01-07-2003 19:50									#1
	The Apolyton Science Fiction Book Club: Perdido Street Station Enter the AD-FREE zone

First, the boring stuff:

Name: Perdido Street Station
Author: China Mieville
Publisher: Del Rey, paperback, 720 pages.

Warning: in my reviews/posts, I tend to beyatch about the things I didn’t like rather than dwelling on the stuff that I liked. Overall, I kind of liked this book and would recommend it to anyone who is looking for “something new and different.”

If I had to give a title to what I want to say, it would be something like:

Stephen R. Donaldson, foul mouth little snots, and a really bad Cheryl Ladd movie

Huh?

When I read SR Donaldson’s The Gap series, I felt pretty much the same way that I felt when I read PSS – this guy has got some serious, hardcore mental/emotional issues. If you haven’t read the Gap, the most prevalent emotions in the book(s) are pain: these people suffered. When one reads PSS, Mieville tries for the same type of effect: he bombards the reader, not with pain, but with the grotesque. These people suffer too, but not by choice, but by location.

He is so in love with his setting that at times he forgets the story – long descriptive passages where he seemingly tries to come up with even more disgusting ways to get the point across: New Crobuzon is a nasty city, not one for the faint of heart or delicate of manner – it is squalid, filthy and a generally horrid place to live.

Typical passage, this one dealing with the protagonist (Isaac) and his ladyfriend (Lin):

quote: His arse itched. He scratched under the blanket, rooting as shameless as a dog. Something burst under his nail, and he withdrew his hand to examine it. A tiny half-crushed grub waved helplessly on the end of his finger. It was a refflick, a harmless little khepri parasite. The thing must have been rather bewildered by my juices, Isaac thought, and flicked his finger clean. “Refflick, Lin,” he said. “Bath time.” Lin stamped in irritation. New Crobuzon was a huge plague pit, a morbific city. Parasites, infection and rumour were uncontainable. A monthly chymical dip was a necessary prophylactic for the khepri, if they wanted to avoid itches and sores.

And he goes on, and on in this manner for hundreds of pages: description after description of the sort of horrors 12 year old boys like to scare each other with – done, admittedly, with more style and verve than one would expect from a prepubescent tyke, but still in the same manner. A long-ago Harlan Ellison description of a now-forgotten author repeatedly came to mind while reading this book: “He attacks the reader with the sort of sensory images one would expect from a teenager who enjoys saying “fvck” in front of his grandmother.”*

He adds grotesquery after grotesquery to a point where it overwhelms the reader: The protagonist is screwing an insect, Lin (the insect) has an art commission from a gangster so horrible in appearance it gives even her pause, punishments for crimes involve having the criminal “remade**” at the whim and mercy of the jailer, etc, etc.

About 200 pages in, he kind of remembers that he is telling a story and gets things moving along. Isaac, in dealing with a scientific commission to regrow a pair of wings for a criminal, puts out a call for all manner of flying things so that he can study the motion and physics of flight. One of the creatures that he received is a caterpillar that, upon leaving the pupae stage, transforms into a creature so deadly that even the denizens of Hell*** are afraid of it.

Isaac is finally able to defeat the moth (and a few others that the original moth released), but one wonders…. Why? Why bother?

About a decade ago an old friend and I watched this really craptacular Cheryl Ladd/Kris Kristofferson movie entitled Millennium****. Here’s the IMDB description:

quote: An investigator seeking the cause of an airline disaster discovers the involvement of an organization of time travelers from a future Earth irreparably polluted who seek to rejuvenate the human race from those about to die in the past. Based on a novel by John Varley.

The biggest problem that I had with the movie is that the “future earth” was so bleak, so joyless, that the viewer had trouble understanding why anybody would want to save it. Same thing goes for the world of New Crobuzon – this city is so squalid, life is so unpleasant there the reader is left wondering why anyone would go to the bother of rescuing it from the moths?

The story itself is pretty standard – protagonist unknowingly puts self/society in danger, the heat gets turned on him by the government/bad guys, he (knowing that they don’t understand what they’re dealing with/how to deal with it) saves the day using means unknown to anybody but him. If you enjoy setting more than story (and don’t mind disturbing visuals), I recommend this book quite highly. If you are into brilliant turns and twists of plot, well-developed characters, and tight storytelling, then you might want to avoid this one.

*Paraphrased. Hell, he might have been talking about a movie, but I’m sure I got the gist of it right – the damned phrase has stuck with me for well over a decade now.
**As in they might make you half man/half dog and then put you in a brothel.
*** Possibly my favorite passage of the entire book.
**** Most enjoyable for the scene where Ladd is chain-smoking cigarettes while simultaneously eating a salad. Puff-bite, puff-bite.

	01-07-2003 21:39									#2
	Increase the size of your Attachments

OK, I liked this book. Hell, that's why I nominated it! Personally, I didn't feel the author tried to gross me out - the only scene to give me a serious "Damn that's twisted" feeling was the Remade bordello, and slake-moth feeding scene, Construct Council's avatar and Isaac describing the Torque effects also stuck in mind a bit unpleasantly.

I didn't get the "why bother" feeling, either. I viewed New Crobuzon as a rather typical industrial-age city, although with magic and weird races and such. Our main characters didn't quite seem to be suffering, at least not for reasons connected to their own lives. Besides, they'd have a quite clear motivation for snuffing out slake-moths even if they completely loathed the city - since they have no natural enemies, they could just keep on breeding and kill them eventually. Running away without even trying would just postpone the death.

I agree about the plot - it's rather standard, and could have started earlier. In fact, the book might have benefitted from a little cutting down in size - the scenes with hand-lingers were rather useless and didn't serve much purpose aside showing that slake-moths pretty much kick ass. Then again, rampant cutting-down-in-size might have taken some lovely descriptive scenes.

What I loved in particular: Isaac. Lin. The Weaver. Most of the scenes with the city government, esp. when they're meeting with Hell's ambassador and with the Weaver. The descriptions about khepri. The descriptions about the Remade. The scene where they destroy the eggs. Isaac researching in the beginning - sure, it might have lenghtened the amount of time it took to get to the plot, but there just was something about it.

What I didn't like that much: Motley sideplot was pretty much squandered, since Mieville seemed to pretty much forget about him once the plot got going, with only an occasional mention of what's going on until the end comes. Lemuel's three companions who assist them in the Glasshouse operation were also bit of a wasted potential. The ending, in general, seemed a bit rushed - he should have ended with Isaac's machine killing all the slake-moths. The pseudoscience occassionally got a bit silly.

	01-07-2003 21:42									#3
	Support Apolyton, buy GURPS/ Alpha Centauri

Oh, and another thing - Shortly after I re-read this (last month) I replayed Planescape Torment through, and hell, I couldn't but think - this book (or it's setting) would make a kick-ass darkish computer RPG in Fallout/Torment style.

	01-07-2003 23:21									#4
	Lose 30 kilos (of popups)

I agree about the Motley subplot, and I think that criticism extends to the Mayor as well... once the Mayor ran out of options, Mieville just kind of dropped him.

	02-07-2003 00:58									#5
	Increase Your PM Length

---

Perdido Street Station by China Mielville
Atheism: 8
Technophilia: 6
Tilt: 9
Score: 7.7

PSS is a great book. It loses points technophilia-wise because there is a useless attack on what is (to me) clearly a metaphor for nuclear energy midway through and in the end a crucial technology is sat on by the protagonists.

It starts off well with very ambient everyday life in a steam-and-computers non-stereotypical multi-species fantasy city. A plot with subplots and then a second plot with subplots are tacked on about midway through. They both conclude in a satisfactory manner which is by no means Hollywood-like.

Mielville should probably try to contract and simplify his writing style though I enjoyed the extraneous description.

In some ways, the book is a way of anti-escapism. While reading it, I was enormously happy of not being born in the 19th Century. In some ways, it has refuelled my personal belief in progress.

I highly recommend it.

---

That's the review of PSS that I wrote in my journal.

Same thing goes for the world of New Crobuzon – this city is so squalid, life is so unpleasant there the reader is left wondering why anyone would go to the bother of rescuing it from the moths?

Would you rather live with Yagharek's people? The reason they were trying to save New Crobuzon was the same reason that the Vodyanoi (a Russian word, BTW) were unionizing instead of moving out. It's better to live in an industrial hell than in a pastoral hell.

I don't really see what else you could have done with the Mayor. Having Isaac (or that friend of Lin's) lead a successful revolution would have been over the top. Similarly, having one of the moths tear through a dirigible wouldn't have added anything to the plot.

I found the slaughterhouse to be the most disturbing scene because of what was happenning to the pig legs. Ugh.

Of course, a book about New Crobuzon diplomacy with the Mayor as the protagonist would be ubersweet.

Like I said in my review, I don't like to read about technology being sat on. They seem to coexist quite happily with the omnipotent Weaver and I see nothing wrong with making the Construct just as powerful. After all, it's not malicious in the slightest. Inconsiderate? Yes. Malicious? No.

	02-07-2003 06:55									#6
	Support Apolyton, buy Call to Power 2

4 replies and I have to bump.

	02-07-2003 07:33									#7
	Got spare money?

Has Mieville written any other books set in this universe?

	02-07-2003 07:35									#8
	Enter the AD-FREE zone

Is Scar considered to be in the same universe? It has the same cover look.

	02-07-2003 20:07									#9
	Tired of ads?

"I don't really see what else you could have done with the Mayor. Having Isaac (or that friend of Lin's) lead a successful revolution would have been over the top. Similarly, having one of the moths tear through a dirigible wouldn't have added anything to the plot."

I wasn't thinking of a successful revolution, I was thinking more along the lines of a scene* with the mayor where he realizes that the moths were destroyed, but still decides to go after Isaac. Instead he was just dropped.

"Of course, a book about New Crobuzon diplomacy with the Mayor as the protagonist would be ubersweet."

I agree. Especially his diplomacy with Hell.

Yes, The Scar is set in the same Universe as PSS, but it is not set in New Crobuzon - though the protagonist is fleeing NC because of the events of PSS.

*And perhaps this scene existed and I missed it?

	03-07-2003 00:17									#10
	Support Apolyton, buy Civilization III: Complete

quote: Originally posted by JohnT 4 replies and I have to bump.

I tried to read it. After a half page I just was too uninspired to care.

Now I'm halfway through my 3rd Harry Poter book. I just bought them the other day.

My opinion of PSS.

	03-07-2003 01:33									#11
	Full PM-box? Change here!

Judging a 720 page book on 1/2 page worth of reading?

	03-07-2003 01:37									#12
	Enter the AD-FREE zone

I know... it's like he was determined not to like it as he cracked open the book. I AT LEAST read 30 pages before deciding if I hate it (like I did with Green Mars ).

	03-07-2003 01:38									#13
	Get a bigger avatar today!

Kind of reminds me of the guy in my RL science fiction discussion group who refused to read David Brin's Earth - because he didn't like the way black holes were used in the movie Event Horizon.

	03-07-2003 01:38									#14
	Full PM-box? Change here!

quote: Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui I know... it's like he was determined not to like it as he cracked open the book. I AT LEAST read 30 pages before deciding if I hate it (like I did with Green Mars ).

Which was really stupid because we read Red Mars for the group.

	03-07-2003 01:40									#15
	Support Apolyton buy from Amazon

Yeah, but I LIKED Red Mars .

Green Mars just seemed like 'same old, same old'. I wanted something a BIT more original.

	03-07-2003 01:41									#16
	Support Apolyton, buy Call to Power 2

Ahhh.. I see. Yeah, GM was kind of a rehash of RM: "we'll still have the revolution, but kinder and gentler."

	03-07-2003 01:50									#17
	Support Apolyton buy from Amazon

Yeah, and Hiroko's way is all good and nice. BAH! I want REAL division and conflict among the first 100. That is what made RM good for me.

	03-07-2003 02:08									#18
	Get a bigger avatar today!

Well,

spoiler(highlight to read): the ones of the First 100 that were either on the side of the "evil corporations" or indecisive were pretty much killed off in the first book, so KSR lost what little ideological balance the protagonists had to begin with. In the second book, the big moral crises is Maya/Phyllis, meaning that the differences between the first 100 is merely one of degrees: in essence, the big issue was how violent should the revolutionary movement get?

	03-07-2003 02:10									#19
	Support Apolyton or Terrorists Win

I liked the book (it has been over a year since I read it)

I also noticed the grotesque

there were a few images that I am not eager to relive again

but even though that is true I enjoyed it, and am ok with it in my collection

I am just not sure when I will want to reread it

I remember thinking that a few things at the end were a liitle rushed (but that might have been compared to the first part)

I was expecting that birdlike being to have done something more heinous (I consider rape to be horrid, I was just expecting something more on the level of mass rapist/murderer)

more thoughts later (perhaps)

Jon Miller

	03-07-2003 02:14									#20
	Avatar Enlargement: We've got the solution

JohnT: Yeah, and that made it for me. You may be a commie, but at least make it interesting for those that ain't .

	03-07-2003 02:42									#21
	Support Apolyton, buy Call to Power 2

I AT LEAST read 30 pages before deciding if I hate it (like I did with Green Mars ).

You should have read a hundred. It doesn't get good until after the Hiroko BS.

	03-07-2003 02:46									#22
	Inflate your Upload Space

Maybe I'll pick it up again. I HATE Hiroko!

	03-07-2003 18:57									#23
	Support Apolyton, buy Call to Power 2

Oh, and in regards to whether this book was science fiction... I'm not too sure. While most SF takes license with contemporary knowledge (eg, FTL), it can at least be said that SF science depends upon reasonable extrapolations from current knowledge.

This book doesn't. While a physics based upon potential pain is an intriguing concept, it isn't truly science nor is there evidence that such a thing is possible: I'm not even too sure how you could eat in such a world.

	03-07-2003 21:50									#24
	Help yourself to an AD-FREE life

My favourite Mars trilogy characters are Sax, Nadia, Arkady, and Frank. Two of them are killed off in the first one and another is ruined in the third one.

	08-07-2003 09:38									#25
	Lose 30 kilos (of popups)

See. my book was so cool, it's invading other book threads.

	08-07-2003 09:40									#26
	Help yourself to an AD-FREE life

I tried to read it in highschool (red mars)

it was one of the only books I didn't finish

Jon Miller