Listen
Now!
SciFiAudio
caught up with author China Miéville on the book tour for
his new novel, "The Scar", at the University Bookstore
in Seattle. |
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Listen to Miéville
reading an excerpt from "The Scar"... |
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| ...and
then listen to him discuss
Socialism, Surrealism, Tolkien, and RPGs. |
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"Miéville begins to construct
an intriguing plot of espionage and deceit. He gives himself
the leisure to elaborate the topography and politics of Armada,
as well as the characters and activities of its citizens, to
the extent that the reader is gradually won over in sheer astonishment.
Every invention is lovingly exploited...
"The
Scar eventually demonstrates enough invention and brutal energy,
firmly ruled by a calm architectonic intelligence, to show that
Miéville is one of the most imaginative young writers
around in any kind of fiction."
- Steven Poole, The Guardian (UK)
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(ad)
If you like Miéville's world, check out the classic Gormenghast,
as only the BBC could bring it to life...
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"The
Scar"
by China Miéville
Stylish,
smoldering, erudite, witty - China Miéville is reinventing
the fantasy genre.
Maybe it's his dark, dangerous and delectable use of language.
Maybe it's because he has a degree from Cambridge (First Class)
and a Doctorate from the London School of Economics.
Maybe it's because, in contrast to the elitism and neo-feudalism
of a lot of fantasy, he brings a hard-boiled socialist sensibility
to the table (he's even run for Parliament).
Whatever the reason, the critics are near-unanimous in singing his
praises, and his previous novel, "Perdido Street Station",
won both the Arthur C Clarke Award and the British Fantasy Award
in 2001, as well as being shortlisted for the World Fantasy Award
and the Hugo. "Scar", his new novel, is set in the same
intricate, fantastic, and dangerous world of Bas-Mal, and will probably
earn Miéville more knicknacks for his mantelpiece.
We
caught up with Miéville on the American leg of his reading
tour, at the Univeristy Bookstore in Seattle. If you've ever stuck
around after an author reading, you'll understand what was going
on - after the reading and booksigning, a cornucopia of books
appeared for Miéville to sign (on behalf of the store).
As we talk, you'll here the books being loaded off a massive cart
and clumped down in front of him to receive his signiture...
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| Listen
now! |
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The
reading :
Click
here if you have dial-up
Click here
if you have a high-speed connection
The
interview:
Click
here if you have dial-up
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if you have a high-speed connection
(Sorry about the
background noise, but they had him signing books while we
talked..)
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Or download the interview as an
MP3 - right-click
here, select
"Save Target As", and save to your local directory
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Support Independent Booksellers!
Click on the icon or the book cover to purchase "The
Scar" from Powells independent bookstore.
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| Miéville
online |
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Official links...
The semi-official website is at http://www.chinamieville.com/
The official publisher's website has
novel excerpts, reviews and (not very new) news. http://193.119.21.129/china/index.htm
...in his own words
You won't find any of his short
fiction online, but there are several very interesting essays:
"On
World Building", a fascinating look at the man behind
the curtain, on the Runagate
Rampant site.
"Middle
Earth Meets Middle England", an extended critique of
Tolkien in which he takes to task the "Big Oedipal Daddy"
of fantasy for what he gently calls "...a profoundly backward-looking
reaction, based on a rural idyll that never existed - Feudalism
Lite."
Fantastic Metropolis offers Miéville's
views on "50
Fantasy & Science Fiction Works That Socialists Should Read"
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... interviews
From March of 2002,
Locus Online has excerpts from a lengthy and fascinating interview.
SciFiDimensions
has an interview from April 2002 as streaming audio.
The Strange
Horizons interview with Cheryl Morgan, from October 2001
From last year, an interview from
RPG.net that looks at his gaming roots and political outlook.
From Amazon.UK,
an interview with Roz Kaveney shortly after Perdido Station came
out.
… and on SciFi.com's SFWeekly,
with David Soyka (September 2001)
From the late lamented Event
Horizons, an interview with Ed Bryant from September of
1999.
This fansite doesn't have a lot up,
but it does have the text of a Horrorline
interview from early in Miéville's career.
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