The Scar (Bas-Lag Book 2)
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Michael J. Lane
Greater than one weekMuch has been written about the narrative and writing skills inherent in The Scar. This review focuses on the ending (without any spoilers). Essentially, those who read traditional fantasy will struggle with the ambiguities that present themselves. We never find out the answers to some very pertinent questions (although we do find out some). What Mieville has done is transformed the story structure of fantasy. For some, this new structure is not new. It is a common theme in the traditional stories of many Indigenous Peoples. It is, however, something quite daring (although I am sure some detractors will say it is pretentious), for the target audience of the aforementioned traditional fantasy. The only author who has made a career defying expectations with brilliant writing is Gene Wolfe. Wolfe, however, stayed true to the essence of his mythic source material. Although the Scar is a better book then the excellent Perdido Street Station, I do believe that Mieville has not yet reached his full potential. One interesting plot thread running through both of the Bas Lag books involves a key scientific principle. What is interesting is that it is presented in two diametrically opposed theories in the books. One is true and one is not. We dont know which one prevails. Goodness knows what will come next, but Im hoping that Bas Lag will be revisited.
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Jane Wiseman
> 3 dayWow, what a book. I liked it even more than the first of the series, Perdido Street Station, which had the amazing language and weird characters but a fairly standard horror plot. This one was not exactly a sequel but based on the same world and some of the same background situations as the first. The first-person POV works really well (here I differ with some of the other readers who have commented here). All narrators dont have to be likeable. By the end of the book, though, I had developed a real respect for this character. She DOES play an integral role in the plot, and seeing it from her eyes is a pretty great device. We need to be kept just as ignorant as she is, but just as involved, and the POV accomplishes that beautifully. The plot is intricate and interesting, but its more than that, a kind of extended metaphor for the end of a world just as brutal (but a lot stranger) than ours. Im leaving the best for last: the language. Good lord. What a rich, complex, fascinating cascade of words. In a way, the main characters own obsession with words is mirrored in the novels. Thank you, Mr. Mieville.
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Janet Schowengerdt
> 3 dayLets 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.
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Frank Sanderson
> 3 dayMore of Miéville at his best. Extremely well written, imaginative and creative. His ability to make the most surreal worlds accessible & engaging is truly remarkable. Excellent work!
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John Lawson
> 3 dayIn a strange world of beetle heads and cactus people, a floating city made of square miles of stolen ships commits acts of piracy and kidnapping. Puissance ensues. Puissance, puissance, puissance. OK, Im going to get this off my chest right away. It seems 300 pages into the writing of this book, the word puissance came up in the authors Word-of-the-Day calendar, and boy did it strike a chord. All of a sudden, across the last half of the novel, every 5-10 pages, he used this word (once, 3 times in 2 pages). Distracting? Nah... However, after a while, it became a game with me: Based on the narratives context, try to guess when puissance would next appear. Yeah, OK, it was distracting. Its an interesting story when you get a couple hundred pages into it and still have no idea what the plot is about. Eventually, it becomes clear, but its a long journey. Part of the problem is that the main character, Bellis, is powerless, uninformed, and ineffectual. Being irrelevant to the events going on around her, it takes her a while to catch on. Once she does, she plays the pawn and congratulates herself on her small victories. Also, part of her problem is that what she first THINKS is going on in the city turns out to be just a gigantic red herring. Ha ha ha! (If you read the book, youll realize just how funny I was right there.) A big problem I had is that I wasnt made to care about what happens. Armada is an awful pirate city, so I didnt care if it survived or sank. New Crobuzon is awful, cold, and heartless, so I didnt care if it survived or was conquered. The leaders of Armada were variously awful, psychopatic, sadomasochistic, distant, or undead, so I didnt care about their schemes. The spy was duplicitous, manipulative, and awful, so didnt care about him. The eel/lizard monsters were creepy, Lovecraftian horrors, but too shallow to be effective villains (and appearing too briefly in the story). And the main character, Bellis was a pouting, self-centered amalgamation of Morticia Addams and April Ludgate from Parks and Rec but lacking the charisma or intellect of either. Everyones awful (except for a guy named Tanner, but he doesnt show up often enough to count as the hero). I admit, not having anyone or anything to root for was somewhat liberating, and I read this book with a certain detachment. I kept wondering, Am I supposed to care here? Is it bad that these people are dying? Heres a big battle, who am I supposed to root for? Mievilles strength is his world building. Such creativity, so much strangeness. It creates more questions than it answers, which I think is great (although, some answers sometimes would be appreciated). All the time, every time, he swings for the bleachers. When he connects, oh yeah, he hits it out of the park. Unfortunately, that also means he wiffs as often as he hits. And when he wiffs, he wiffs big. There were times when I just pretended certain sections didnt exist, because they made no sense (even according to Bas-Lags strange rules) and added nothing to the story. Illogical anachronisms, impossibilities, gaps in logic, and the like. I began calling this Strangeness for strangenesss sake, and it too drew me away from the story. This is the third book by Mieville that Ive read. And the third time that Ive had the same reaction. The worlds he creates are amazing, and Id like to see more of them. But the stories he chooses to populate them with are dull and underwhelming. Very disappointed.
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J. W. Kennedy
> 3 dayIm torn, deciding how many stars to award this one. The plot is brilliantly constructed. Though not a sequel to _Perdido Street Station_, (completely different cast of characters) it does briefly mention the events of the earlier book having happened less than a year previously. _The Scar_ is more focused and the characters are more developed than in _Perdido Street Station_, but the prose is not as carefully polished and the story does not rocket along with such unrelenting intensity. _The Scar_ has plenty of tension, but it is intermittent; I didnt feel like I needed to hang on with both hands the whole time. Giving the characters more emotional depth means the reader can connect with them better, but there is also more opportunity to be maudlin. The ending is sweetly & perfectly poignant, but the climax (a scant 10 pages earlier) is labored & drawn out with dialogue that seems forced and artificial. There were some sex scenes, a few of which bordered on the gratuitous. Plenty of vulgar language and some thoroughly gruesome violence. My biggest problem was the setting: The floating city of Armada, made of lashed-together ships accumulated from the worlds navies over centuries of piracy ... its inherently unbelievable. I realize it is a fantasists job to make the absurd seem plausible - something which I KNOW China Mieville can do - but when Armada was introduced I felt it was forced upon me without adequate rationalization. The book doesnt have as much nautical lore as I would expect in a story that takes place almost ENTIRELY at sea, which gives the impression that Mieville didnt do a whole lot of research. (Maybe he did, but it doesnt show.) So instead of accepting the premise along with the thousand other impossible things in the book, the concept of the floating city really stuck in my craw. Once you get past that, its a really great story with lots of action, violence, steampunk and magic, a cast of interesting characters and an elaborate plot that will keep you engaged right up to the end. It just isnt _perfect_. So, 4 stars.
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Pixie
> 3 dayWow. I cant believe The Scar hasnt been reviewed yet. Out of 5 China books (PSS, IC, C&C and Kraken), it comes in as a strong second behind Perdido. In fact, the two are almost neck and neck. Perdido probably just gets a sentimental first because it was my first China. The Scar flows beautifully and effortlessly, has great visuals and character development. Reels you in and wont let you go. And yes, the monsters (and the unique realms within which they dwell) really *are* cool. If you havent read any China, go get yourself to the nearest bookstore and purchase Perdido & The Scar. Amazing Fantasy. Truly deserving of all the accolades.
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Elizabeth Kasuev
> 3 dayAmazing read, I loved everything. So worth reading. I really liked Bellis as a character and the quite Uther Doul.
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Elliot Harper
Greater than one weekI’m a great fan of Meivilles work because of the innovative concepts he brings to fiction. The Scar continues the weirdness of Perdido Street Station (although this isn’t a typical sequel.) The City of Armada is one of my favourite city ideas in fiction and the concepts that follow towards the climax of the book are so mind bending that it instantly became one of my favourite books (along with the other 2 in the Bas-lag series.)
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Roey Tzezana
> 3 dayA marvellous book, giving a wide view of the world of Bas-Lag, while keeping the tension sky-high at all times. The plot twists and thickens in each page, and its not until the very end that the full story is understood. Highly recommended.