The Scar

Although The Scar is the second book in the Bas Lag series, I prefer it to Perdido Street Station (which is also glorious.) The Scar takes to the seas, a place I always prefer to be, in the form of the floating, roving city of Armada.

We come aboard (as it were) and experience life on Armada—its precincts, villages, towns, secrets, and its people—swordsmen and librarians and vampires and the mysterious pair who run the place—The Lovers (that’s the only name we get) through the eyes of Bellis Coldwine, a prickly, difficult, but fascinating woman who would literally rather be… show more.

The Scar was a book that I picked up randomly when I was looking, quite literally, for the thickest fantasy or sci-fi book on the shelf.

I found that on top of being nice and long, it is also a beautiful mix of science-fiction, speculation, and fantasy. I hadn’t yet read Perdido Street Station, which is the first in the series, but that didn’t seem important as the story picks up a new thread in this uncanny world. 

Bellis Coldwine is one of the travelers aboard a sailing vessel heading for a new colony. The vessel is seized by… show more.

In the 21st century, you occasionally hear about libertarian fantasies of floating island civilizations free from the pesky laws of nation-states.

They always bring me back to China Miéville’s pirate city of Armada, which is the opposite of a libertarian fantasy; it’s a city populated by the kidnapped, ruled by contentious factions, and steered through the seas with a weird purpose.

The Scar’s main character is a linguist, unsure if she’s been brought to Armada to put her own skills to use or as collateral damage in the kidnapping of another character, and unsure how to relate to a… show more.

In the world of Speculative ficiton, it is hard to find a writer skilled in both world building and prose style. Many times one outshines the other. But this is not the case with China Mieville’s The Scar. This is the second book in his delightful and profound Bar-Slag series. Bellis Coldwine has escaped the ruined and changed city of New Crobuzon that her lover Isaac Dan der Grimnebulin has caused. She is a wanted suspect in a crime she had nothing to do with, so she takes a ship and sails across the sea. But her life changes… show more.

Armada is a pirate city, populated by both mundane and outlandish citizens, and built on decommissioned vessels connected to each other by bridges. The politics of the city are fascinating as are its enigmatic rulers, the scarred Lovers. Mieville’s densely poetic prose brings the city to life and while most of the populous are background figures, there are some notable exceptions, including the Remade Tanner Sack who takes us beneath the surface of the ocean.

Magic exists as a resource, fuelling political intrigue as countries and empires battle for supremacy. The quest to control a particular form of magic drives… show more.