Saturday, July 27, 2002
China Miéville was at the bookstore tonight. He spoke about the nature of fantasy writing and what it is like to write speculative fantasy after Tolkien. His opinion is that Tolkien, though not his fault, created a couple generations of fantasy writers that build worlds for readers looking for escape. Mieville, on the other hand, is building a truly fantastical world that is fiction but in a way that pushes readers' boundaries of what is possible.
It sounded similar to the work of Jonathan Carroll. I read The Wooden Sea and loved the sense of wonder and unexpected. The plot allowed fantastical elements (a dead dog reappearing, mysterious objects disappearing, etc.) to bend the story so the reader expects the unexpected, and gives the author the freedom to create a plot that isn't constrained by what is realistic.
Anyhow, Miéville was very articulate and thought-provoking. I look forward to reading The Scar and Perdido Street Station.
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It sounded similar to the work of Jonathan Carroll. I read The Wooden Sea and loved the sense of wonder and unexpected. The plot allowed fantastical elements (a dead dog reappearing, mysterious objects disappearing, etc.) to bend the story so the reader expects the unexpected, and gives the author the freedom to create a plot that isn't constrained by what is realistic.
Anyhow, Miéville was very articulate and thought-provoking. I look forward to reading The Scar and Perdido Street Station.
