The Scar – China Mieville [Book Review]

China Mieville: The Man, The Myth, The Weird-Fic Legend

China Mieville has been nominated for pretty much every science fiction and fantasy award under the sun. He’s been a finalist for the Hugo Awards, Philip K. Dick Award, Arthur C. Clarke Award, World Fantasy Award, and the British Science Fiction Award. Not to mention he won the British Fantasy Award.

Needless to say, China Mieville has been wickedly well received.

And rightfully so. He’s writing some of the most imaginative fantasy in the game today. His Bas Lag world (Perdido Street Station, The Scar, and The Iron Council) is vast in its scope, intricate in its detail, and absolutely astounding in its execution.

With all that said, I would hazard caution to the novice fantasy reader here, for Mieville’s writing does not pander to the lowest common denominator. His prose is consistently ponderous, occasionally tedious, and always compelling.

You know when you are reading a Mieville story because each line must be consumed bit-by-bit, regurgitated in the mind, and then reassembled before meaning can be found. The complexity of Mieville’s writing makes for a read that is as slow as it is luxurious.

I tend to prefer my prose to be more approachable, but there is something about Mieville’s writing that makes you feel as though you are reading some rare, ancient truth.

It’s hard to describe where exactly this sensation comes from, but it persists nonetheless. Mieville self-describes his writing as New Weird, and I think that’s about as apt a description one can come by.

The Scar

The Scar is the second book set in Mieville’s Bas Lag universe (which to my eye, is one of the most inventive worlds I’ve yet encountered). Bas Lag is a world filled with the commonplace turned bespoke.

I reviewed Perdido Street Station many years ago (click HERE To read that review). While I enjoyed that story, it never resonated on a terribly deep level with me. I don’t think that was a result of the writing or the world, but rather, the particular story Mieville was telling in that instance. For whatever reason I didn’t find it terribly interesting, but then again, that comes down to personal taste, I think.

[button link=”https://www.anthonyvicino.com/perdido-street-station-review/”] Click HERE for the Perdido Street Station review.[/button]

The Scar had a much more compelling story. Though there were parts of little interest to me, the parts that were interesting, were extremely engrossing.

The story follows through multiple perspectives, but primarily through a woman named Bellis Coldwine. The Scar begins with Bellis fleeing the mega-city of New Crobuzon for mysterious reasons. While out to sea, on a long journey to a new settlement on the other side of the world (because when you flee New Crobuzon, you really flee), her ship is attacked by pirates who capture her vessel, and press-gang the crew.

Bellis is taken back to the floating city known as Armada, which is really just a mass of boats all lashed together and floating around the sea.

The Scar really shines because Armada, as a cultural entity, is incredibly well flushed out. Though this is a city of criminals and prisoners, it is entirely sympathetic and one can understand the shifting landscape of allegiances.

Much of the novel is a mystery/adventure of sorts, though it’s not made clear until the last 20% what the mystery is. Even with 50 pages left in this 600 page book, the reader is still not entirely clear why the villains are doing what they’re doing.

Unfortunately I can’t explain this dynamic without unintentionally giving away spoilers, and I think this is one of those stories that is best left digested by the individual.

If there is a flaw with The Scar (besides the occasionally lethargic pace) it’s that Bellis Coldwine is a hard character to root for. She is hard as nails and entirely unemotional. This is offset by the singular character, Uther Doul, who is one of the most compelling badasses I’ve read about in recent memory.

The Verdict

All told, I’d give The Scar four stars as it feels like you’re reading something special when you’re buried between the pages. If you’re a hardened fantasy fan looking for a classic of the New Weird genre, do yourself a favor and pick up The Scar.

[box] Who here has read something by China Mieville? What did you think? Is he worth all the hype or what? Get down to the comments and let me know![/box]