Word Wizards : China Miéville

I'll admit it: i havent read a book in a while. I like to read good stuff, i like even more to get books for the fetishistic pleasure of it. Books are the most awesome object to possess in my mind. That's why i'll never get the point of Kindle: i want my word-drug to be thick, with an eyecatching cover and to smell like that delightful printed paper smell. As Henry Rollins said, "i wanna rub their spine, and place them in my library and say 'i aint gonna read you right now, ill postpone and enjoy the wait and the tease of waiting to read you cause when i will, it will be the happiest time of the day'"

I have a room full of unread stuff. I have a voracious need for stimuli and interesting new thingsa to discover read, watch and hunt down. When i discover a fascinating subject, i want ten books about it. When i find an author i love, i want his whole bibliography.

Still, i cant stand the idea of a digitalized book. A book has to be conrete and touchable.

As i said, i've been slacking lately. Many reasons got me lazy. But theres still some good authors or books i wanna talk about and ill do it here.

China Miéville isnt only a magnificient author. He has some magical ingredient in his work that makes him stand out: he's unique. If you read his magnum opus "Perdido Street Station", chances are it will a) Become your favourite book of all time b) You'd try for a long time to grasp what you just read and explain it to others, failing miserably c) You'll be haunted by the images, sounds and feelings he summoned in your head and you'll try to find more in other books but wont.

The man has an incredible ability in manipulating words to create something unparalleled and uses the talent to service an immagination that rivals and beats the one of the great visionary artists. In "Perdido", he tells a beautiful story of layered emotions, love, fear, honour and horror. An epic and at the same time a series of real, tiny stories of realistic beings. But it takes place in a world that is like a boundless parallel universe. Could say it's fantasy, or visionnary sci-fi, but its far more powerful than that and way less cheesy thatn most authors in thos egenres.

There's Da Vinci-esque science, Steam-punk moments, creatures and kinds that seem to step out of every mythology immagined, heros that fight with their heads, passion, flesh and poetry of the mind. Theres good guys you care for and villains that scar your heart deeply (you'll remember "The Weaver" forever. Probably the most conceptually mesmerizing being ever made). All in a city with llooks that you can see when you close your eyes (the picture over there is close but what you'll have in your mind will be better).

And this is one book. Hes done more. Still, get that one, read it and it will probably open many doors for you. And it has a huge spine to rub too.