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The Two Mikes tackle another doorstop of a book. Mike S. loves it all over, while Mike M.'s feelings are, shall we say, more nuanced. An unusually focused discussion of a rather meandering and sprawling book.
It's cocktail time!
Dreamshit
Two scoops of the best rocky road ice cream you can find
3 shots butterscotch schnapps
3 ice cubes
Blend it up. Drink it down. Rest uneasy.
closing music: "Dream Weaver," Gary Wright (too obvious?)
It's cocktail time!
Dreamshit
Two scoops of the best rocky road ice cream you can find
3 shots butterscotch schnapps
3 ice cubes
Blend it up. Drink it down. Rest uneasy.
closing music: "Dream Weaver," Gary Wright (too obvious?)
2 comments:
Okay, how long does it take to get going? I made it about twenty pages with no dramatic question in sight, except maybe whether Isaac and Lynn's forbidden love might be discovered and lead to unhappiness.
I found Mieville too proud of his powers of description at the expense of story qualities -- a cinematic approach that seemed focused on spectacle rather than character or even plot.
Admittedly, I'm an impatient little chicadee.
So should I try this again, or is it simply too much of slow, groaning steamer for my ADHD sensibilities?
@Emphyrio
True, Mièville is justly fond of his descriptive skills, and Perdido St. Station is a slow burn. Still, if you give it a chance (and this is asking a lot for many readers, especially in the horror genre, where immediate action is expected), the payoff is great. The book eventually grabs you and its hold would not be as firm if you didn't have the considerable background the seemingly meandering first quarter (third?) provides.
Still, I don't know your life. It's just a damn book, after all. We're probably all wasting our time . . .
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