# Semi-OT: Random Mievillainousness *The Urth list — 3 messages, 3 voices, 02 Dec 2004* > Exported from an unofficial mirror of a public mailing list. Copyright > in each message remains with the person who wrote it. > Email addresses are obscured as `user at host`, the form the original > archive published. This file was rebuilt from parsed fields rather than > retained headers, so it is faithful in content but not byte-exact. --- ### Dan'l Danehy-Oakes *02 Dec 2004, 09:38* China M. has an article in the Guardian (http://tinyurl.com/6s587) from which I pull the following quotes as possibly interesting and/or relevant to the recent-ongoing discussion of his work: *****BEGIN QUOTED TEXT***** I'm in this business for the monsters. My single favourite monsters are the beastmen in The Island of Doctor Moreau. I love the octopoid creatures and the giant swine spirit in William Hope Hodgson. I have a lot of time for pig monsters. I've always liked being terrified of monsters from underwater coming up, like the Creature from the Black Lagoon. There's a picture of Beatrix Potter's Jeremy Fisher with the trout about to bite his foot and he hasn't seen it yet. Completely terrifying. ... Loads of children read books about dinosaurs, underwater monsters, dragons, witches, aliens, and robots. Essentially, the people who read SF, fantasy and horror haven't grown out of enjoying the strange and weird. ... The weirdest thing I ever saw was in Hyde Park. There was a crowd, I joined them, and for the next 10 minutes we stood aghast and fascinated watching a pelican eating a pigeon. *****END QUOTED TEXT***** --Dan'l ``` www.livejournal.com/users/sturgeonslawyer Freedom has no barcode. --J.G. Ballard ``` --- ### Lisa Schaffer-Doggett *02 Dec 2004, 10:06 · in reply to Dan'l Danehy-Oakes* You know, I haven't read any Mieville, but for all the talk of him being hack-ish, there's a certain purity of feeling in these quotes that make me curious now to check out at least one book by him. Don > On Thursday, December 2, 2004, at 09:38 AM, Dan'l Danehy-Oakes wrote: > China M. has an article in the Guardian (http://tinyurl.com/6s587) > from which I pull the following quotes as possibly interesting > and/or relevant to the recent-ongoing discussion of his work: > > *****BEGIN QUOTED TEXT***** > I'm in this business for the monsters. My single favourite monsters > are the beastmen in The Island of Doctor Moreau. I love the > octopoid creatures and the giant swine spirit in William Hope > Hodgson. I have a lot of time for pig monsters. I've always liked > being terrified of monsters from underwater coming up, like the > Creature from the Black Lagoon. There's a picture of Beatrix > Potter's Jeremy Fisher with the trout about to bite his foot and > he hasn't seen it yet. Completely terrifying. > > ... > > Loads of children read books about dinosaurs, underwater > monsters, dragons, witches, aliens, and robots. Essentially, the > people who read SF, fantasy and horror haven't grown out of > enjoying the strange and weird. > > ... > > The weirdest thing I ever saw was in Hyde Park. There was a > crowd, I joined them, and for the next 10 minutes we stood > aghast and fascinated watching a pelican eating a pigeon. > *****END QUOTED TEXT***** > > --Dan'l > > -- > www.livejournal.com/users/sturgeonslawyer > Freedom has no barcode. > --J.G. Ballard > _______________________________________________ --- ### stilskin *02 Dec 2004, 10:31 · in reply to Lisa Schaffer-Doggett* Mieville is worth reading. He is no hack, in my opinion, although he has clearly been influenced by hacks -- as has Gene Wolfe. I recommend The Scar as the "purest" Mieville -- that's the book I feel has come closest to showcasing his strengths. Perdido Street Station will also give a fair appreciation of his talents. I would avoid Iron Council, his latest. He's not the tidiest of writers under the best of circumstances, but IC is just plain sloppy. Paul > --- Lisa Schaffer-Doggett > wrote: > You know, I haven't read any Mieville, but for all > the talk of him > being hack-ish, there's a certain purity of feeling > in these quotes > that make me curious now to check out at least one > book by him. > > Don > > On Thursday, December 2, 2004, at 09:38 AM, Dan'l > Danehy-Oakes wrote: >> China M. has an article in the Guardian >> (http://tinyurl.com/6s587) >> from which I pull the following quotes as >> possibly interesting >> and/or relevant to the recent-ongoing discussion >> of his work: >> >> *****BEGIN QUOTED TEXT***** >> I'm in this business for the monsters. My single >> favourite monsters >> are the beastmen in The Island of Doctor Moreau. I >> love the >> octopoid creatures and the giant swine spirit in >> William Hope >> Hodgson. I have a lot of time for pig monsters. > I've always liked > being terrified of monsters from underwater coming > up, like the > Creature from the Black Lagoon. There's a picture > of Beatrix > Potter's Jeremy Fisher with the trout about to > bite his foot and > he hasn't seen it yet. Completely terrifying. >> ... >> >> Loads of children read books about dinosaurs, >> underwater >> monsters, dragons, witches, aliens, and robots. > Essentially, the > people who read SF, fantasy and horror haven't > grown out of > enjoying the strange and weird. >> ... >> >> The weirdest thing I ever saw was in Hyde Park. > There was a > crowd, I joined them, and for the next 10 minutes > we stood > aghast and fascinated watching a pelican eating a > pigeon. >> *****END QUOTED TEXT***** >> >> --Dan'l >> >> -- >> www.livejournal.com/users/sturgeonslawyer >> Freedom has no barcode. >> --J.G. Ballard >> _______________________________________________ ---