Kraken in 2010

[GOLLUM]

Well I'm still going to give it a try, having all of China's other works to date.

 

[Ursa major]

I really struggled with this one. In fact, I can't finish it. There seemed to be very little "stuff" in the novel, Billy was mercilessly shuttled around by other characters, and the endless swearing in the end got annoying. Also, I don't think it was brilliantly written in a couple of places, to the extent that I began to wonder if it had been written really quickly, or even dictated.

Sorry to hear that you didn't like it.


Like Gollum, I'll still give it a go.


PS. The Front Row programme to which I linked in my previous post has now been divided into "chapters". (The link is the same as before; Mr Miéville's "chapter" is number Four.)

 

[Red 13]

I'm reading it at the moment. ts completely crazy and great fun, as expected.

 

[gully_foyle]

My dear wife has just brought home a copy from England for me. Looking forward to it.

p.s. Thanks Ursa.

 

[GOLLUM]

My dear wife has just brought home a copy from England for me. Looking forward to it.

p.s. Thanks Ursa.

Huh? So like Ursa is a she and not a he...who would have thunk it hey?....and IRL your wife no less?....

Kraken comes out here in Australia at the end of the month, at which point I'll certainly be purchasing a copy.

 

[gully_foyle]

Huh? So like Ursa is a she and not a he...who would have thunk it hey?....and IRL your wife no less?....

Kraken comes out here in Australia at the end of the month, at which point I'll certainly be purchasing a copy.

Cool. I was wondering if I had the jump on everyone else.

Didn't you know about me and the bear? No, it was more that Ursa gave a strong growl of support for me picking up Perdido Street Station at my local op shop, and thus turning me onto China.

 

[GOLLUM]

Cool. I was wondering if I had the jump on everyone else.

Didn't you know about me and the bear? No, it was more that Ursa gave a strong growl of support for me picking up Perdido Street Station at my local op shop, and thus turning me onto China.

Yeh right...whatever you say mate......

PSS is probably still my favourite China novel and I have all of his published works (in book form). The Scar is probably No. 2 on my list.

It was therefore a particular thrill for me to meet him almost by chance at the Melbourne Writer's Festival last year, alongside editor Jack Dann (Melbourne resident these days) and the excellent Margo Lanagan (award-winning Sydney based SFF writer). Especially after he personally signed my copy of PSS and was well aware of Chronicles presence on the 'net'.....

 

[gully_foyle]

I'm afraid I have to concur with Mr Palmer, Kraken felt rushed and meandering and confused all at the same time. The prose style didn't help, especially in the first half, some of the statements just added to the in-comprehension. I still got some pleasure out of it, but after the high of The City & the City, this one felt like a contractual obligation filler rather than something he really wanted to write.

 

[rupert_klaks]

The prose is such that you've got to get in the groove first. It's got a certain vibe to it, putting to text the top-modern Londonish spoken word quirkiness, I guess. I'm struggling with some phrases' true meaning sometimes (I'm not English myself) although I had no difficulty reading PSS and Scar.

I'm in the mid-Part 1 now, and already got to absolutely despise the police people, their low cynical snobbism masquerading fear. Characters are portrayed brilliantly so far.

The atmosphere is almost there. Listening to low-key atmospheric dub-techno serves to build the neo-lovecraftian vibe!

I was pleased to see the author's return to his trademark terrain of city-wide night dread, sublime larger-than-world monsters and plots going so awry it makes you cringe at turning pages sometimes.

China is back!

 

[rupert_klaks]

Oh, I can't stop reading now. It's got me.
The book is uber-kool. It's ghostly raving fun.
I remember reading 'Familiar' and thinking 'If he goes there in his next long book, this is going to be the thing!'

Those who still have their attention span not dulled by titty-tainment should absolutely read it.

It's such a feast (again, after Bas-Lag tomes!) for text gourmet post-read thinking, dreaming, re-reading.

The way China works through the transcendent overworld squid-consciousness theme - is just so... awerridly dream inspiring.
Some 15 years ago I would say this book is raving on ketamine. Now I've got enough of my own soul's ink to swallow and dream...

Oh yeah, and don't hesitate to build the right soundtrack to read to.
Man, the story of Wati ... It melted me. "Retro-eschatonaut" - man, what a concept! I revel in such things, and the book is BRIMMING with them!

Being an interpreter by trade I'm thinking of translating this one into Russian. (Finally something that truly screams to be rendered in that language, to stretch and utilize its whole power!)

 

[Stephen Palmer]

Interesting...

 

[Daezarkian]

I'm afraid I have to concur with Mr Palmer, Kraken felt rushed and meandering and confused all at the same time. The prose style didn't help, especially in the first half, some of the statements just added to the in-comprehension. I still got some pleasure out of it, but after the high of The City & the City, this one felt like a contractual obligation filler rather than something he really wanted to write.

I have to agree. I was somewhat disappointed, in spite of some very entertaining passages.

This book felt like Mr. Mieville was trying to one-up his own creativity after every few pages, just coming up something more spectacularly off-the-wall than the last merely for the sake of it.

Hopefully he'll return to Bas-Lag soon.

 

[Patrick Mahon]

Interesting that 'Kraken' has generated such mixed opinions. I loved it - the meandering and the strangeness just added to the appeal for me. Still, each to their own...

 

[Bikewer]

I felt pretty much the same way; though it was a good read it wasn't up to what I've come to expect from Mr. Miehville.

 

[itstito]

I couldn't finish the book. There's way too much meandering talk and Mieville repeats himself at intervals. Does anyone else feel that in trying to make fantasy more urban and in mixing genres together, he's forgetting that what drives a book is not so much clever ideas as much as how those ideas are used to tell a coherent story? Or is a coherent story not Mr. Mieville's intention? I personally couldn't relate to any of the characters in the story either.

 

[itstito]

There seemed to be very little "stuff" in the novel, Billy was mercilessly shuttled around by other characters, and the endless swearing in the end got annoying.

And this is another reason why I couldn't finish the book.

 

[Red 13]

The characters in the book were all typical London personalities, having lived in London for three years myself i could associate with them.
It was a slow read at first but the book really picks up about half way through and from then on i couldn't put it down.

 

[Bikewer]

Perhaps from some blurb I'd read I expected some "Mythos" (Lovecraft, that is) angle....None materialized.
Still, a good read if somewhat confused in spots. Maybe not up to some of his other works, but entertaining.

 

[Magnus85]

I only know China's The City & The City before I ventured into Krakenist London, so I cannot compare the book with the rest of his works.

Having loved the way he creates an original and daunting, yet realistic world in TC&TC, I was very much looking forward to reading this. On another note, I also moved to London some months ago.

Like mentioned, this book is a double edged sword. I really liked the creative energy, insane ideas and the sheer scope of this "knacking" world. And especially the character of Dane I found very intriguing. And the whole Kraken mythos and subaquatic themes he introduces were totally enthralling. On the other hand, I wanted more of that, and less of other ideas like the familiars and Wati. Some times I think China imposed too much of a bewildering sense in his world, and especially through the police dialogue. That together with treading too much water in the middle, is a thorn in the side of this massively creative book.

That said, I definitely recommend the book on the sheer twists and turns of it and the originality is stores. Definitely not for everybody, but I found it a fun, quirky and inspiring read. I wanted more brine, though. More sea, more suckers, more tentacles. I want to see that massive beak!


Now, I have Embassytown lying on the table. After that, I'll head into his back catalogue...


:M:

 

[gully_foyle]

Now, I have Embassytown lying on the table. After that, I'll head into his back catalogue...

:M:

I think Embassytown was a much more coherent (and thus enjoyable) book, barring one major narrative fault.

Few people will disagree with me when I suggest that the one book to read from his back catalogue is Perdido Street Station.

Enjoy.