Novel Responses

We see new weird unabashedly taking on current and controversial issues. We look at China Mieville's "Polynia" which discusses the early like of a boy growing up in London after something extraordinary happens. Enormous and very real ice bergs float over London on a horizontal plane in the sky. Though they tend to make the ground colder wherever they pass over, they seem to face no threat other than dropping the occasional small piece of ice on the land below. Enormous pieces break off but continue to float on their horizontal suspension. Through the boy's research we learn that all over the world other things are happening. In Brazil coral thought to be extinct now grows out of water on all of the government buildings. In Japan the undergrowth of the rainforest takes over and destroys factories. All over the world it seems that countries who have destroyed enormous natural creations are now being plagued by their reoccurring presence. Another of Mieville’s “Covehith

A wild sheep chase: Analysis The main problem for the main character is that he exhibits a lack of motivation. This is why his wife leaves him, why he chooses to eat at bars, and why he continues to work at a job he isn’t exactly interested in with his old alcoholic college friend. In the end of the book it is even shown that he is actually a very good cook so he chooses to go out and eat bar food. An interesting parallel is the ear model woman. The main character sees her ear once, and then eventually becomes infatuated with it. So much so that he has to track her down to satisfy himself. This is exactly what happens with those who see or experience the star sheep. They become entirely infatuated with it and spend the rest of their lives tracking it down. They are a changed as a person and cannot rest until they find it. So much so that the Sheep Professor starves himself once he knows he will never find the sheep again.  The sheep’s host can accomplish almost anything. Th