David Mitchell poll

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Number9dream is the only one I found obtuse and haven't finished.

a regina spektor is haunting europe (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 7 September 2012 15:32 (eleven years ago) link

No way is Jacob De Zoet a straight historical, I kind of read it as a cinematic pastiche actually. Of all his books it'd make the best film. Actually, Black Swan Green would be pretty good in the right director's hands.

Number9dream has the fucking Goatwriter section in the middle which is more annoying than any Yakuza subplot.

Matt DC, Friday, 7 September 2012 15:34 (eleven years ago) link

I kind of read it as a cinematic pastiche actually

yes, totally

40oz of tears (Jordan), Friday, 7 September 2012 15:59 (eleven years ago) link

i thought ghostwritten was pretty terrible -- not terribly written, but a bit lazily plotted. I enjoyed much of it until the 'reveal' toward the end which seemed like a straight PKD rip?
I don't know, should I make time for any of this guy's other books?

one dis leads to another (ian), Friday, 7 September 2012 16:16 (eleven years ago) link

you thought it was "pretty terrible" but "enjoyed much of it"?

Number None, Friday, 7 September 2012 16:21 (eleven years ago) link

in much the way you can enjoy a plate of food until you discover a big ugly worm in it.

one dis leads to another (ian), Friday, 7 September 2012 16:23 (eleven years ago) link

let me rephrase that i guess -- overall i thought the book failed. some of the individual vignettes were fine and i remember being engaged by them.

one dis leads to another (ian), Friday, 7 September 2012 16:23 (eleven years ago) link

The last section is definitely the weakest part but I supposed I enjoyed the ride as a collection of short stories as much as anything.

The others are a lot more cohesive.

Matt DC, Friday, 7 September 2012 16:24 (eleven years ago) link

what's the "reveal" in gw?

max, Friday, 7 September 2012 16:49 (eleven years ago) link

the reveal that it's a sci-fi novel masquerading as realism?

one dis leads to another (ian), Friday, 7 September 2012 16:53 (eleven years ago) link

spoiler

The cult leader who seems to be a fraud in the first chapter inadvertently sets in motion a chain of events that results in his apocalypse predictions coming true; comet strikes earth, scene.

nedless summer (Ówen P.), Friday, 7 September 2012 16:56 (eleven years ago) link

looking at wiki i don't reven remember the 'noncorpum' bit but that's cuz i read this five years ago and i was probably drunk at the time.

one dis leads to another (ian), Friday, 7 September 2012 16:58 (eleven years ago) link

i was gonna say, it was already past realism with all the noncorpum stuff. that said i had no idea what to expect when i first read GW and was pretty much overjoyed when skynet showed up.

40oz of tears (Jordan), Friday, 7 September 2012 17:05 (eleven years ago) link

maybe i should re-read it just to experience my disappointment all over again and properly articulate it, with examples.

one dis leads to another (ian), Friday, 7 September 2012 17:09 (eleven years ago) link

second thought... nah.

one dis leads to another (ian), Friday, 7 September 2012 17:09 (eleven years ago) link

ian i think you would enjoy his most recent two books.

40oz of tears (Jordan), Friday, 7 September 2012 17:10 (eleven years ago) link

really?
what makes you think that?
i mostly read quick n easy detective novels these days.

one dis leads to another (ian), Friday, 7 September 2012 17:10 (eleven years ago) link

(not trying to be a dick, just curious -- i am open to ideas cuz i love to read, i read a lot, but i think a lot of ppl who read 'srs literature is srs' type stuff would think my tastes are pedestrian or perhaps, shudder, lowbrow.)

one dis leads to another (ian), Friday, 7 September 2012 17:12 (eleven years ago) link

Dunno though, I don't really think of David Mitchell as 'srs literature is srs' writer, more a guy who likes playing around with genre fiction. Black Swan Green is a classic child-coming-to-terms-with-the-world narrative with some weird magical bits in the middle. Jacob De Zoet is just a great adventure story.

Matt DC, Friday, 7 September 2012 17:21 (eleven years ago) link

black swan green is quick & easy but also really evocative, i've recommended it to a few hs english teacher friends (and one buddy of mine always uses it in his college freshman writing class).

jacob de zoet is really fun without the big narrative tricks of ghostwritten or cloud atlas. i can't think of anyone else writing today whose books are as pleasurable to read, but i never get the sense that mitchell is pandering to the reader or sacrificing depth.

40oz of tears (Jordan), Friday, 7 September 2012 17:21 (eleven years ago) link

okay, maybe i will check out jacob de zoet -- i will surely be able to find a used copy soon enough.

one dis leads to another (ian), Friday, 7 September 2012 17:26 (eleven years ago) link

Didn't really enjoy JdZ as much as I was hoping to - found it slightly toiling, tho there are good set pieces. I'm probably going to vote Black Swan Green, but enjoyed Cloud Atlas very much as well.

Fizzles, Friday, 7 September 2012 19:26 (eleven years ago) link

cmon man dont come on my board and insult one of my favorite books that you read while drunk

max, Friday, 7 September 2012 19:29 (eleven years ago) link

max,
lighten up.
and like better-constructed books.

one dis leads to another (ian), Friday, 7 September 2012 20:42 (eleven years ago) link

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

System, Wednesday, 12 September 2012 00:01 (eleven years ago) link

He hasn't topped Ghostwritten (though I haven't read Thousand Autumns...).

I wish to incorporate disco into my small business (chap), Wednesday, 12 September 2012 13:55 (eleven years ago) link

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

System, Thursday, 13 September 2012 00:01 (eleven years ago) link

too bad about Black Swan Green, but it seems like it was almost everyone's #2. otherwise i feel good about this.

40oz of tears (Jordan), Friday, 14 September 2012 15:34 (eleven years ago) link

reading De Zoet now and while I enjoy it I um miss the narrative tricks tbh

stop swearing and start windmilling (Shakey Mo Collier), Friday, 14 September 2012 16:47 (eleven years ago) link

they might not be back for a while

Mitchell's sixth novel, as yet untitled, will be about a young girl growing up in an Irish family

Number None, Friday, 14 September 2012 16:53 (eleven years ago) link

It compensates with a strong narrative and a perfect simulation of 18th century and 19th century bureaucratic prose.

a regina spektor is haunting europe (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 14 September 2012 16:53 (eleven years ago) link

also ninjas

40oz of tears (Jordan), Friday, 14 September 2012 16:54 (eleven years ago) link

sort of

40oz of tears (Jordan), Friday, 14 September 2012 16:54 (eleven years ago) link

Mitchell's sixth novel, as yet untitled, will be about a young girl growing up in an Irish family

in that Paris Review interview he talked about a book that switches between 1980 and 2040, but i guess that was awhile ago.

40oz of tears (Jordan), Friday, 14 September 2012 16:56 (eleven years ago) link

think the thing about Mitchell that some people miss (although it's usually people who haven't read him) is the sense of play in his work. The reason he messes around with the multiple storylines etc is simply because it's fun. The guy is basically a bit of a geek. Hell, his books even have a comic book style shared universe

Number None, Friday, 14 September 2012 16:57 (eleven years ago) link

the shared universe angle seems like it could get a bit restricting ("oop better put in a comet birthmark reference here!")

stop swearing and start windmilling (Shakey Mo Collier), Friday, 14 September 2012 16:59 (eleven years ago) link

but then other writers (Moorcock lol) have done amazingly well with it so maybe not

this guy is insanely good at pastiche, seems to really be his forte

stop swearing and start windmilling (Shakey Mo Collier), Friday, 14 September 2012 17:00 (eleven years ago) link

think there's only one pretty obscure reference in Jacob De Zoet

Number None, Friday, 14 September 2012 17:01 (eleven years ago) link

i thought i read somewhere that the next two books were going to be semi-sequels to JDZ that expanded the story and took it back in a sci-fi direction

max, Friday, 14 September 2012 17:14 (eleven years ago) link

i do remember hearing that ages ago but this seems to be the most up to date info. I'm excited to read him writing about Ireland tho

Number None, Friday, 14 September 2012 17:15 (eleven years ago) link

finished De Zoet. pretty good - altho the deus ex machina bit with Penhaligon was irritating, among other minor narrative missteps.

stop swearing and start windmilling (Shakey Mo Collier), Wednesday, 19 September 2012 20:48 (eleven years ago) link


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