Embassytown

This was my first Mieville. Despite being only 350 pages, Embassytown took a lot longer to get through than I thought it would. I didn't like it at first. The prose felt heavy-handed, the story got off to a slow start, and I wasn't a fan of the main character.

I wondered if I wasn't smart enough to get it. I considered putting it down after 50 pages.

But I stuck with it, and was rewarded. This book may not be perfect, but it's still damn good. You have to pay attention though. This isn't some popcorn, slush book about Nazi Werewolf Dinosaurs or something, this is a book about language, or Language, and an alien race that feels distinctly alien.

Mieville doesn't explain things, and I think that's one of the reasons people have a problem with his writing. He'll write about something, and it'll be up to you to figure out just what the hell he's talking about. No one sits down and says, "Okay, this is how it is." But if you slow down enough, and read his writing carefully, the way it was meant to be read, you'll see that he's given you all the information you need to understand.

Honestly, what more could be said about this book that hasn't been said by the hundreds of people who reviewed it already. Embassytown isn't for everyone, and I think some of the people who laud it as a masterpiece may be laying it on pretty thick, but it's still a wonderful read and one I'd suggest you take a look at.