quote: The only real-world distinction between sci-fi and fantasy that holds up with any consistency is this: Fantasy has trees on the cover, and science fiction has sheet metal and rivets. It's about the feel of it more than anything.
But Jonathan Strange has neither trees nor rivets on its cover. It has the title, the author's name, and a single raven in flight -- white, on a black background.
And that's exactly the right cover, because this book defies any category boundary. It's a genuine original.
We have proof! Someone reads OSC's columns with the intention to spite him!
Having said that, I just got my copy, and it's excellent.
Posted by Ramdac99 (Member # 7264) on :
except there are trees on the cover. Posted by Uprooted (Member # 8353) on :
I just couldn't get through that book, and I so wanted to with all the accolades from OSC, other critics, and my best friend, --not to mention the awards--but I just didn't like it. I guess I just didn't like Mr. Strange, and so it was really hard for me to care what happened to him or the world he lived in. I suppose I've enjoyed other books w/ unlikeable protagonists, but I can't recall any at the moment, so there you have it. So I got about a quarter of the way through the book, and there it still sits.
And that's a derail of this book cover thread, sorry!
Posted by TheHumanTarget (Member # 7129) on :
I also cannot find the time or invest the effort in finishing this book. The characters are wholly unlikable, and the plot trods along at a snails pace...
Posted by Miro (Member # 1178) on :
To be fair, ravens are generally more associated with the whole trees thing than they are with metal and rivets. Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
quote: I guess I just didn't like Mr. Strange, and so it was really hard for me to care what happened to him or the world he lived in. I suppose I've enjoyed other books w/ unlikeable protagonists....
I think you mean you disliked Mr. Norrell. Mr. Strange, by contrast, is thoroughly wonderful.
Most people I know who say they found the characters unlikeable didn't read far enough to even get to most of the characters. *grin*
Posted by Joldo (Member # 6991) on :
I love Childermass at this point. Drawlight too. Don't know why, honestly.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
I pretty much liked them all, including the ones I disliked.
Posted by Uprooted (Member # 8353) on :
Oops, of course you're right, I never met Mr. Strange. I kept asking my good friend (who loved the book) if I got to the part where he came in if she thought I'd like it better. She said if I didn't like it by the point I got to, that it probably wasn't going to change.
I still have it--haven't given it away yet--so I might still read it yet.
Posted by Megan (Member # 5290) on :
quote:I also cannot find the time or invest the effort in finishing this book. The characters are wholly unlikable, and the plot trods along at a snails pace...
Same for me. I'm reading it 8 or 10 pages at a time...which as long as I can get before realizing I have something important to do someplace else. Someone tell me it gets more interesting eventually...please?
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
How far along are you?
Posted by Megan (Member # 5290) on :
Just under 200 pages.
And, at this point, it's the writing style that's keeping me reading rather than the story itself. I like the early nineteenth century Austen-esque language. But nothing is happening. Or maybe I'm just slow and not picking up on it.
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
Lots is happening. You just haven't noticed.
But, yeah, the actual plot starts once Mr. Strange's wife meets the man with thistle-down hair.
Posted by Megan (Member # 5290) on :
I guess it isn't so much that things aren't happening, as that I don't really understand what's happening, and how it relates to any larger plot. And, I have a strong aversion for stories in which the author's goal seems to be to keep the reader in the dark for as long as possible, so I'm getting frustrated with it.
But, I'll stick with it. Maybe once
(kinda spoiler...sort of...) . . . . . . . .
I meet Mr. Strange and his wife, and the wife meets the man with thistle-down hair, I'll be drawn in.
[ December 11, 2005, 04:39 PM: Message edited by: Megan ]
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
Honestly, I think if you read books solely for the larger plot, this book will be nothing but a huge frustration for you. If, for example, the description of the French mermaid didn't make reading that whole chapter worth for it for you, I don't think the book will get any better until, say, the last two chapters -- and by then it will be too late.
Posted by Megan (Member # 5290) on :
No, I loved that bit.
Spoiler below.... . . . . . . . . .
I also loved the bit about the ships made of rain (what an absolutely lovely image!). It's just the bits in London that I'm finding tedious. You know, the bits that involve the actual characters of the book.
It may be one of those books that I'll have to read through twice in order to get as much as I can out of it.
[ December 11, 2005, 04:37 PM: Message edited by: Megan ]
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Are you coming to enjoy the footnotes in now, or are you still not liking them so much?
Posted by Megan (Member # 5290) on :
I'm liking the footnotes better now. They've started to actually be funny (as opposed to pedantic, as they were in the earlier chapters). I've actually also met Jonathan Strange now, and he's quite likable. Posted by Joldo (Member # 6991) on :
People, please add spoiler warnings. I started reading the thread, then when I caught the edge os somethign that sounded spoiler-esque quickly scrolled down. I don't dare read this thread unless I know where the spoilers are, or if they're there at all.
Posted by Megan (Member # 5290) on :
Uh...k.
I added warnings to the two things that might be considered spoilers in my posts (though I really only think one of them is spoiler-ish.
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