Rating: 
Summary: Remarkable follow-up to Perdido Street Station
Review: It was clear when reading China Miéville's mesmerizing Perdido Street Station that its setting, the dreamlike metropolis New Crobuzon and the world of Bas-Lag, possessed a nearly inexhaustible potential for future stories. In The Scar, Miéville proves the hype right by fulfilling that promise. The Scar, which takes a much more direct approach to structuring its plot than Perdido, is related to but not a sequel to that book; it stands alone as a story and can just as sufficiently serve as an introduction to Miéville's extraordinary worldcraft. There can now be no doubt that there's no one in contemporary fantasy writing quite like Miéville (the good but overrated Neil Gaiman pales most in comparison), and we should all be delighted that a talent like his has come along at the turn of the century to inject life into a genre stuck for so long in a creative cul-de-sac.The Scar takes us far from the teeming streets and slums of New Crobuzon, out into the rolling waves of the Swollen Ocean to the city's east. Bellis Coldwine is fleeing New Crobuzon for a distant colony. A linguist, she wangles passage as an interpreter on the Terpsichoria, a cargo vessel whose manifest happens to include, grimly, a shipment of Remades--those physically altered, criminal unfortunates--to work as slave labor in the colony. On its way east, the Terpsichoria stops by an amazing undersea city inhabited by the quasi-human cray species. New Crobuzon has an agreement with the cray that allows three massive rigs to operate in their waters, but one of the rigs is inexplicably gone, and the cray plead ignorance. The mystery deepens with the appearance of Silas Fennic, a shadowy individual who holds some unrevealed official post in the New Crobuzon government. He takes command of the Terpsichoria, which begins to head back to New Crobuzon to the outrage of its paying passengers. But shortly into their voyage home, the seafarers are set upon by a gang of ruthless pirates, who kill the Terpsichoria's officers and shanghai the passengers and prisoners. They are taken to Armada, an immense oceangoing pirate city comprised of thousands of ships lashed together and built up to resemble nothing so much as a floating New Crobuzon! Armada has its different districts, its slums, its cultural centers, its economy. One vast difference is that it treats all its inhabitants as equals, even the loathed Remades. Naturally this sets very well with them, particularly Tanner Sack, a prisoner aboard the Terpsichoria who comes to love his new life in Armada, and even finds his horrible Remade appendages--a pair of tentacles grafted onto his torso--starting to heal and work for him. In fact, Tanner is so happy he has himself Remade even further to become a fully amphibious being. But Armada's ersatz freedom only exists within its watery borders; it's really a prison city. And Bellis is determined to resist the allure that it seems to hold over some of her former shipmates, all of whom have been offered jobs and a place in Armada's society. Her discovery that the missing third rig is now in Armada's possession deepens her concern; what the hell is up with this place anyway, particularly its leaders, strange scarred beings known only as the Lovers? (The Lovers are but one of many referents to the book's title, by the way. A theme of severing and healing runs subtextually throughout, in regards to both the emotional and physical trauma suffered by the cast, and the fractured and tragic history of Bas-Lag itself.) Through Silas, Bellis learns of a terrible invasion heading towards the unsuspecting New Crobuzon. Though it seems as if escape from Armada is indeed impossible, could there still be a way to get word to the enormous city, that grows more distant every day? There is also the little matter of the Lovers' bold plan to harness some terrifying power from the ocean depths, a project in which Bellis finds herself playing a key role. Any more detailed a synopsis would run the risk of spoilers, which would simply be a crime given just how exciting this novel becomes as its numerous revelations and surprises unfold. Is Silas an ally or a villian? Will the undercurrent of rebellion against the Lovers' mysterious plans break out into open revolt? And just where is Armada going? Though the plot of The Scar follows a much more linear progression than that of Perdido Street Station (which should make those folks who found Perdido too meandering happy), it shares that novel's feeling of inexorability, its sense that events are plunging pell-mell out of control, and any attempt at resolution only seems to deepen the crisis. Miéville keeps tight control of his story's pace. His dark imagination hasn't mellowed either. Disturbing, macabre creatures like the vampiric "ab-dead" and the bloodsucking anophilii share the multifarious stage with the familiar cast of humans, insect-headed khepri, and plantlike cactacae. (How I would love to see Wayne Douglas Barlowe illustrate Miéville's world!) It may be true that there are parts of the novel that go into exotic overkill, but I think most readers won't have a problem with it, especially when the book starts delivering its payoffs. The final third of The Scar features one of the most intense battles this side of George R. R. Martin, and yet Miéville's characters and their personal interactions have just as much intensity, only of a subtler sort. The Scar is on a par with Perdido Street Station, and in its best moments it surpasses that novel. In its weakest, it seems too burdened with talk, and it is true that the mythic backstory of Bas-Lag is an awful lot to keep up with. But in the end that's a testament to China Miéville's energetic creativity and freshness. I would only suggest that perhaps, in his next novel, he turn away from Bas-Lag and New Crobuzon, so that the concept and setting don't fall into the sort of dreary routine that almost inevitably befalls long series. I want to stay hungry for China Miéville's books, and I always want to come away feeling just as well-fed as I have from this one.
Rating: 
Summary: Not quite there
Review: It's unfortunate that a writer with such obvious talent can write a novel with so many structural deficiencies. At it's base it's a novel about a woman, Bellis Coldwine, forced into a quest she wants no part of. Mieville puts all the ingredients of the fantasy thriller into the cauldron -- the quest, the dark heroine, conflicts, time constraints. But what we, as readers, end up with, is a lot of lost time. The quest turns into drivel, a journey to the edge of the world which is never satisfied or even really explained, and left so late in its explanation, we are never really engaged. The heroine as it turns out, never has a real say in the outcome. She's simply a pawn of one side, then the other, and at the end, expects to return to her previous life. The failures in this novel are structural and a waste of a lot of good writing. For a comparison of writing, perhaps not quite as masterful, but with a plot to blow your socks off, try Kushiel's Dart by Jaqueline Carey. In spite of the failure of this book, I would try him again.
Rating: 
Summary: My Wife Left me and all i got was this book
Review: Its just not the same. A companion, someone to share life with or this book... The book was good though and I recommend to anyone who is trying to decide whether they should get in a copper bathtub with a lamp. Come back to me baby - I didnt mean it...
Rating: 
Summary: Best book of the year!
Review: Just finished The Scar yesterday...simply stated, its a hypnotic read that combines a gripping action/adventure motiff with nicely understated character psychologies and recurring story metaphors. Although not as wildly ambitious as Perdido Street Station, its a great novel, and certainly the best I have read so far this year. Wow.
Rating:
Summary: World design at its best.
Review: Just when I thought that the fantasy/science-fiction genre had exhausted every possible setting, China Mieville introduces Bas-Lag, the most original and diverse world since C.S. Lewis's Narnia. He populates his world with tried archetypes--for example, vampir--and strange novelties, like the thorny cactacae and the blood-armored scabmettlers, each with their own history, mythology and culture. In a lesser writer's hands, this assortment of oddities could threaten to overwhelm the storyline, but Mieville keeps the action grounded in an episodic plot that continually throws new dangers at the primary characters. And what fresh, multidimensional characters! There is Bellis Coldwine, a student of dead languages and prisoner; Tanner Sack, a loyal, Remade man with a second chance at life; Silas Fennec, a spy with an evershifting agenda; and Uther Doul, a soldier with no ambition to be a general. Throw in the secondary cast--the scarred Lovers, Deadman Brucolac, Kruach Aum--and you have a memorable roster of misfits and madmen. I would not be surprised if someone bases a role-playing game on his books. Not only is Mieville an innovator at world design, he is also an expert stylist. His language ripples with visceral detail, making The Scar a jolt to the nerves to read.
Rating:
Summary: disappointed
Review: Miéville is an unparallelled worldsmith, but 'the scar' is let down by flat characterisation and an ultimately pointless plot. I recommend you try perdido street station instead.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Talent
Review: Mieville's third novel is his most accomplished achievement yet, with a leaner plot and faster pace than his wonderful Perdido Street Station. Those who enjoy imaginitive fiction that confounds expectations will find this novel a real treat.
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Summary: It's a Journey, Not a Quest
Review: Much has been written about the narrative and writing skills inherent in The Scar. This review focuses on the ending (without any spoilers). Essentially, those who read "traditional" fantasy will struggle with the ambiguities that present themselves. We never find out the answers to some very pertinent questions (although we do find out some). What Mieville has done is transformed the story structure of fantasy. For some, this "new structure" is not new. It is a common theme in the traditional stories of many Indigenous Peoples. It is, however, something quite daring (although I am sure some detractors will say it is pretentious), for the target audience of the aforementioned traditional fantasy. The only author who has made a career defying expectations with brilliant writing is Gene Wolfe. Wolfe, however, stayed true to the essence of his mythic source material. Although the Scar is a better book then the excellent Perdido Street Station, I do believe that Mieville has not yet reached his full potential. One interesting plot thread running through both of the Bas Lag books involves a key scientific principle. What is interesting is that it is presented in two diametrically opposed theories in the books. One is true and one is not. We don't know which one prevails. Goodness knows what will come next, but I'm hoping that Bas Lag will be revisited.
Rating:
Summary: I've just closed the cover
Review: on another...what? All I can do at the moment is gush rather insipidly. Any metaphor, any adjective phrase, seems rather weak in trying to describe this carefully woven, intricate tapestry of story. Or, rather, a piece of tapestry. There's far more, with threads running off in directions and vanishing into tantalizing darkness. I won't try to sum the plot or characters -- others have done that and even if I added my translation, I would not be a pure conduit. The Scar must be experienced for oneself. It is a place, a way of thinking, a sort of literary challenge. I'm going on in a poetic way, mostly because I'm overwhelmed. How does Mieville do this? What drug is he taking? What's his diet, his exercise routine, his meditation practice? Once again, I submerged willingly into the thick reality of Bas-Lag, as easily as I could dive into a story set in New York City or Outer Mongolia. It doesn't matter. The voice leading me on is steady and confident, it doesn't falter or hunt around. It knows the many layers of story, what it will and will not tell me, and I hang on breathlessly, going down like Tanner Sack along the chains. It's rather a shameful fact that, because it doesn't take place in New York or Outer Mongolia, this book will be shoved into the SF/Fantasy shelves and missed by so many people who won't read "kid stuff" on principle. I hope and hope again that Mieville will revisit Bas-Lag and let me come along. Of course, if he decides to wander somewhere else, I might like to go there, too.
Rating:
Summary: Considering the Possibilities
Review: One of the unique characteristics of China Mieville's work, which I discovered while reading 'Perdido Street Station,' is that you can put his books down for several weeks, pick them up and start reading and the whole novel comes back to life. I attribute this to the richness and vitality of the vision that guides the writing. Mieville does not so much tell a story as create a world that leaps to life before us and fires our own imaginations. I found myself wanting to absorb this world in small bites, savoring the details before they are lost in the next flood of images.
If 'The Scar' can be about one person, that person is Bellis Coldwine, whose past relationship with Isaac der Grimnebulin (of 'Perdido Street Station') has led her to decide that she should flee New Crobuzon for safety. Seeking to get as far away from the city as possible, she boards a ship for Nova Esperium. She plans to work as an interpreter to pay her way and to return once the outcry about Isaac has been forgotten. But the gods of Bas-Lag have other plans, and Bellis' ship is seized by pirates from the floating city of Armada. If anything, she is even further from New Crobuzon than she had planned to go. For there is no return from Armada. However, this book is much larger than any one person's story. Vivid personalities seem to leap from Mieville's palette. Tanner Sack, remade into a creature of the sea and sentenced to labor in Nova Esperium for his crimes. Shekel, Tanner's friend, who learns to read and triggers momentous events. Simon Fennic, the secret agent who always knows more than he tells. The ritually scarred Lovers, who lead Armada on a grand quest for power. Uther Doul, a man of complex motives who wields the Possible Sword. And that is just a few of many among the mundane, the seductive, and the horrible. Armada is a character in itself, of course. It is formed by the accretion of countless ships upon which its fantastical architecture is built. Floating on the seas of Bas-Lag, it lives by piracy and the industry of its citizens, and manages to contain all the accoutrements of civilization. Its smallness belies its complexity. It is place where all, whether human, remade, or other form of sentience come together as equals. Where the form of government is a confederation of ridings. Unwillingly, Bellis is drawn into the intricacies of Armada's plots, never quite sure whom she can trust or if her will is her own. The plot that binds this together it a quest of epic proportions. The powers of Armada have become entranced by ancient lore and arcane wisdom. They seek the wherewithal to make dreams become real and have the audacity to take it. This complex undertaking plays against the counter point of mysteries hidden in the sea and Bellis' struggle to free herself from Armada's nets. All of this taking place on a stage of planetary scope. Before they are done, readers will learn much about Bas-Lag and the creatures that people it. It is always a pleasant surprise when an author's second novel is better than his first, and the third even better. 'The Scar' will momentarily remind you of Melville's 'Moby Dick' or Jack Vance's 'World of Adventure,' among others. But the truth is that this is some of the most original work to come to science fiction in some time. Mieville's imagination is equaled by a firm command of language. He has a unique ability to change his pacing and style subtly as his viewpoint shifts from on character to another. I can think of few writers who have this much skill. Reading 'The Scar' is a unique experience, a peek into the mind of an author who may very well become one of this century's best.
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