[Eventine]

Over at the Mieville's Place in the World thread Nimea posted a link of China Mieville discussing Iron Council: Mieville's Essay (http://www.crookedtimber.org/archives/003092.html) (Thanks Nimea!)
In the last section he describes The Light Ages as an "impressive but, for a socialist, troubling novel". The last section is worth reading for its discussion of the role of revolution in fantasy novels and the problems it can create for socialist authors. Just beware Iron Council spoilers...

[tdeanatoz@yahoo]

THE HOUSE OF STORMS, sequel to THE LIGHT AGES, is now available in the United Kingdom. Has anyone out there bought it or read it?

[Nimea]

I ordered it but recently my bookseller's importer seems to be intend on annoying me . . .
There are some reviews out there already. On sfrevu.com for sure.

[tdeanatoz@yahoo]

There is one other thing of interest about these books by Ian R. MacLeod: As he was writing HOUSE OF STORMS, he posted an extract from the manuscript called "The Battle of Droitwich" on his website (www.locusmag.com, "Links Portal", "Author's", etc.). When he finished revising the novel, he discovered that this extract no longer fit quite right, so he deleted it from the final manuscript, although its events are referred to in passing. So "The Battle of Droitwich" is called a "lost extract" on his website.