I recently finished China Mieville’s new book, Iron Council, and am wondering if other folks here have read it. I’m a pretty big Mieville fanboy, and had the following impressions:
The book was far more political than anything else I’ve read by him, and that’s saying a lot. Although the eponymous utopia had his clear sympathy, it benefited from not being, well, utopian; in this respect it reminded me more than anything of Le Guin’s The Dispossessed.
The ending, bizarrely, was more optimistic than I expected: having the council trapped for eternity gave them more hope than I’d dare hope.
It didn’t read as fast for me as Perdido Street Station: although there were a few riveting scenes in it, it didn’t grab me by the throat quite as strongly as that first book. Perhaps familiarity with the world breeds contempt?
I’m hoping that new-ish books that you just got round to reading are the same sort of things as TV shows broadcast at different times in different countries and are therefore permissable to resurrect under the new rule. It seemed silly to start a thread of my own when this prefectly pristine thread was lurking unappreciated.
Big China fangirl here.
He did crank the socialism up a notch or two, didn’t he? I actually liked that, but then that is where my own political symphaties lie. I could imagine that would grate if you previously had read his stuff mainly for the fantasy/scif if/weird fiction element. Not that that isn’t there in spades, but there really is no getting away from the politics this time.
I completely agree that it was all the better for the Utopia not being Utopian. In this respect I particularly liked the different factions of “Revolutionaries” in New Crobuzon being at odds with each other about which way to further their cause which is so very realistic.
I read a lot of reviews calling the ending a cop out, but I really liked it. It was the only way and I am with Judah here, though I can see Ann-Hari’s point of view aswell. The picture of the Train being frozen there forever on the cusp of a desperate attack and “coming for them” is great IMO.
It wasn’t as traumatising as Perdido’s ending by half in any case. I was going to do a Misery type thing over that one. (Although I think the book is better for it) China’s certainly does a nice line in surprise endings.
I agree, though I don’t think it is a worse book. I think perhaps the politics slowed it down because the struggle had to be made more realistic. Although Perdido absolutely had plenty of grey shades, a lot of that book was propelled by fighting the straightforwardly nasty moth things which deserved fewer explanation making it more of an action driven thing.
I do have to say that the characters in both Perdido and The Scar grabbed me a bit more, though.
One more comment of my own. China, we want more Garudas. It’s the will of the people. If the next one doesn’t have more Garudas we will go on strike.
Okay, by now I don’t even now if **Lefthand ** can even remember enough to comment but perhaps by this stage more people have had a chance to read this one. Any comments? Or will this sink without trace for a second time?
This one didn’t grab me as much his other books. I got about 2/3rds of the way through before I realized I had no idea what was going on. I was the same way with Dune. Maybe one of these days I’ll try it again.
Like Left Hand, I enjoyed the hell out of Iron Council, though not as much as Perdido Street Station or The Scar. It was, however, miles better than King Rat, which, though it had its moments, seemed very obviously a first novel.
While my political beliefs are much closer to Mieville’s than, say, Orson Scott Card’s, it still detracts from my enjoyment of a book when the politics of the author–be they conservative, socialist, anarchic, etc.–become too overt. Mieville’s world and stories are so compelling, though, that I can forgive him his soapbox.
Aesthetically, I appreciate the way that Mieville didn’t give us a happy ending, but, emotionally…damn. I finished the last quarter of the book with such a feeling of rising dread, just knowing that there was no way they could succeed. It felt like watching a car wreck and being unable to prevent it.
(Although I think the book is better for it) China’s certainly does a nice line in surprise endings.