You forgot the way that all his books have to have a character named Paul, Neville, or Jane, preferably the protagonist(s).
Yeah, he’s got his… quirks, and if you don’t like them you’ll probably hate him. If you do like overly-elongated metaphors, excessive silliness, the journey more than he destination, and the basic plot of “Loser schlub stumbles into mythological mayhem,” go for it.
FWIW, he’s the only person that has ever made me laugh with a monologue about insurance.
Have you read his historicals? I think you in particular would love them.
Some more thoughts on Tom Holt-ology.
I think I like the four books I mentioned because they don’t all have the same generic plot. Who’s Afraid of Beowulf is the most conventional of the lot- hapless archaeologist digs up a ship full of live Vikings- but IMO is better written than most. Faust Among Equals stars “Lucky George” Faustus, Helen of Troy, and a supernatural bounty hunter named Kurt Lunqvist. Snow White and the Seven Samurai has a sibling team who hack into a fairy-tale simulation and break it, shown from the point of view of nearly everyone. And Nothing But Blue Skies stars… well, there’s two schlubs/weirdos, and a woman who’s really a Chinese water dragon. The classic loser schlub character (he’s even named Paul!) is secondary, and intentionally bland… maybe I’ve spent too much time on TvTropes, but it’s almost like he’s a deconstruction of all those Pauls and Nevilles.
EDIT: Sadly, my library does not have his historical novels.
Huh, I just realized that the one I read was Expecting Someone Taller.
Glen Cook’s Black Company series, with the stand-alone companion book, The Silver Spike.
The Books of the North are the best, but latter books also illustrate how the Black Company changes over time in personnel makeup and “tone,” without ever sacrificing their identity as The Black Company.
Excellent reads.
No, I was actually unaware he had written any such thing. I’ll have to give them a try.
Definitely recommend this one too. In fact, if you stay away from King Rat and UnLunDun, you’ll do pretty well with Mieville IMO.
Un Lun Dun is the only one I’ve tried. I had to bail because I have a really low tolerance for grotesquerie (the guy with the pincushion head just gave me the willies).
Yeah, I actually hated King Rat. It actually has a lot of themes that are present in his later works, but they are so much better dealt with later. I chalked King Rat up as juvenilia.
Yeah a low tolerance for grotesquerie probably puts Mieville out of court entirely, sad to say.
Yeah… if you don’t like grotesquerie, put down the book and run away screaming. China Mieville is bodily horror.
That’s kind of the impression that I’ve gotten, though it’s good to have it spelled out for me. Thanks.
Pincushion heads. shudder
What is his best book?
Are you asking me? Because I’m not exactly a typical fan who’s memorized the plotlines and loves steampunk and can point you towards the books that most people like. But if you want my personal opinion… Kraken was worth the read.
jsgoddess, yeah, Mieville is all about the bodily horror. Not to go into detail, but a major race in one of his books are the convicted criminals put through a certain process and called the ReMade. He gets quite inventive.
But if I remember correctly, there’s very little of that in The City and the City: it’s essentially a potboiler mystery with a mindfuck in the middle. It’s possibly my favorite of his books, and it’s a stand-alone.
I’d start with Perdido Street Station. Though again, I agree that if one doesn’t like the grotesque, Mieville isn’t ever going to be one’s favorite …
I actually think The Scar is a better starting point than Perdido Street Station.
Heck yeah, that was a great series. Reminded me an awful lot of the Hobbit in some ways. I’ve started reading the Shadowmarch series, but I don’t like it as much.
Please forgive me for not reading the entire thread. If this has already been mentioned, disregard.
I’m reading Elspeth Cooper’s Songs of the Earth. The Wild Hunt Book One. She’s a pleasurable writer and incorporates the fantasy in a believable way. It’s about people with “gifts” who strive to keep the known world seperate from the unknown one.
Sample sentance: The cold wind cut tears from his eyes.
I like how she turns a phrase.
A vote for the Young Wizards series by Diane Duane. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed them, even though they are supposedly aimed at the teen market.