The Scar

New Crobuzon, Book 2

By: China Mieville

Narrated by: Gildart Jackson

Length: 26 hrs and 59 mins

Publisher's summary

A mythmaker of the highest order, China Miéville has emblazoned the fantasy novel with fresh language, startling images, and stunning originality. Set in the same sprawling world of Miéville's Arthur C. Clarke Award-winning novel, Perdido Street Station, this latest epic introduces a whole new cast of intriguing characters and dazzling creations.

Aboard a vast seafaring vessel, a band of prisoners and slaves, their bodies remade into grotesque biological oddities, is being transported to the fledgling colony of New Crobuzon. But the journey is not theirs alone. They are joined by a handful of travelers, each with a reason for fleeing the city. Among them is Bellis Coldwine, a renowned linguist whose services as an interpreter grant her passage - and escape from horrific punishment. For she is linked to Isaac Dan der Grimnebulin, the brilliant renegade scientist who has unwittingly unleashed a nightmare upon New Crobuzon.

For Bellis, the plan is clear: live among the new frontiersmen of the colony until it is safe to return home. But when the ship is besieged by pirates on the Swollen Ocean, the senior officers are summarily executed. The surviving passengers are brought to Armada, a city constructed from the hulls of pirated ships, a floating, landless mass ruled by the bizarre duality called the Lovers. On Armada, everyone is given work, and even Remades live as equals to humans, Cactae, and Cray. Yet no one may ever leave.

Lonely and embittered in her captivity, Bellis knows that to show dissent is a death sentence. Instead, she must furtively seek information about Armada's agenda. The answer lies in the dark, amorphous shapes that float undetected miles below the waters - terrifying entities with a singular, chilling mission....

China Miéville is a writer for a new era - and The Scar is a luminous, brilliantly imagined novel that is nothing short of spectacular.

©2002 China Mieville (P)2014 Random House Audio

It's good

Be patient. A lot of unique and fun ideas throughout the book. Best book of this series.

the author has grown since his first book

I loved this book and how it ties loosely to the events in Perdido Street Station. the writing has gotten tighter and the characters are all very interesting

It's good, but verbose

This was a good and complex story. However, the main protagonist has a very whiney internal monolog, despite her cold and calm outer demenor.

Brilliant

I had enjoyed The previous novel, which is not necessary to read to enjoy this one, nor does this give any significant spoilers for, but the clever use of story mechanics which are stitched seamlessly into the compelling story, is remarkable.

A weird and wonderful grim reality is weaved around this compelling story of exiles and castaways. Loved it

Don't tell anyone but I cried.

Even though I hated the main character, I loved this book and didn't want it to end. It was one of those books where you feel for the characters. I really did cry at one point. Lol!

I was mesmerized by the story!

I had listened to The City and the City several years ago and loved it. I began looking for other books by the Mieville and that's when I came across the New Crobuzon Series. Initially after reading the summary, I was put off since it was not the genre of book that I normallyI like to read. I finally decided to listen to Period Street Station. I became transfixed by the story and the characters. As soon as I finished the book, I began listening to The Scar, which I absolutely loved. The story seems to have infused itself somehow in my head. I just finished listening a few minutes ago and I am getting ready to purchase the 3rd book of the trilogy. I literally could not stop listening to this book. The ending of The Scar was also satisfying.

Hard to listen

The narration was not my favorite. That made it difficult to keep listening though I did get all the way through. The story is incredible which made me want to hear the end

Huge and engrossing

In this novel, China Mieville explores the wider reaches of the complex world he created in Perdido Street Station. The device is Armada, a floating pirate city on a mysterious mission that takes it across the oceans and past many strange lands. Mieville creates a wonderfully rich and complex environment, especially when delineating the political rivalries among the neighbourhoods of Armada. It's not an easy listen as it demands your concentration, and possibly the end doesn't live up to the journey, but it's a majestic journey nonetheless.

The reader is very good, but isn't very skilled at female voices, which is slightly irritating for a novel with a female protagonist...

The voices

The fact that Mr Jackson had to be able to understand, pronounce, and keep the story moving with China's intense vocabulary is impressive. But like I read in another review before I listened, his choice of voices for 2 of the main characters is really hard to get past. Bellis is portrayed as weak and flimsy when I believe, after actually reading it, she could have been strong and decisive. The way he voiced her opinions/actions/etc IMO is all wrong and it's the biggest voice in the book. Also, Uther, a man with the most beautiful voice, is insanely annoying and just drags and drags. It's hard to get past. The story is incredible. And Mr. Jackson really did a professional job, I just found a few characters pretty hard to listen to. That's just my opinion.

Speculative Fiction at its Finest

If you could sum up The Scar in three words, what would they be?

Fantastically Weird Voyage

What other book might you compare The Scar to and why?

All Mieville's other stuff, Felix Gilman's Thunderer and Gears of the City, K.J. Bishop's Etched City, Vandermeer's Ambergris stuff, Bennett's City of Stairs, Harkaway's the Gone-Away World, and maybe some Gaiman. As to why, they're all uniquely weird, mysterious, and very well written.

Which character – as performed by Gildart Jackson – was your favorite?

The Bruculac or however it's spelled. And Tanner.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It filled me with wonder stretching my imagination and sketching a fantastic scene.

Any additional comments?

This is perhaps my favorite Mieville work and I recommend it to anyone that enjoys weird, fantastic fiction stretched about as far as it can be.