Reviews and Comments

It took me quite some time to read this book, but I really liked it. I wasn't expecting the final revelation, and I'll have to read it a couple of times more in order to link all the references and ideas expressed in the different narratives of the book.

The whole reflexion on surveillance society is also very interesting and timely.

Very demanding, intricate and thought-provoking.

These days, very few books keep me up until 2 at night. This one did it for me.

In a fantasy city inspired by Venice in the Renaissance, Locke Lamora is a thief. Not any common thief though, he's been brought up to be the BEST thief, along with his crew. He made me think of Arsène Lupin or Fantômas (minus the sadistic approach—which is taken by Lamora's enemies).

The action is fast-paced, the world is well made, but I regret that almost all major characters are men.

A very entertaining book!

I'm pondering between "very good" and "excellent"

Kinda creepy, but good

Nothing really memorable, but a good page turner nonetheless. The “military” themes are subverted quite a bit, so we avoid the worst types of copaganda that are normally present in military science fiction.

One character is woefully out of place in his new environment but knows how to do everything, he carries the plot ; one is the grizzled veteran plagued with doubt about her capacity to carry her duty ; then there’s the crew of “specialist” misfits without much depth… thankfully the pacing of the action is good, and the setting and main concepts are interesting. I wonder how the rest of series will go on, but I’m not on the edge of my seat waiting for it.

A good short story (I think I discovered it in an award shortlist?) inspired by Asian history and religions. Perfect length to read on a train ride.

The Golem And The Jinni has a sequel that resolves some things, but not all of them. See my review of the first installment: lire.boitam.eu/book/8848

Both characters are more human, but don't want to lose what made them "them". Both are confronted by a being similar as them (but of the opposite sex), which doesn't make anything easier. The new cast of human characters are more interesting than the main couple, which is a nice change.

China Miéville is a storyteller, as he is a leftists. His month-by-month retelling of the October Revolution is deeply researched and engaging. He's also fair in his portrayal of a very partisan moment in time. And I really enjoyed the fact that he avoided delving into tedious debates about finer points of marxist theory ; there's a greay many books for that, but this book is perfect for a more general approach with rich details.

I liked this book. It's not as serious and realist as Abercrobie's writing, not as convoluted as G.R.R. Martin's stories, it's 'adult' without falling into voyeuristic and misogynist drivel or manly-man power fantasies… A good summer reading, with a beautiful map before the story (and even a calendar with special months and weeks)

The worldbuilding is well done, especially when it comes to the use of magic. I was less concerned by the languages invented for the book, but it's of little importance in the logic of the book. Some prominent characters are not as engaging and well rounded as the main, but I guess that's what you get when your narrator is self-absorbed, kinda dishonest (he's a thief, after all) and more interested in this blind cat he found by chance.