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Title: The Scar by China Mieville ISBN: 0-345-44438-8 Publisher: Del Rey Pub. Date: 25 June, 2002 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $18.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.28 (47 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Another remarkable achievement by Mieville
Comment: In "The Scar" China Mieville has proven that "Perdido Street Station" was no fluke, he is a force to be reckoned with in the literary world. Once again he returns to the world of Bas Lag, although this time he journeys outside the confines of the city of New Crobuzon. In fact, his characters travel the length and breadth of Bas Lag, as they are the occupants (willing and unwilling) of the floating pirate city, Armada.
It would be nearly impossible to recount the plot here, both because of its complexity, and the risk of spoiling it. However, there are a few general points that I think bear mentioning. First, while this is not a sequel to "Perdido Street Station" it does reference events in that book; there are no common characters, but the protagonist, Bellis Coldwine, is fleeing the city as a direct result of the happenings in the prior novel. While one could easily read "The Scar" without any knowledge of "Perdido Street Station" I would still recommend reading it first, as your appreciation of "The Scar" will be greatly enriched as a result.
Second, "The Scar" is a darker, more ambiguous novel than its predecessor (which was by no means cheery to begin with). It is not an easy beach read for the summer; while it is immensely entertaining, it is also monstrously complex and intensely thoughtful. This is really a novel that needs to be read without distractions and with a great deal of thought as to what is going on. There are a lot of subtle themes and messages in this book, and it needs to be approached in a manner more befitting "literature" rather than your average "sci-fi" (I use quotes because SF can obviously be literature, I'm just speaking in stereotypical terms).
Which brings me to the writing; anyone who read "Perdido Street Station" would have to agree that Mieville is a master of his craft. There are few writers today who have the same grasp of the English language; Mieville absolutely revels in the descriptive abilities of the written word. I would read an atlas if Mieville wrote it just to see how he described the landforms contained therein.
He is also intensely interested in exploring human nature across its entire spectrum. From compassion to cruelty, Mieville is fascinated by our motivations. If one reads an interview with him, it becomes obvious that Mieville wouldn't mind being cast as the anti-Tolkien. While giving a nod to Tolkien's creation of an entire world down to the smallest details, Mieville revels in his characters' moral ambiguity and indecision, as opposed to Tolkien's characters who always know where they stand. Furthermore, while Tolkien used his races to highlight different ideals, Mieville uses his vast panoply of creatures to highlight the absurdities of racism and the nature of "humanity".
Finally, Mieville is a master of the metaphor. I can say, without, giving anything away, that the Scar, of the book's title, is an actual place, but also a recurring theme throughout the novel. All of the characters (which are so diverse and beautifully realized it is nothing short of breathtaking) have scars, physical and mental. Some rise above them, some never come to grips with them, and some are brought low by them. In the end, the Scar is, at its most simple level, a double entendre. It is the heart of darkness of the world of Bas Lag, but it is also that heart of darkness within the primary characters that draws them to their destiny. In the end, some of the characters refuse to have their future dictated by the scars of their past, while others wallow in their pain and meet their end.
I could go on indefinitely, and not even scratch the surface of the message in this book. However, I have covered the key elements I took away from the novel; I'll leave it for others better versed than I to continue the discussion. Ultimately, "The Scar" is a novel of immense emotional depth. The characters are brilliantly written and act upon a world stage that is breathtaking in its scope. It is a highly entertaining adventure in the finest nautical tradition, but it is so much more. It is an exploration of the depths of our ambition and the foundations of our humanity. Do yourself a favor and read this novel (and carefully), it will not disappoint and it will leave you thinking for a long time to come.
Rating: 4
Summary: Mining the Possibilities
Comment: This is another powerhouse of the imagination from China Mieville, who certainly deserves the praise he has gotten as one of SF/Fantasy's most important new writers. This book is not as gut-wrenching or action-packed as its stupendous predecessor "Perdido Street Station," but it still demonstrates the range of Mieville's raw talent, although his lack of focus is also evident. Sheer imagination is the key to Mieville's work, and the most imaginative feature here is the book's setting. The drama takes place on a floating city made up of thousands of ships tethered together, on which Mieville creates a highly unique society and cast of characters. Other outlandish feats of the imagination are a reverse fantastic voyage along the skin of a mile-wide monster, and a beach consisting of the rust of ancient forgotten machines. And don't miss at least two truly terrifying battle scenes. Mieville can also create intriguing characters. Winners here include the interpersonally bizarre Lovers and the supernaturally swashbuckling Uther Doul, although the action is hampered a bit by a pretty lackluster lead character in Bellis.
Sadly, this book also displays some of Mieville's inherent weaknesses, which are merely a function of having just too darn many ideas that should be reined in more effectively. The book can't quite justify its 600+ page length, and in the final third things start to unravel and run out of steam with just too many plot elements appearing and disappearing. The supernatural concepts that Mieville introduces are not explored fully (especially the intriguing possibility mining concept), while the conclusion really fizzles out after such an extensive build-up. However, this is still an immensely enjoyable work and China Mieville has a real future as one of the most talented new writers of the modern age. [~doomsdayer520~]
Rating: 4
Summary: Lovely writing, vivid world, wildly original, but depressing
Comment: THE SCAR is even more original and twice as artful as Mieville's previous PERDIDO STREET STATION. If you like great writing, get it. If you like wondrous, original, vivid imaginary worlds, get it. I haven't seen such a marvelous imaginary world in years.
However, if you like characters who set out to make a positive difference in their world and succeed, don't get this book. Mieville likes to write about good guys who aren't really good and who lose even when they win. If he had to do a Churchill biography he'd write about everything except World War II. If he had to do a Presidential biography he'd choose Clinton over Lincoln or Washington every time.
I think he prefers to close his eyes to heroes.
But the world he creates in THE SCAR is gorgeous. It's wonderful. A floating city, a whale as a steed, two different kinds of underwater civilizations, battles with magic and ironclads and airships, an isle of mosquito people, catcus pirates, a magic based on probability theory and oil drilling as a means of magical power--there's just so much stuff in this book. If you want a world you haven't seen before, one wonderfully written, full of life, completely different and completely believable--this is for you.
It's got drama, too, plenty of it, even if Mieville likes to put lots of depressing bits in alongside the successes. There's heroism and war and titan-scale engineering and mysterious magic.
Did I mention that this book is packed full of stuff? And that the world is wonderfully original?
THE SCAR is set in the same universe as PERDIDO STREET STATION, but it goes leagues beyond that in quality. It's the tale, more or less, of a woman who gets hijacked to a fantastic city whose rulers are embarked on an even more fantastic quest, a quest she gets caught up in and that puts half the rest of the world at war with the city -- not to mention the battles within the city itself...
If you want a book that'll leave you smiling, go find some other book. Mieville's too in love with misfortune. His main characters are pretty ordinary people, and even if he lets the good guys more or less win, he leaves you feeling that the characters you were reading about have been left used and broken and mostly defeated. He can't stand to imagine triumph as a good thing. But if you want a world that will absolutely blow your mind and plenty of scenes to leave you breathless, get THE SCAR.
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Title: Perdido Street Station by China Mieville ISBN: 0345443020 Publisher: Del Rey Pub. Date: 27 February, 2001 List Price(USD): $18.95 |
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Title: King Rat by China Mieville ISBN: 0312890729 Publisher: Tor Books Pub. Date: 06 October, 2000 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
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Title: Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan ISBN: 0345457684 Publisher: Del Rey Pub. Date: 04 March, 2003 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
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Title: The Golden Age by John C. Wright ISBN: 0812579844 Publisher: Tor Science Fiction Pub. Date: 14 April, 2003 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds ISBN: 0441009425 Publisher: Ace Books Pub. Date: 28 May, 2002 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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