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quitegood's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Usually with a debut novel, you have the excitement of a new author finally putting their words to paper, but lacking the refinement that will colour their later work. This is a rare instance of a debut novel coming in hot with feverish new ideas, and a level of refinement that made me constantly second guess "Surely this isn't their first novel?"
There are some issues to be sure, such as the prose being a little overly verbose for its own good, using words that have a very specific definition.
But other than that, it has the blistering pace of say a Guy Ritchie film if he ever did horror, or perhaps Edgar Wright. Where the book is explosive, efficiently paced, and doesn't linger to build suspense and instead just gets stuck in.
A fantastic little book.
There are some issues to be sure, such as the prose being a little overly verbose for its own good, using words that have a very specific definition.
But other than that, it has the blistering pace of say a Guy Ritchie film if he ever did horror, or perhaps Edgar Wright. Where the book is explosive, efficiently paced, and doesn't linger to build suspense and instead just gets stuck in.
A fantastic little book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Rape, and Death of parent
miriam_'s review
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Murder, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Torture
Minor: Rape
laurareads87's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
I was happy to finally read China Miéville's 1998 debut novel, having previously enjoyed many of his works -- at this point, I'm a fan, and I'll read anything he puts out (non-fiction included). Unsurprisingly, as his debut this is less well developed and polished than his later work; I found here certainly some of the aspects that distinguish his work, but it does not approach later works like The Scar or Iron Council in its execution.
One of the things I really love about Miéville's work is his ability to make a setting come alive and feel real, and this definitely is already apparent in this first book. The London of King Rat is something the reader can feel, hear, taste, and smell (though, in this instance, one... really wouldn't want to, given so much focus on the sewers and garbage). The character development is underwhelming here (with the exception of protagonist Saul), particularly compared to his later books.
All in all, of course Miéville fans will absolutely not want to miss this. I would not, however, recommend it as a place to start with his work, as his tremendous strengths as an author - which I cannot understate - really come through more in his later books.
One of the things I really love about Miéville's work is his ability to make a setting come alive and feel real, and this definitely is already apparent in this first book. The London of King Rat is something the reader can feel, hear, taste, and smell (though, in this instance, one... really wouldn't want to, given so much focus on the sewers and garbage). The character development is underwhelming here (with the exception of protagonist Saul), particularly compared to his later books.
All in all, of course Miéville fans will absolutely not want to miss this. I would not, however, recommend it as a place to start with his work, as his tremendous strengths as an author - which I cannot understate - really come through more in his later books.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Blood, Torture, Violence, Death, Animal death, Death of parent, Murder, and Gore
Minor: Rape
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