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Archive for China Mieville

Horror for Halloween

Oct31

In honor of that special night when the barriers between this world and the next grows thin, I made a list of some favorite creepy/scary books.

It

by Steven King

No horror list would be complete without the master. And while It isn’t my all time favorite Stephen King novel, it (haha) is one of the scariest. I mean, come on, killer demonic clowns? Doesn’t sound so bad does it? But this is a terrifying read with a host of really good characters. Truth is, often with King, some of the human villains are as frightening than the supernatural. But Pennywise, however, can manifest anywhere, anytime, in the most  horrific of manners.

Red Dragon

by Thomas Harris

I read this and its equally creepy sequel, Silence of the Lambs, in one long sleepless night during college. Woah, forget the movies (and SOTL is a great film), these books will make you shit your pants. First of all, they are terrifyingly realistic, particularly Red Dragon. Harris did a lot of research on real serial killers and the killer feels very very real. Second, the novel is edge of your seat from  the get go, and third, the word choice is carefully calculated to crawl under your skin.

Carrion Comfort

by Dan Simmons

A horrific journey into the depths and nature of evil. One of the most chilling books I have ever read. It’s long and detailed, but there are some delightfully grueling scenes and a serious level of emotional wracking. The idea that some psychic puppet master can just up and steal your body, then destroy it to his/her own ends is the very definition of creepy.

Perdido Street Station

by China Miéville

This book isn’t horror per se, but more dark fantasy. Still, it has such a sordid and creepy atmosphere that it’s well worth the read. The world is just so creepy, slimy, and cool — although not for the faint of heart. This book is dark. Very dark. Part Dickens, part steampunk, part fantasy, part Blade Runner, part Lovecraft and a whole lot more. Heavy on the twisted.

Last Call

by Tim Powers

Tim Powers writes a unique blend of fantasy, history, and horror. While also not exactly horror, it’s also filled with creep factor — which to me is more important. This brilliant novel somehow manages to weave Tarot, poker, gangsters, The Fisher King, soul steeling, and more into a crazy story set in Vegas. Be careful who sits down at your card table!

The Complete Collection

by H.P. Lovecraft

As we began with the modern master, we end with the 20th century’s first king of creep. I encourage you to have your brains sucked out by this tome of sinister possibilities. Lovecraft is certainly one of the most influential writers in the fantasy/horror space. Anything that has a dark gothic sensibility (Hellboy I’m looking at you!) has its roots in this tentacled mass of flesh.
This was published earlier as part of the Fiction Frolic, but I’ve also moved it to my blog for posterity.
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Related posts:

  1. Coffin Hop for Halloween
  2. Maximum Weird – Perdido Street Station
  3. Book Review: Tropic of Night
  4. Book Review: Still Missing
By: agavin
Comments (3)
Posted in: Books
Tagged as: China Mieville, cthulhu, Dan Simmons, H.P. Lovecraft, Halloween, Perdido Street Station, Red Dragon, Silence of the Lambs, Stephen King, Thomas Harris

Maximum Weird – Perdido Street Station

Aug06

Title: Perdido Street Station

Author: China Miéville

Genre: Gothic Steampunk Fantasy Scifi Horror

Length: 710 pages and  lots of words

Read: July 16-24, 2012

Summary: Astonishingly Imaginitive

 

I am in utter awe with regard to the creativity oozing from this novel.

While perhaps not for everyone, and not perfect, this is a  first rate work of fantasy. And I mean that in the broadest sense because the book is set in a unique milieu that is part Dickens, part steampunk, part fantasy, part Blade Runner, part Lovecraft and a whole lot more. As one agent said of my first novel’s early drafts: Perdido Street Station suffers from an extreme case of too-much-ness. It has too many words, too many characters, too many points of view, too much description, too many subplots, too many races, too many kinds of magic, too many villains, too many heroes, too many really really big words, or old words (I had to use the dictionary every couple of pages). Still, it works, even rises to greatness.

Amazing things about this book:

1. The prose: which is highly descriptive, deft, and subtle, building elaborate piles of intricacy out of slashes of words.

2. The main characters: Isaac, Yag, and Lin all have some real depth.

3. The world: is just so creepy, slimy, and cool — although not for the faint of heart. This book is dark. It makes The Darkening Dream seem like vanilla icing.

4. The monsters and the weird: nice and creepy. This is a book where human on bug sex is the sweet part!

5. The clarity: for all its length and bewildering array of everything, the book is easy to follow and read (provided you have a dictionary handy).

6. Imagination: No shortage of amazingly cool ideas, images, races, monsters, technologies, places, etc. in this puppy.

Things that aren’t as strong:

1. Pacing: the masses of description, which while evocative, effective, and downright creepy, are constant and unrelenting. The city itself is a character and this slows things down a bit. It doesn’t drag, but it isn’t lightning fast either.

2. The tangents: there are more than a few here, and not all of them worth it.

3. The minor points of view: A number of characters pop in, have their couple POV pages in the sun, and then vanish (usually into  the deadpool). This isn’t always maximally effective.

4. The baroque plot: The story is easy enough to follow, but it does take A WHILE to get going and is not always full of classic drama created from thwarted desire. In fact, the first third or so is distinctly short on that, but is fast paced mostly because the world is so fascinating.

5. Actions of the government and other non-protagonist forces: There are some big chunks in here where the government is trying to do stuff, and only indirectly involves the regular characters. This stuff is less effective because of the emotional disconnect.

6. Deus ex machina: oh-too-coincidental happenings and escapes occur a number of times.

Overall, in the same way that Vegas transcends cheese by way of pure magnitude, Perdido climbs to greatness on the strength of its positives, rising above any petty flaws. If you appreciate flights of imagination, good writing, and the weird, it’s required reading. No question. Not for the square, the staid, the boring, or the grounded who do not at least dream of flying.

For more book reviews, click here.

Related posts:

  1. Ford’s Filling Station
By: agavin
Comments (5)
Posted in: Books
Tagged as: Arts, Bas-Lag, Book Review, China Mieville, Fantasy, Perdido Street Station, Science Fiction, Steampunk
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