This book was slow to start, and then — almost 1/2 of the way through — clicked, and I sped to the conclusion. I don’t think I’ve seen Banks as overtly political as this before; the book is definitely a reaction to post-9/11 excesses. Apparently published in the UK without the M, though I’m not sure how that was justified; The Bridge, yeah, but this one?
All of Mieville’s imagination, put to such stunning abd varied use in books like Perdido Street Station and Un Lun Dun, is here focused into one central conceit, into fleshing it out as far as possible. It helps that the conceit — the split and split-natured cities of the title — is a doozy. In the early parts of the novel, figuring out what is going on is the key; later, this switches to enjoyment as each aspect of the situation one hadn’t considered is brought up.
At the end, the book went where it had to. This is not a drawback.
Oh. And for a murder-mystery police procedural, the book is surprisingly non-violent.
I really enjoyed The Time Traveller’s Wife, so I put this book on my wish list without reading much about it at all. J– was kind enough to give it to me for Christmas. I liked it quite a bit; not as much, perhaps, as TTTW, but it is a fine story.
I was born in a water moon…
Fascinating worldbuilding, of the type Banks excels at, supports an excellent adventure tale. Several surprises are actual real surprises. Nothing is forgotten in the coda; everything is wrapped up just enough to be very satisfying. I greatly enjoyed this one.
Read it, enjoyed it, had something to say but didn’t write it, forgot it, might think of it later. Sigh.
When you’ve known someone for a while, you get to know whether or not they’re prone to ramble. When you’ve known someone a very long time, you even learn to enjoy it. Sure, sometimes it might be terribly juvenile, or a half-formed idea that surely would’ve benefited from a longer stay in the oven; often, though, when the rambling rolls along, full of energy and invention, the passive role of listener, occasional nodder of the head and asker of “And then what?” can be bliss.
Enthralling YA novel about a future world, half-ruined by technology. Personal drama and political upheavals. An excellent read.
And here, at the end of the Book of the New Sun, I find myself without much to say. A pleasantly brain-melting experience. (Well, there was perhaps just a smidge too much cannibalism for me.) I really want to read The Urth of the New Sun this time around; I got it from the library last time but never got it started. I’m going to visit Ohio Book Store and Half Price Books tomorrow, and if neither of them have it, then I’ll order it from Amazon.
I’m probably going to read at least two books before reading Urth, though, and maybe more. Give myself a little chance to rest.
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