tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7456818260601216123.post2950227287031769989..comments2013-11-17T17:17:39.923+00:00Comments on Pointless Philosophical Asides: My Reading Year 2010Patrick Hudsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08483247439912550014noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7456818260601216123.post-208203198476963442011-01-04T11:38:16.744+00:002011-01-04T11:38:16.744+00:00I think/hope that Mielville has a great novel in h...I think/hope that Mielville has a great novel in him yet (a Great Novel, even) but, yeah, TC&TC was not quite it, and from the sounds of it I don't think Kraken is it, either. Gaiman and Barker are obvious way-points on the Road to Mielville, as it were; definite common ground. I think they both share some bad - and perhaps uniquely British - genre habits (which would take me some effort to articulate just at this time) that I can certainly see Mielville falling in to if he's not careful. As a matter of fact, Kraken sounds to me like one of those bad genre habits! (But I withhold judgment as I haven't read it.)<br /><br />The bigness of WH put me off, too, and it was a bastard to carry around in my bag, but it just flew by! I'll be keeping my eye out for more Mantel stuff this year - A Place of Greater Safety comes highly recommended.Patrick Hudsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08483247439912550014noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7456818260601216123.post-85269863699753010462011-01-04T11:22:41.434+00:002011-01-04T11:22:41.434+00:00I thought Beyond Black was great. I've enjoyed...I thought Beyond Black was great. I've enjoyed earlier Mantels too Fludd and the Giant O'Brien but Wolf Hall is just too big for me at the moment.<br /><br />TC&TC on the other hand was a disappointment. I was enthused by the set up and the development of the mystery but felt very let down by the end. I did enjoy Looking for Jake and other shorts of his so I'm still of the opinion that Mieville along with Barker and Gaiman are better in the short form. I'd like one of them to write a cracking good novel but I've yet to see it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7456818260601216123.post-4636039393408130272011-01-04T09:32:45.593+00:002011-01-04T09:32:45.593+00:00Well, without wishing to appear to be too much of ...Well, without wishing to appear to be too much of crawler, thank YOU for your terrific book!<br /><br />On "gap year SF", it doesn't really apply to you, cos it's your actual home. I suppose a colonial equivalent (I'm a kiwi, NB) would be some kind of Barry McKenzie thing with a bonza bloke or sheila getting into comical scrapes in the ruins of the decadent post-imperial "Mother Land", perhaps Star Wars via Dame Edna Everage...Patrick Hudsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08483247439912550014noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7456818260601216123.post-39393304115188151552011-01-04T09:06:02.369+00:002011-01-04T09:06:02.369+00:00Thanks so much, Patrick - and you made me laugh at...Thanks so much, Patrick - and you made me laugh at the "gap year SF" theme. Good luck with your writing and hope 2011 is less fraught. <br />- Lauren BeukesLauren Beukeshttp://www.moxyland.comnoreply@blogger.com