Sedia – The Alchemy of Stone

Sedia, Ekaterina. The Alchemy of Stone. Rockville, MD; Prime, 2008. 301 pp.

The Alchemy of Stone came in trailing a lot of praise. It tells the story of Mattie; an intelligent automaton; who finds herself caught up in a political maelstrom while the steampunk city she calls home crumbles around her. An alchemist by trade, Mattie is approached by the gargoyles who wish her to find some way to prevent them from eventually turning to stone. Though ostensibly emancipated, the mechanic who made her refuses to relinquish to the only key that can re-wind her clockwork heart. Alchemy has been described as “A gorgeous meditation on what it means to not be human.” (1)

I think Alchemy had a lot of layers, sub-narrative, meta-narratives & depth. But I’m not sure that really got it. Considering all the hype it came in with, I was expecting to be “wowed!” Instead, I was only “…meh ’d.” Again; I may not have gotten it. There were definitely some feminist undertones which, I think, eluded me & I’m sure that there was some sort of discussion on the relationship between the creator (God?) & the creation (mankind?). There was also this whole is-progress-&-technology-really-all-that-worth-it thing going on. There’s personifications of self-sacrificing compassion (the Soul-Smoker), mortality (the gargoyles), a creator who is both loving & cruel (Loharri), the victims of racism & xenophobia (Niobe), & radical ideology (Sebastian). In fact, in writing this, I’m wondering if maybe there was just too much in there. Sedia’s world is wonderful blend of steampunk-fantasy – thoroughly enjoyable, but no where near fleshed-out enough for me. It was too descriptive to offer the mystique of the unsaid, but not descriptive enough to satisfy. I wanted MORE. A classmate of mine described herself as a ‘greedy reader’ & I really liked that phrase – it definitely applies to me, as well. There was so much in Alchemy that really should have taken hold of my tiny little brain & ran off with my imagination; but it didn’t. Not once did I feel compelled to pick the book back up after setting it down. Reading it wasn’t a chore, mind you – it was pleasant, just not compelling. Mattie herself is really the gemstone of the tale – she’s sweet & naïve & altogether charming.

I’m giving this book a Check it Out rating. It strikes me as a good book club-style book; there’s lots to discuss, but I think it almost demands that sort of dialogue – reading it on my own felt, as I said, somewhat lacking. I don’t think it’s steampunky enough to appeal to steampunkers, nor does it feel fantasy enough to appeal to true fabulists. It may, however, be a good recommendation for someone who’s not really into either genre, but that wants something truly unique.

Mieville – The City & the City

Miéville, China. The City & the City. New York; Del Rey Ballantine, 2009.

The City & the City tells the story of inspector Tyador Borlú, of the Beszel Extreme Crimes Unit. Borlú lives in the city-state of Beszel – a county unto itself which occupies the exact same geographical space as its rival city-state of Ul Qoma. Confused already? Beszel & Ul Qoma are physically & geographically the same city. However, parts of the city belong to Beszel, while other parts belong to Ul Qoma – & not just certain areas – some streets (“crosshatched areas”) have Beszel buildings right next to Ul Qoma buildings. The inhabitants of the cities are trained from birth to “unsee” people, cars, buildings, dogs, etc. in the other city. Ul Qoma is distinguished from Beszel in a hundred different ways; architecture style, colors of lighting, clothing, etc.; the type of food they eat, the perfumes used – even the way people hold & carry themselves. The inhabitants of the two countries speak two different (though related) languages. A single building in the city serves as the border between the two states; requiring passports, etc. in order for people to literally “travel” to a store that might only be a block away from their home. The whole house of cards is held together by fear of the mysterious power known as Breach. Those who Breach – by looking at someone in the opposite city, perhaps – disappear forever. Inspector Borlú uncovers a murder which may or may not involve Breach, but one which certainly involves both The City & The City.

I have been fascinated by the person of China Miéville for some time now, but this is the first book of his that I read. I first came across his short story, Reports of Certain Events in London in McSweeney’s Enchanted Chamber of Astonishing Stories & wanted to know more this author who had such a strange name (I thought he was a woman). Turns out, he’s this huge British geek socialist political activist punk influenced academic sci-fi fantasy guy who writes “Weird Fiction”… so; An Author of Interest.

I’ll definitely read more Miéville, but I have a suspicion that The City & the City may not be the most indicative sample of his work. The book feels more like speculative fiction than full-blow sci-fi or fantasy. Although strange indeed, his idea of two political states existing in the same geographic location are is not really all that unrealistic (or at least, his skill in presenting the idea makes it seem as such). The fantasy element is subtle, with vague allusions to strange artifacts from the past. What’s more, it’s an out-&-out detective story. Through Borlú’s first-person narrative, we follow his investigation – which (naturally) turns out to be bigger than anyone could have thought & involves both cities & the shadowy elements in between. I’m not really a mystery sort of guy, but even on a simple cop-story level, Miéville’s book is compelling. The real gem, though, is how we get to explore the strange dual cities through the lens of Borlú’s case. It’s an obvious convention used to examine this fanciful idea of Beszel/ Ul Qoma, but Miéville uses it very well. Furthermore, the allusions to strange doings & ancient artifacts are suitably mysterious & alluring; in the tradition of the great “Weird Fiction” authors of the past, Miéville tells, but never explains. What is left unsaid is far more powerful than what is actually said.

On mr. eugene’s rating system, I’d give The City & the City a “Put it on Hold” rating. I really, really enjoyed reading it – but I don’t love it. As I said, I suspect that it’s not overly indicative of Miéville’s writing overall, so I’m withholding opinion on him until I get my hands on Perdido Street Station. Also, as a cop novel, it’s not really up my ally; again, I enjoyed it, but it didn’t make my imagination run wild.