Review: Un Lun Dun

Zanna and Deeba are two ordinary school girls who live next to each other. One day they see something weird outside Deeba’s house during a sleepover and they follow it into a building (much to the dismay of Deeba). When they exited the building, they were no longer in London…

Nothing was what it seemed. Rubbish would chase them, they could see people (if you can call them that) with cushions for heads with pins sticking out of it, water and fish inside a diving suit that could walk around on land and everything weird imaginable (and not) were all around them.

As the girls try to find a way back to London, Zanna shows her 'travel card' and is greeted with awe and joy.

'UnLondon is at war. We’re under attack. And it’s been written, for centuries, that you – you – will come and save us.'

Un Lun Dun is the first book China Miéville has written for children. His previous books The Rat King, The Scar have all had great reviews and praise for his work but it is his book Perdido Street Station that has put him up on a pedestal and changed many minds on how the fantasy genre can be written. So I was excited to read this book of his.

Un Lun Dun is about two girls who get magically transported to the world of UnLondon where they are very confused and only want to go home. The world is full of strange creatures and nothing is what it seems. They soon find out that UnLondon has been under attack by the ‘Smog’ and that once the Smog has had its way with UnLondon, London will be next. Zanna and Deeba also find out that Zanna is the Chosen one, the one that will save them from the Smog and so is greeted by smiling friendly faces…well except for the Smog and his minions who try and dispatch of her before she fulfills her destiny!

Miéville does an excellent job of making up the world of UnLondon. Things are so creative, so strange that you have no idea how he came up with it. Rubbish Bin bodyguards, flying buses and talking prophetic books are just a few things from his strange world. The story starts off a little slowly, which can be a bit of a detractor especially with the younger generation, but really picks up a fifth of the way in and it’s all on. One of Mieville’s strong points is his ability to word play. Making up words to fool you yet has a deeper meaning as part of the story. Character names are something sneakily amazing.

However, the thing about Mieville and I’ve also noticed this in his book Perdido Street Station is the lack of interest you feel for the main character. The Storyline is great and the action is great but you just don’t care for the character. More often than not, it is the supporting characters you want to know about more because they simply feel more interesting.

All in all, this was a good book to read. I think children will enjoy it because they can relate to the children in the book; the chapters are short so attention spans won't go flying out the window and therefore they also make good chapter books to read to your children as bed time stories.

I'll definitely be reading this book to my classroom of 10 year olds!

"The Matrix meets Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." - Sleeping with Books

p.s. This Month is YA month for me. I've read quite a few YA books recently and look forward to posting them.

Author moments you love to hate

I've been trolling around forums to check out what really tick people off when they read Fantasy books. It is interesting to read what people have to say because we all have such a variety of tastes and this is true for likes and dislikes. I have compiled a list of "love to hate" things about authors and state why people hate them and why it doesn't bother some people. 

I will list a general comment of what people have been saying and then make my own comment. There is no order of "hate" but perhaps I will state it if thing on the list is something a lot of people agree on. 

Unpronounceable Names (Jeqonadin, Brisingr)
This one is probably divided down the middle, it really bothers some people or it really doesn't. I've found that the people who don't mind it are people who have read a lot of books and/or have read for a very long time. Others just pronounce it the best they can and just ran with it

SleepingWithBooks: This one actually bothers me a bit, I just seem to stumble every time I come upon an unfamiliar or hard to pronounce name. It is like a word I don't know the meaning of and I have to go look it up in the dictionary except there often is no dictionary. 

All Books are the same Story (Gemmell, Eddings)
This doesn't bother people that much, most people just stop reading these authors and problem solved. Other people don't mind the same story as long as it is compelling. 
SleepingWithBooks: I don't mind it too much but I have only read one author like that and that is Gemmell. But can't we draw similarities to the band AC/DC? Essentially they haven't brought out a 'new' album, just old ones that have been rehashed but people still kept buying them.

Everyday boring names (Joe, Bob, Greg)
Only a minority of people find this annoying.

SleepingWithBooks: Sometimes just unavoidable, especially when it is modern day fantasy or when someone from present day gets sucked into the past etc. Personally I haven't encounter this problem.

Cliche Fantasy (Boy is normal,becomes chosen one,gets magical item/learns mystical powers,beats everyone,wins the prize)

Another one that has divided opinion. Old school readers don't mind it or even love it because that was what they grew up on, while others are sick of it and want up to date fantasy, compelling with complex

 storylines. There are others that don't mind it as long as it is properly executed.

SleepingWithBooks: I am with the group that doesn't like it. I don't think there is much excuse to write this type of dribble anymore. There is such a plethora of excellent writers with great minds. It you want my money, make me excited.

Get out of Jail Free endings (magic item blows up the world, it was just a dream, time machine, solving 10 books worth of problems in 2 chapters)

Probably the most "love to hate" out of the entire list. Explanation are and notwithstanding: author hasn't explained well enough or with enough pages, readers feel cheated

SleepingWithBooks: Yeah, I hate it. All that time invested for the plot to be solved in an instantaneous moment. Also known as 'deus ex machina'.

Books are way too long. (ASOIAF, Malazan, Wheel of Time etc)
Not really something people get fussy about. People are annoyed when their are too many filler chapters that don't add much to the overall story of the book but a length of a book doesn't bother people. The length of a series perhaps is where some people get annoyed with is probably best explained below.

SleepingWithBooks: The only time I get annoyed with the length of a book is when it isn't a good book. I tell myself "Man this author really has a talent for writing rubbish."

Waiting for author to finish the series (Jordan, Martin, Kerr)
Not something that people get too annoyed with because their is always a constant stream of great books coming out. The only time when people get annoyed (or even angry) is when there are constant delays and set backs in the series (Martin). However it must be said that these people are frustrated and actually really love the series and don't know how to vent their anger/disappointment. The other reason why people get angry is when the author dies before the series is finished (Jordan, and to no fault of his own), people feel sad and robbed. 

SleepingWithBooks: The only person I am reading at the moment that has taken an age to bring out the next book is Martin. I can understand that the man has created perhaps a world that is too complex even for him. He has stopped predicting when the book will be finished and I think this is a smart move by the man. To solve this problem, wait until series is finish before reading!

Author kills off the best characters (Martin) or never kills off anyone (Jordan, Abercrombie)
A lot of people don't mind main characters dying because it add flavour and character to the book itself. However, a lot of people hate it when the "Best" character dies because it makes them too depressed, have a bias to the rest of the book being crap without them, makes them close the book! On the other side of the spectrum is when the author doesn't kill anyone at all, perhaps in fear of not having enough material or not wanting to displease the readers. Perhaps the most noted author to do this is Jordan.

SleepingWithBooks: Martin shocked me when he killed off one of my favourite characters but I didn't dislike the move. However there have been other books I have read where the main character did die and I was forever comparing the next main character with the old dead one. I am also in the boat of where I hate when the author doesn't kill off  anyone of significance...just do it!

Cliffhanger endings to books that are the first of many.

People know that there are going to be sequels and want to have the book end on a satisfactory ending. If they are caught up in the story they don't want to wait 1-3 years for an ending. 

SleepingWithBooks: Perhaps unavoidable because it is a sequel. I have to say that if people like your book they will read on regardless of a cliffhanger ending. So perhaps stop annoying your fanbase?

Perfect Flawless Characters (Superman)
Readers hate characters that can do anything, solve everything and are the most amazing creature on earth e.g. silky smooth cream coloured skin with luscious black hair and eyes so deep blue you can fall into them. It doesn't make good reading to them and makes things predictable and droll. How can we as readers relate to these perfect characters when we ourselves our flawed beyond belief?

SleepingWithBooks: It is a bit of a paradox, flawless characters are flawed. We have people who hate these perfect characters yet we keep buying or watch or read about them. Superman is the most well known superhero in the world and who didn't like McGyver? However, I also don't like these characters. I want my characters to be flawed (in a good way), they need to be cruel, self-loathing, makes the wrong decisions (all in moderation!) and they need to lose. However I am also finding that a lot of books these days have ugly or fat or unfit characters as main characters (Perdido Street Station, Ferve Dream, The Exodus Gate)

Authors That Refuse To Leave Their World (Fiest, Matrix Sequels)
Talented authors ending up wasting their talent in a particular world because of commercial success. Often the latter books suffer because ideas become stale and is like a boxer than has had one fight too many. We all can understand they got to eat and make money faster than they can spend it can't we?

SleepingWithBooks: This reminds me of a giant that doesn't realise he is bigger than everyone and remains timid and meek. Some authors fear if they left their own world they would fail (Gemmell once wrote under the pseudonym Ross Harding, 'Black Knight, White Swan' (1993) was a Crime Thriller and was his first book not to become a best seller). We all fear failure, so is it their fault?

Everything is a trilogy (Parker, Abercrombie)
Perhaps this stems from people sick of waiting for trilogies or perhaps people want filler books (books to read between trilogies).

SleepingWithBooks: From an authors perspective it is much easier to develop your characters and story because you have more space. Trilogies have also been a craze since LOTR got major attention with the movies, but I think publishers like the idea of trilogies because they sell more books. From a readers perspective I want to be able to read a one off book and when I want one of these I am often delving into the older authors to find that. It would be really nice if there were more options when it came to one off books.

I have gone through a lot of things that may or maybe not tick you off, but I am sure there are many more, and if you do have one that is not on the list, feel free to comment on it or comment on the ones already existing.