The Scar (Bas-Lag Book 2)

Lets pretend thats actually a 3.5. I found many things impressive about this book (the first I have read from this author) such as the rich backdrop, interesting concepts, intriguing plot. However, I had a couple of issues that kept me from enjoying this book as much as I could have. First, while there are some amazing things happening in the book (eg. magic) some of these things were presented rather matter-of-factly and with little sense of awe, which in turn led to my feeling the same way. Magic? Mutated humans? Eh. Although, after a while I got used to the idea that this was a book in which certain unusual things had to be taken for granted, so I eventually just went with it. My second problem, which was a bit more insurmountable, was that some of the main characters, Bellis in particular, was so cold. Yes, I understand that was part of her character. But... its hard to care about a character like that- if I dont care about the characters, then I dont really care about anything else. I did however like some of the other characters a bit more, such as Tanner Sack, but he was a little peripheral. I also felt a bit let down by feeling as though relationships didnt develop as fully as they could have- which would have made things a bit more engrossing. So, while clearly some people really enjoyed this book, I dont think Im likely to read more works by this author, because I guess I need a little more emotion in the characters to pull me in. If you are the kind of reader who doesnt have much of a problem with that and are more interested in the actual story than the characters, then youll probably enjoy it.

As a new novelist, I find this book to be astonishing from beginning to end. I truly enjoyed it and it was a great read!!!! Anthony D. Woods c/o Velvet Tears: Breaking the Silence

China Mieville is a master. His characters are complex and real. The scale of their emotions and interactions as gigantic and imaginative as the worlds in which he puts them. The creatures brought to life here are a testament to that fact. It is hard for me to find anything here to criticize, so I will leave that to others. This is a great read, youll not be sorry once you have finished it.

Not quite as good as Perdido St Station, but this is quite masterful.

This is the middle volume of Mievilles trilogy of novel about New Crobuzon. I think the easiest way to describe these books is as fantasy novels, or a sort, which are highly politicl, and set in a steam punk type world, of a sort, which elements of horror. Mieville likes to refer to these books as weird fiction and I guess that suits as well as any other description. Anyway you look at it, all three books are well worth reading. I think this is my favorite of Mievilles trilogy of novels set in the world in and surrounding New Crobuzon. I cant say why I like this one best, I think because the monsters in Perdido Street Station were too... monstery, and the socialism in the Iron Council was too... socialist. Plus, I am a total sucker for sea stories, and this one is a sea story. Here we have a floating armada of misfits and strange creatures guided by a strange couple, on their way to the end of the world. It a fast and gripping read. I wish Mieville would quit writing childrens stories and get back to writing really smart weird fiction.

I enjoyed this book. It starts off a bit slow, but quickly picks up the pace. At first I wasnt a fan of the main character, Belis. But by the end of the book I felt like I understood her. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone wanting something different in their fantasy reading.

I stumbled upon this book solely because I read Perdido Street Station and absolutely loved it. Seeking the same sort of experience, I eagerly plunged into this book. I can definitely say that this pales in comparison to Perdido Street Station – but that’s okay. Many of the same elements that drew me into that book are present here. Much of the momentum, however, is lost because there is a lack of urgency and genuine interest in the focal point of the plot. I found myself not really caring one way or another how the plot would turn out because it mostly involved people that were ancillary to the plot. It’s easily the biggest downfall of the book for me. It’s also worth mentioning that the dialogue is a bit too repetitive. I found that everyone, from an uneducated street rat to a thaumaturgical professor had the same eloquent and adroit grasp of the language (for instance, I think everyone says the word “puissant” at least once in this book… no joke, I swear EVERYONE says it!) - but like I said, that’s not an altogether deal breaker, the reason I love Mièville’s work is because of the world he creates. This story takes place in the same universe as Perdido Street station and the steampunk, quasi fantasy element is still there in all of its beatific, weird, and oddball glory. I loved it – the different crazy species, the completely unique devices and gadgets, the lore of the lands – I don’t know how takes on such a mountainous task in creating a world like that, but he does it beautifully. It’s hard to describe a book like this (and Perdido Street Station) because it’s not fantasy in the traditional sense, you’ll find no wizards, elves or orcs here, but to say that it isn’t fantastical would be a travesty. There is more creativity in these stories than most I’ve read and it’s worth reading to just be a part of that. Bottom line – this is not a spectacular story. The main character (Bellis) is not terribly lovable though she is pretty interesting, I found myself more drawn to the background characters than anything else. As previously stated, the main problem is the plot just isn’t that gripping, I didn’t really care too much what happened one way or the other. I guess that’s a result of the story taking place on a foreign environment for a transplanted character so it concerns everyone but the character around which the book revolves but that’s okay, the world here is the real treasure. If for any other reason, read this for the surreal experience of discovering Bas-lag (or rediscovering as it were), it’s amazing cast of species and characters, and it’s incredible inventory of bizarre contraptions. Mièville’s creativity and innovation is the real star here. I absolutely loved it.

Back to Bas Lag, and onto the Swollen Ocean with ye! The Scar takes place after Perdido Street Station, but it isnt necessary to read Perdido Street Station to understand whats going on in The Scar. Like his other works, the writing in The Scar is excellent. Other reviews give a better description than I could ever give, but you really cant go wrong with this book.

Fleeing from New Crobuzon for reasons she prefers to keep to herself, Bellis Coldwine is heading for Nova Esperium, a colony located thousands of miles away across the Swollen Ocean, to lay low. Unfortunately, her ship is intercepted by the enigmatic pirates of the floating city of Armada and she is pressganged into Armadas service...as a librarian. Armada is a city like no other, even on the baroque and weird world of Bas-Lag. Ruled over by the passion-fuelled Lovers, defended by Uther Doul and his unique sword, funded by piracy across half a dozen seas, Armada is a city of boats and decks and intrigue. But after centuries of wandering, Armada now has a mission and a purpose: to chain a creature of myth and to use it to find an ancient and great treasure. In the process Bellis will visit the island of the mosquito-women, will uncover a vast threat to New Crobuzon itself and be used and become an important chess-piece in the struggle for supremacy in the floating city. China Mieville has written many good novels over the years, books which combine fine prose with wonderfully strange ideas, but often the elements of his books are out of balance. Perdido Street Station, for example, features wonderful worldbuilding and powerfully effective prose, but the actual story is somewhat mundane and the book overlong. The City and the City has a clever story and efficient, stripped-back writing but the premise doesnt convince (or at least the reactions of the outside world to it). Un Lun Dun is brilliant fun but lacks the darkness that lies at the heart of much of Mievilles work. And so forth. The Scar, on the other hand, has all of Mievilles strengths working in tandem with one another. The world is vivid, the story engrossing, the writing intelligent but also compulsively page-turning, whilst the book has arguably Mievilles finest collection of characters. Breaking free from the metropolis of New Crobuzon (which was fairly well-explored in Perdido Street Station), The Scar takes us across the oceans and islands of Bas-Lag, showing more locations and hinting at grander vistas lying beyond the horizon. Its a dizzying travelogue of invention and weirdness and works excellently. The characters are an interesting bunch, from cold and remote Bellis Coldwine, our main protagonist, to Uther Doul, the citys resident badass warrior with a philosophical streak and a mighty sword (if The Scar had come out a bit later, Id have suspected Anomander Rake as an inspiration). Even the secondary cast is superb, such as Tanner Sack, a Remade slave in New Crobuzon who becomes a respected and worthy citizen of Armada, and Shekel the cabin boy, a potential cliche who becomes a compelling character in his own right. Even barely-seen characters like the Brucolac, Hedrigall the lookout and the steamborg Angevine hint at tantalising depths. Mieville also continues his tradition of giving good monster, with the mosquito-women in particular being memorably horrific. The Scar (*****) may be China Mievilles masterpiece, a rich and captivating weird novel of the fantastic. It is available now in the UK and USA.

I had picked up this novel because I wanted to read a fantasy novel that was not the normal sword & sorcery or save the magic kingdom stuff we often see. I had seen Miévilles name about and picked the up book while browsing though a used bookstore. Once I began to read the novel, I found the setting to be rather intricate. It is definitely a fantasy setting, ripe with new races and other aberrations like the cray-people or the cactus men. The number of races is rather overwhelming to begin with, and the names keep on flashing by. However, by the time those races are important to the story, you know what they are. The magic in the setting is definitely akin to our modern specialization of scientic studies. It makes the magic more grounded and subdued. It does not stand out as much, though it is important to the setting. It is by far NOT insignificant. The main character is Bella Coldwine, a linguist on the run from New Crobuzon. She is rather flat on the surface, but it allows the reader to receive mostly unbiased perceptions of what is going on around. Do not get let her name mislead you though, she does have her biases and ambitions that fuel her through the entire book. The plotting of the novel is rather intricate. You are bounced around from perceptions of what is going on and who is manipulating whom. It keeps you on your toes and is rather well done. I would definitely advise reading The Scar if you want something different in the fantasy genre. Do not worry about reading Perido Street Station first. There is no necessary plotting between novels, though I head it is a cool read as well.