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The Scar
The Scar | China Miéville
BONUS: This edition contains an excerpt from China Miéville’s Embassytown. 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.
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review
Jari-chan
The Scar | China Miéville
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Pickpick

My first Mieville in English! I was a bit scared to read this chunkster, but I think I managed pretty well. I had to fight sometimes to make it through, but as always, Mieville is worth it.
The world-building is just amazing, and I got sucked into this special world. We deal with a lot during this story. Politics, betrayal, death, but also friendship, honesty and making things right.

#roll100 @PuddleJumper
#BacklistReadathon @@Clwojick

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TobeyTheScavengerMonk
The Scar | China Miéville
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#ManicMonday #LetterS @JoScho

Favorites starting with S:

- Book: The Scar by China Miéville

- Author: Dan Simmons

- Movie: Say Anything

- Band: Secret Lives! of the Freemasons (a North Carolina band that was a favorite during my hardcore college days)

- Song: “The Suffering†by Coheed & Cambria (Despite the title this is actually an upbeat bop! The video is a love story between a mermaid & a centaur!)

cathysaid â¤ï¸â¤ï¸â¤ï¸ Say Anything 4y
MoonWitch94 Say Anything ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ 4y
heikemarie Me remembering Coheed and Cambria for the first time in years 👵🻠4y
40 likes3 comments
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REPollock
The Scar | China Miéville
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Pickpick

Great deal on the ebook today! I absolutely loved the experience of reading this book. It‘s pretty bizarre and bad things happen but what a ride. I buy copies I find in used bookstores to give it to people.

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REPollock
The Scar | China Miéville
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Pickpick

7 covers each day for a week, no explanation needed. Tag a Litten each day to join! #7covers7days

@batsy

batsy Thank you for the tag; I played along last week and it was good fun :) Will never tire of seeing people's favourite covers! 5y
19 likes1 comment
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AlaMich
The Scar | China Miéville
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I love China Mieville, but he is waaayyyy too fond of the word “puissance.â€
Don't know the meaning? Neither does anyone else.

#thesaurus #ilostcount

Aimeesue Author's pet words get to be SO grating. No one has used that word in conversation in… ever, China! 😂😂😂 5y
AlaMich @Aimeesue Pet words...😡 I always wonder, where the heck was the editor? 5y
Aimeesue @AlaMich Right? I love the word “sussuration†but I‘m never going to USE it because even autocorrect wants to change it to “sissy rations.†Ha! (edited) 5y
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AlaMich @Aimeesue 😂 5y
Gezemice @Aimeesue lol! China Mieville is a thesaurus. I have only read one of his but I had to make a list of words with meanings. 5y
Susannah Don‘t you hate that? It gets so you‘re just waiting for the next time you see the author‘s pet word. 🤦â€â™€ï¸ 5y
AlaMich @Gezemice He really is! Which I mostly love about him. 😊 5y
42 likes7 comments
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AlaMich
The Scar | China Miéville
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Reading on the patio, late summer edition.

“Yes, technically it is still summer,†she said, a bit over-emphatically.

LauraBeth It was 100 degrees at my house yesterday and our neighborhood pool closes today â˜¹ï¸ 5y
AlaMich @LauraBeth Because of course. 5y
saresmoore @LauraBeth When are we humans in the south going to learn that summer lasts THROUGH September? 5y
LauraBeth @saresmoore 😹 never - we are never going to learn that! I‘d be willing to pay more in HOA fees if they‘d keep the pool open for another month. 5y
39 likes4 comments
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AlaMich
The Scar | China Miéville
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Reading about ravenous, terrifying mosquito-women right before bed is a perfectly sensible thing to do, right? 😬 #nightmares

valeriegeary You'll be fine 🙈 5y
AlaMich @valeriegeary Lemme just tell you, I will have images from that mosquito-woman scene burned in my brain forever!! 5y
rwmg This is on my virtual TBR shelf. Now I'm beginning to wonder if it was such a good idea 5y
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AlaMich @rwmg It‘s a great book, don‘t get me wrong. If you‘ve never read Mieville, I‘d recommend starting with The City and The City. But yeah, if your “weird ick†threshold is low, you may want to give this a pass. 😊 5y
rwmg @AlaMich I got through Embassytown and Perdido Street Station reasonably unscathed 5y
AlaMich @rwmg Ah, okay, so you‘re a Mieville vet! I‘ve really been enjoying The Scar, so I say go for it! 5y
rwmg @AlaMich ðŸ˜ðŸ‘ 5y
42 likes1 stack add7 comments
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AlaMich
The Scar | China Miéville
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Only on page 5 and I‘ve already had to look up three words in the dictionary. I love China Miéville!! ?

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SaunteringVaguelyDownwards
Scar | China Miéville
Pickpick

I realized when prepping for my fantasy lit class last year that I had a gap in not knowing Miéville's work. Even though I skipped over the 1st book in the series, the focus on Bellis's journey away from her homeland and the author's immersive style helped me not miss much. I admire the diversity and originality of his world building, but at times the book did feel a bit slow. Will definitely be reading more by him!

TobeyTheScavengerMonk Miéville is so good and this is one of my favorites. You‘re not missing anything important by not starting with Perdido Street Station (even though it is amazing). Bellis gets her name dropped as the main character‘s ex, and her connection to him is why she wants to get out of town at the beginning of The Scar. His world-building is always this good, even when he starts experimenting in different genres. (edited) 6y
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REPollock
The Scar | China Miéville
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1. Loved this! I wanted to throw it because there‘s a plot pivot in it that I didn‘t see coming & which just gut-punched me.
2. I pack. It‘s solid economics.
3. Meant to email a photo of project progress to my supervisor, accidentally attached a pic of me 20 years ago giving the 🖕 at a rock concert.
4. Sandalwood
5. Grey Vampire

#friyayintro @howjessreads

readordierachel Oh my! I hope your supervisor appreciated the humor of the situation! 6y
REPollock @readordierachel I realized what happened and sent a 2nd email with the subject WRONG ATTACHMENT in which I explained the mistake and attached the right pic. She thought it was funny, thankfully. 6y
CouronneDhiver 😆😆😆 6y
26 likes3 comments
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Moray_Reads
The Scar | China Miéville
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The library is helping to fuel my current China Miéville kick but I'm just not sure I can face this 800 page monster immediately!

dylanisreading If I remember correctly, I flew through this when I read it years ago. 7y
Moray_Reads @Bianca that's good to know. Perhaps I'll tackle it at the weekend 7y
Libby1 I just started The City & The City today. Have you read this one? 7y
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Moray_Reads @Libby1 I just finished it today! It's the third time I've read it and I think it brilliant 7y
AlaMich The City and the City is one of my favorite books!! It‘s a brain-bender, but so fascinating! â¤ï¸ (edited) 7y
morgan_lionheart This is my favorite Mieville! I liked it even more than Perdido Street Station. The world building is amazing. 7y
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speljamr
The Scar | China Miéville
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Pickpick

The second book set in the Bas-Lag fantasy world. This one takes the world introduced in Perdido Station and adds in a waterworld setting. I enjoyed this as much as I did the first book.

#fantasy

GrilledCheeseSamurai To this day Uther Doul is my favorite character that Mieville has ever written! I think it's because there was just so much about him we didn't know and my imagination ran wild with the possibilities, 7y
speljamr @GrilledCheeseSamurai I love books that leave open questions that allow your own imagination to work through. 7y
rwmg It's on my virtual TBR shelf :-) 7y
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Jabberwocky
Scar | China Miéville
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@TobeyTheScavengerMonk I haven't ordered your last recommendation yet, but I did pick this up the other day. I'm pretty sure I stepped in in the middle of a series or something but the premise was too good to pass up! #tbr #tbrtemptation #blameitonlitsy

TobeyTheScavengerMonk Oooo I just talked my brother into starting this too! It technically comes after Perdido Street Station, but The Scar's main character's name is mentioned only once in PSS. It pretty much stands on its own. 7y
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kalinichta
The Scar | China Miéville
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Bellis isn't the most likeable main character, but sometimes I deeply identify with her.

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kalinichta
The Scar | China Miéville
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I may have started another book. I may have no impulse control. But Miéville's descriptions in the prologue are breathtaking, and the rest continues to enchant so far. The sea and language... this could be perfect.

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TobeyTheScavengerMonk
The Scar | China Miéville
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“ #Scars are not injuries, Tanner Sack. A scar is a healing. After injury, a scar is what makes you whole.â€

One of my top five favorite books of all time. #JuneTunz

CherylDeFranceschi â¤ï¸ 7y
Cinfhen Well this takes top prize 🆠7y
JazzFeathers I've never read this author, but l keep thinking l should. Any suggestion where should l start? 😊 7y
TobeyTheScavengerMonk @Jazzfeathers I love being asked this question! The Scar is the 2nd book in a trilogy (1st is Perdido Street Station) set in the fantasy world of Bas-Lag. Best starting points are Kraken (dark urban fantasy to the EXTREME) and The City & the City which is hard to describe. Basically a brilliant city-planning thought exercise with murder mystery trappings. 7y
78 likes7 stack adds4 comments
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TobeyTheScavengerMonk
The Scar | China Miéville
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There are so many cool fictional weapons out there. Terminus Est from The Book of the New Sun is probably my favorite, but for this post I'm featuring my runner-up.

The Possible Sword is wielded by Uther Doul of the pirate city Armada. When activated it moves through all possible realities appearing like a cloud of blades. Wherever it COULD cut, it does. #WeaponsReady

Art by Ashley Wood. #PiratesLife #WhataWaytoLive

CrowCAH Wow this sounds super interesting! And I love the weapon he's holding and it's use; so cool! Adding it to the TBR! 7y
51 likes4 stack adds1 comment
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TobeyTheScavengerMonk
The Scar | China Miéville
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"Scars are not injuries, Tanner Sack. A scar is a healing. After injury, a scar is what makes you whole.â€

I've always found the US cover of The Scar to be a little boring, especially compared to the beautiful Perdido Street Station cover. When searching for a complimentary image I found this amazing French cover with a picture of the Lovers, characters from the book who have scarred themselves to be mirror images of each other. #aQuoteaDay

GatheringBooks oh wow. i just bought a copy of the scar. looks like an intense read. 8y
TobeyTheScavengerMonk @GatheringBooks That it is, but so wonderful. (edited) 8y
54 likes1 stack add2 comments
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gatogirl5
The Scar | China Miéville
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So I might have gone overboard at the used bookstore over the weekend...but it was my birthday so #notsorry #nomoreroomonmybookshelves

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Seonjoon
The Scar | China Miéville
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Pickpick

SO GOOD. I liked this even more than Perdido Street Station. Miéville not only builds worlds which are richly detailed and imagined, but also explores complex thought-experiments spread across language, philosophy, and social science. He also delivers high adventure and compelling characters with beautiful prose. The Scar is a near-perfect execution of Miéville's incredible skill.

GatheringBooks i own a lot of his novels but havent gotten around to reading any of them yet. what would you suggest as my first foray to mieville? 8y
Seonjoon @GatheringBooks There are so many good ones; I started with The City and the City, a standalone novel; Railsea is also great (and short); Perdido Street St is long and complex, but foundational; or Kraken, which is also a standalone but very much participates in a lot of Miéville's central interests and conventions. 8y
GatheringBooks @Seonjoon i have his embassy, railtown and un lun dun but not some of these other titles - will keep a lookout for them 8y
20 likes3 stack adds3 comments
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Seonjoon
The Scar | China Miéville
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"Scars are not injuries, Tanner Sack. A scar is a healing. After injury, a scar is what makes you whole." ????

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Seonjoon
The Scar | China Miéville
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LOVING this! It's backlist--and my "New Year" isn't until this weekend (when I return home from holiday travels, when my thesis rough draft is done + handed in, and before I start back to all my jobs) so I've hardly gone through and organized my #tbr list(s) for the year yet...The Scar is ?% my wheelhouse. Intricate world building, detailed characters, and plenty of thaumaturgic intrigue, in the best Miéville fashion.

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Seonjoon
The Scar | China Miéville
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New Crobuzon is insatiable.

22 likes1 stack add
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mcadvm
The Scar | China Miéville
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Mehso-so

Having trouble getting through this trip to Bas-Lag...absolutely devoured 'perdido street station' though

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DomiReads
The Scar | China Miéville
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So much love for this book.

Foragingfantasy Totoro!!! â¤ï¸ 8y
5 likes1 comment
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DomiReads
Scar | China Miéville
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My first Litsy post is dedicated to one of the most crazy imaginative books i've read in a long time, The Scar. Here's a quote for the weekend 😌

Liberty Welcome! 8y
DomiReads Thank you @Liberty 8y
2 likes2 comments