So, I finished Iron Council a couple days ago. As fans of Miéville:http://runagate-rampant.netfirms.com/ know this is his third book set in the world of Bas-Lag.

I thorougly enjoyed the first two books, Perdido Street Station and The Scar. To be sure, China can be a wordy guy and likes to use a lot of language (for lack of a better way to put it). This can come off as pretentious, though I don’t think that’s the case in with him, at least not consciously. (Anyone who’s read Eco knows what deliberately pretentious use of language is.) In any event, his verbosity and use of language doesn’t really bother me, deliberately pretentious or not.

So, my enjoyment of the first two Bas-Lag books notwithstanding, I was a bit disappointed by Iron Council. There were aspects of it I enjoyed greatly, but disliked much more about it than his previous books.

One thing that I really liked about his other Bas-Lag books was the incredible setting. It was weird, dark, fantastic, and unlike anything I’d ever encountered in a novel before. His characterizations, while not great, we’re certainly good. I cared about the characters.

In Iron Council I felt like he was trying to out-wierd himself, and it came off as forced, and sometimes tedious. I also never really got into any of the main characters. I cared a little, but nothing like I did for for Isaac in Perdido or Scar’s Bellis.

Now, about the plot. I actually liked the idea of the plot. Essentially, various factions in and from New Crobuzon are trying to revolt and set up a more socialist government. Politically I’m pretty far to the left, and if the Socialist Party here was viable, I might actually get involved with them; instead I tend to hang with the Green Party. So, I can definitely sympathize with the plot.

The book with which I found an immediate parallel was Heinlein’s Moon Is A Harsh Mistres. It’s at the opposite end of the spectrum politically, but the basic plot is the same, and the issues of personal liberty and social justice are very similar. I think Moon is a better written book, in part because it focuses on being a book about social revolution. Iron Council is a somewhat forced weird fantasy adventure book at it’s heart, and its attempts to be a book about social revolution book don’t mesh well with this.

I would say that only the more diehard Miéville fans will probably enjoy Iron Council. Others, well, be forewarned China’s a bit off his game here. It happens to us all, and I’m sure he’ll bounce back.

Next up is The Flanders Panel by Arturo Pérez-Reverte (in Spanish, go here for an English fan page).