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Looking for Jake: Stories by China Mieville
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Looking for Jake: Stories (original 2005; edition 2005)

by China Mieville

Series: Bas-Lag ("Jack")

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
1,4944112,148 (3.78)86
Fantasy. Fiction. Horror. Short Stories. HTML:“Miéville moves effortlessly into the first division of those who use the tools and weapons of the fantastic to define and create the fiction of the coming century.”—Neil Gaiman 
What William Gibson did for science fiction, China Miéville has done for fantasy, shattering old paradigms with fiercely imaginative works of startling, often shocking, intensity. Now from this brilliant young writer comes a groundbreaking collection of stories, many of them previously unavailable in the United States, including four never-before-published tales—one set in Miéville’s signature fantasy world of New Crobuzon. 
Among the fourteen superb fictions are: 
“Jack”—Following the events of his acclaimed novel Perdido Street Station, this tale of twisted attachment and horrific revenge traces the rise and fall of the Remade Robin Hood known as Jack Half-a-Prayer. 
“Familiar”—Spurned by its creator, a sorceress’s familiar embarks on a strange and unsettling odyssey of self-discovery in a coming-of-age story like no other. 
“Reports of Certain Events in London”—In which a writer named China Miéville receives a package containing clues to a vast and ongoing—yet utterly secret—war . . . a war about to turn a most unexpected corner. 
“The Tain”—In this major story, winner of the Locus Award for Best Novella, a postapocalyptic London is overrun by vampires and monsters, alien yet weirdly familiar—and one man holds the future of humanity in his hands. 
Plus ten other tales—including “On the Way to the Front,” a graphic short story illustrated by Eisner Award–nominated Liam Sharp
BONUS: This edition contains an excerpt from China Miéville’s Embassytown..
… (more)
Member:mzieg
Title:Looking for Jake: Stories
Authors:China Mieville
Info:Del Rey (2005), Edition: 1nd pb original, Paperback, 320 pages
Collections:Your library
Rating:***
Tags:None

Work Information

Looking for Jake and Other Stories by China Miéville (2005)

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» See also 86 mentions

Showing 1-5 of 41 (next | show all)
Fascinating ideas, as always. I enjoyed the cityscapes especially. ( )
  Kiramke | Jun 27, 2023 |
If proof were needed that "genre fiction" can be is inventive and well-crafted as so-called "literary fiction", China Mieville would be it. In this collection of short stories, he revels in plots and settings which traditionally-minded critics would snob - futuristic dystopias, post-apocalyptic war-torn urban scenarios, steampunk cities... there's even a fairly conventional but surprisingly chilling ghost story. The streets of London are often referenced, sometimes explicitly, occasionally as a barely disguised backdrop. But it is a London at once recognisable and uncannily different. Indeed, this is a common thread which runs through the stories - the ordinary and mundane become extraordinary, fantastical and, more often than not, scary.

There are some duds - ironically, I found the title-story one of the least striking of the collection. On the whole however, this is a gripping book and a great introduction to the strangely familiar yet disturbingly weird world of Mieville. ( )
  JosephCamilleri | Feb 21, 2023 |
Margar magnaðar sögur hér á ferð. Miéville leikur sér með efni blönduðu yfirnáttúrulegum hryllingi, vísindaskáldskap og fantasíum. Hrollurinn yfir sum sögunum situr enn í manni löngu eftir lesturinn. Vel þess virði að lesa. ( )
  SkuliSael | Apr 28, 2022 |
If proof were needed that "genre fiction" can be is inventive and well-crafted as so-called "literary fiction", China Mieville would be it. In this collection of short stories, he revels in plots and settings which traditionally-minded critics would snob - futuristic dystopias, post-apocalyptic war-torn urban scenarios, steampunk cities... there's even a fairly conventional but surprisingly chilling ghost story. The streets of London are often referenced, sometimes explicitly, occasionally as a barely disguised backdrop. But it is a London at once recognisable and uncannily different. Indeed, this is a common thread which runs through the stories - the ordinary and mundane become extraordinary, fantastical and, more often than not, scary.

There are some duds - ironically, I found the title-story one of the least striking of the collection. On the whole however, this is a gripping book and a great introduction to the strangely familiar yet disturbingly weird world of Mieville. ( )
  JosephCamilleri | Jan 1, 2022 |
Matters shuffle along, pressed and steamed by the incessant heat. Each piece in this collection appears more climate controlled, as if penned upon a sofa while listening to The Fall and waiting for delivery Korean barbecue. You can recognize my resentment. I wanted to read Thomas Ligotti last night to no avail. Then early this morning when it was already jungle muggy outside. I read a story Reports of Certain Events in London, and this I was pleased by found documents, amateur societies and phantom streets. That high bar was to prove elusive. Nothing else left me as uneasy. Though there was a wonky tale, one which smelled of The Destructors, it’s a paen to aging felt contrived, though idea of a haunted stained glass was worth pondering. End to Hunger is an interesting gloss on the early days of the Internet and yet the pose of the (anarchist) activist artist is ultimately sad not tragic. ( )
  jonfaith | Feb 22, 2019 |
Showing 1-5 of 41 (next | show all)
With the release of his first short story collection, China Miéville cements his work alongside the genre greats, stretching his skills beyond his successful novels and revealing the true scope of his talent. His unique short stories transform the ordinary into spectacular metaphors of the fantastic in a similar vein to Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
 

» Add other authors

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
China Miévilleprimary authorall editionscalculated
Bauche-Eppers, EvaTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Drechsler, ArndtCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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To Jake
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I don't know how I lost you.
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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
Disambiguation notice
This is the collection "Looking for Jake" by China Mieville.
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Wikipedia in English (2)

Fantasy. Fiction. Horror. Short Stories. HTML:“Miéville moves effortlessly into the first division of those who use the tools and weapons of the fantastic to define and create the fiction of the coming century.”—Neil Gaiman 
What William Gibson did for science fiction, China Miéville has done for fantasy, shattering old paradigms with fiercely imaginative works of startling, often shocking, intensity. Now from this brilliant young writer comes a groundbreaking collection of stories, many of them previously unavailable in the United States, including four never-before-published tales—one set in Miéville’s signature fantasy world of New Crobuzon. 
Among the fourteen superb fictions are: 
“Jack”—Following the events of his acclaimed novel Perdido Street Station, this tale of twisted attachment and horrific revenge traces the rise and fall of the Remade Robin Hood known as Jack Half-a-Prayer. 
“Familiar”—Spurned by its creator, a sorceress’s familiar embarks on a strange and unsettling odyssey of self-discovery in a coming-of-age story like no other. 
“Reports of Certain Events in London”—In which a writer named China Miéville receives a package containing clues to a vast and ongoing—yet utterly secret—war . . . a war about to turn a most unexpected corner. 
“The Tain”—In this major story, winner of the Locus Award for Best Novella, a postapocalyptic London is overrun by vampires and monsters, alien yet weirdly familiar—and one man holds the future of humanity in his hands. 
Plus ten other tales—including “On the Way to the Front,” a graphic short story illustrated by Eisner Award–nominated Liam Sharp
BONUS: This edition contains an excerpt from China Miéville’s Embassytown..

No library descriptions found.

Book description
Contains the following stories:
"Looking for Jake"
"Foundation"
"The Ball Room" (co-written with Emma Bircham and Max Schaefer
"Reports of Certain Events in London"
"Familiar"
"Entry Taken from a Medical Encyclopedia"
"Details"
"Go Between"
"Different Skies"
"An End to Hunger"
"'Tis the Season"
"Jack"
"On the Way to the Front" (illustrated by Liam Sharp)
"The Tain"
Haiku summary

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