6 Down, 46 To Go

China Mieville is certainly an interesting writer. Looking for Jake and Other Stories is the second short story collection I’ve read this year. It’s definitely a slightly unfair comparison holding this up to Neil Gaiman’s work, given my sheer, unbridled love for Gaiman as an author (I refer you to my gushing here), but Looking for Jake... is a mixed bag. 

The first couple of stories were interesting, but didn’t really grab me. I could see the skill at work and the technical quality of the writing, but it lacked that real ‘hook’ that makes the story dig in your mind and resonate in a memorable way. That said, there were several standouts - The Tain, Reports of Certain Events In London, Details, and Entry Taken From A Medical Encyclopaedia were my particular favorites, intersecting somewhere between Gaiman and Lovecraft. 

Reports of Certain Events In London had a brilliant concept (which I won’t go into here, because: spoilers), and an interesting presentation style - told through a series of partial, recovered ‘documents. Entry Taken From A Medical Encyclopaedia is a fantastic description of a fictional disease - originally published in a collection of such stories, in which a Gaiman story included in Fragile Things was also included (Diseasemaker’s Croup). The Tain is the biggest, most striking set piece of the book.

Mieville (who, I learned, also went to Clare College) groups his work under the category ‘weird fiction’, picking up the thread of Lovecraft, among others, and this is very much evident (and I do love me some good/pulpy Eldritch fiction). The other thing that pervades almost every story is Mieville’s obsession with London (which seems to extend to his other works as well).

I’m currently blasting through another (short) book of short stories - The Bloody Chamber - which I’ll write up in due course. I’ve also set up an account on Goodreads to provide a quick summary of what I’ve read - and I’ll start adding some of my listed recommendations on there as well, to give you a view of what I’ve got coming up. I’ll post the link on Twitter in due course; check out #GRaBaW to find it, if you like.

Week 6

6/52

Fragile Things - Neil Gaiman (2006)

The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern (2011)

The Revolution of Saint Jone - Lorna Mitchell (1988)

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy - John Le Carré (1974)

I Can Make You Hate - Charlie Brooker (2012)

Looking For Jake and Other Stories - China Miéville (2005)

Currently Reading:

The Pillars of the Earth - Ken Follett (1989)

The Bloody Chamber - Angela Carter (1979)

Currently Listening To:

Jobs - Walter Isaacson (2012)