chapter schedule; I think that way it'd more or less match the rate at which most of us probably read webcomics.
A magician gives you a ring that, when worn, will let you see the world as it truly is.
However, the ring will never leave your finger, and you will be unable to ever describe to another living person what you see.
I'm not sure how much the characters are taking the setting for granted or how much the characters flat out just don't know about the setting. It seems like a lot of the actual history and how things came to be have been lost to the history of time, and it doesn't seem like (most?) people exactly know what Breach is either.
I'm up to chapter 6 now. This book is weird because it is all about the setting. Which is like, a D on my book ranking scale. But I suppose it's unfair of me to judge a book for being setting heavy in the early chapters. We'll see how it goes further in.
So wass-her face who got murdered isn't a prostitute? Or she still is? There seems to be a gap between 'researcher' and 'prostitute'.
I have a feeling that the government guy who complained about the Breach has triggered a change of some kind. Seems like if there's going to be any society shaking change that'd be the cause. Don't want to insult the Breach, whatever it is.
Alright, I won't be here next time so here's my thoughts up to the end of part one.
I don't really have any thoughts. The book hasn't grabbed me. I'm wracking my brain trying to form an opinion and I can't seem to find one.
Guesses: Is this a status quo book or a radically change society book? My guess is radically change society. Because the structure of the society is the only thing the book has going for it. Wrapping up the murder plot won't provide enough satisfaction on its own.
The other cop, the one the main dude is working with, will get taken by the breach. In nearly every conversation he off loads his responsibility on to her. Did I mention that Jane is doing most of the work for me? Jane is really good at investigating. Jane could you ask around for me? Jane this is semi-legal can you do it for me?. On and on.
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UnbrokenEvaHIGH ON THE WIREBUT I WON'T TRIP ITRegistered Userregular
I like that the Besz term for an unidentified female corpse is "fill in a detail"
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ZoelI suppose... I'd put it onRegistered Userregular
Ok so lets try doing this more slow like, one chapter at a time
Lets unembargo ch 7 on 6/29 midnight est.
A magician gives you a ring that, when worn, will let you see the world as it truly is.
However, the ring will never leave your finger, and you will be unable to ever describe to another living person what you see.
ZoelI suppose... I'd put it onRegistered Userregular
I was waiting for people to say stuff up until about the part we got to
but uh nothing really happens
A magician gives you a ring that, when worn, will let you see the world as it truly is.
However, the ring will never leave your finger, and you will be unable to ever describe to another living person what you see.
Alright, so I finished the book. It definitely picks up in part 2. It would probably have been nice to start the plot a little earlier.
spoilers for everything
I'm a bit about David Bowman. That's like having a character named Ellen Ripley or Frodo Baggins. It's no longer a fun reference and is something distracting from the novel. Especially because he's an important character. Maybe I ought to give China some credit on that, I had discounted him as important because I thought that no writer would put such a direct reference in as anything other than a bit of fun. So it worked out as a way of surprising the reader, but, yeah.
The plot definitely got better after all the boring introductions. The book didn't really pick up until Tyador finds Yolanda.
Speaking of, it kinda sucked that she just dies.
The magic/not magic/is it magic is a bit weird. Kinda irrelevant and unexplained.
edit- all my guesses that I posted were wrong, good I guess.
JedocIn the scupperswith the staggers and jagsRegistered Userregular
Weird! I've actually been rereading China Mieville recently. Just finished listening to Kraken and Perdido Street Station. Perdido is worse than I remember, and Kraken is way funnier. I'm tempted to go back and see whether Embassytown might not be the shit sandwich I remember it being.
I will reread The City^2 if someone wants to talk about it. For now, I will just say that the antagonist's final plan is one of my favorite things that has ever happened in a book. If you're bogged down in the early chapters, just know that it's setting you up for some real Italo Calvino/Ursula K. Le Guin shit.
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ZoelI suppose... I'd put it onRegistered Userregular
I guess I will go through it chapter by chapter and crwth this thing.
A magician gives you a ring that, when worn, will let you see the world as it truly is.
However, the ring will never leave your finger, and you will be unable to ever describe to another living person what you see.
Talking about Mieville is always like talking about Wes Anderson. Almost nobody likes the same bits. eg. Embassytown is one of my favourite books in general, Kraken I thought was derivative and not particularly interesting past the first chapter.
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I'm sorry, I like good things. It's a curse.
can i still be in the club or do i have to start again
You need to do enough hard drugs that you forget the parts you've read, and then start over again
inclusive
However, the ring will never leave your finger, and you will be unable to ever describe to another living person what you see.
I'm definitely curious so far though.
Is a lie I will tell myself everyday until I blearily read all 6 chapters the night before I have to.
Switch Friend Code: SW-1406-1275-7906
However, the ring will never leave your finger, and you will be unable to ever describe to another living person what you see.
Cool just wanted to double check, there was some interesting vocabulary choices that I felt was intentional but there were also lots of little things like missing articles like "an." I'm definitely having to reread some sentences to make sure that I'm getting it right.
Story is starting to pick up, just finished chapter 4, looking forward to when our conversation embargo lifts.
It's kinda weird how the murder is being used to describe the setting rather than the setting being something that's explained. It feels almost like the entire thing is just the author trying to make the world feel logical rather than worrying about what goes on in that world.
I'm also having a problem with this "Breach" thing. Seems like something out of "Papers, please."
However, the ring will never leave your finger, and you will be unable to ever describe to another living person what you see.
it does mean that understanding what's really going on and how Beszel works is a slow process which could be frustrating, but for me it's just making me want to keep reading so mission accomplished. It sure beats the hell out of having an outsider character/reader proxy who only exists to have someone for the locals to explain things to.
However, the ring will never leave your finger, and you will be unable to ever describe to another living person what you see.
I'm not sure how much the characters are taking the setting for granted or how much the characters flat out just don't know about the setting. It seems like a lot of the actual history and how things came to be have been lost to the history of time, and it doesn't seem like (most?) people exactly know what Breach is either.
So wass-her face who got murdered isn't a prostitute? Or she still is? There seems to be a gap between 'researcher' and 'prostitute'.
I have a feeling that the government guy who complained about the Breach has triggered a change of some kind. Seems like if there's going to be any society shaking change that'd be the cause. Don't want to insult the Breach, whatever it is.
Guesses: Is this a status quo book or a radically change society book? My guess is radically change society. Because the structure of the society is the only thing the book has going for it. Wrapping up the murder plot won't provide enough satisfaction on its own.
The other cop, the one the main dude is working with, will get taken by the breach. In nearly every conversation he off loads his responsibility on to her. Did I mention that Jane is doing most of the work for me? Jane is really good at investigating. Jane could you ask around for me? Jane this is semi-legal can you do it for me?. On and on.
Lets unembargo ch 7 on 6/29 midnight est.
However, the ring will never leave your finger, and you will be unable to ever describe to another living person what you see.
but uh nothing really happens
However, the ring will never leave your finger, and you will be unable to ever describe to another living person what you see.
spoilers for everything
The plot definitely got better after all the boring introductions. The book didn't really pick up until Tyador finds Yolanda.
Speaking of, it kinda sucked that she just dies.
The magic/not magic/is it magic is a bit weird. Kinda irrelevant and unexplained.
edit- all my guesses that I posted were wrong, good I guess.
Good book, once you're past the setting.
Also real life happened, but that is poor excuse.
I will do better on the next one......?
I will reread The City^2 if someone wants to talk about it. For now, I will just say that the antagonist's final plan is one of my favorite things that has ever happened in a book. If you're bogged down in the early chapters, just know that it's setting you up for some real Italo Calvino/Ursula K. Le Guin shit.
However, the ring will never leave your finger, and you will be unable to ever describe to another living person what you see.