China Miéville says we shouldn’t blame science fiction for its bad readers

Quick Summary:

It’s been 25 years since China Miéville stepped into the literary spotlight with his novel "Perdido Street Station.” Combining elements of science fiction, fantasy, and horror, the novel introduced readers to the fantastically complex city of New Crobuzon, filled with insect-headed khepri, cactus-shaped cactacae, and terrifying slake moths that feed on their victims’ dreams.

After “Perdido”’s success (commemorated this year with a quickly-sold-out collector’s edition from The Folio Society), Miéville continued to meld genres in novels like “The City and the City” and “Embassytown.” But for nearly a decade, he stopped publishing fiction, only to reemerge last year with The New York Times bestseller “The Book of Elsewhere,” co-written with Keanu Reeves.(Yes, that Keanu Reeves.

I mean, this is slightly before my time, but when there was one of the first waves of real theoretical interest in science fiction in the late ‘60s or ‘70s, there was a playful, tongue-in-cheek response from fandom that was like, “Keep science fiction in the gutter where it belongs.” And this, to me, is the endless dialectic between subculture and success.

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Article Details

Author / Journalist: Anthony Ha

Category: Technology

Markets: United StatesChinaOman

Topics: TC Perdido Street Station China Mieville

Source Website Secure: Yes (HTTPS)

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Fact Checked: Legitimate

Article Type: News Report

Published On: 2025-03-30 @ 17:41:32 (2 days ago)

News Timezone: GMT -5:00

News Source URL: techcrunch.com

Language: English

Article Length: 2714 words

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