The Last Days of new Paris

Locations
Call Number: Fantasy / Mieville, China, Adult Book / Fiction / Fantasy / Mieville, China
On Shelf At: Downtown Library

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	Fantasy / Mieville, China	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	Fantasy / Mieville, China	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Pittsfield Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / Fantasy / Mieville, China	4-week checkout	Due 05-12-2024
Traverwood Adult Books 4-week checkout	Fantasy / Mieville, China	4-week checkout	Due 05-12-2024

In the chaos of wartime Marseille, 1941, American engineer--and occult disciple--Jack Parsons stumbles onto a clandestine anti-Nazi group, including Surrealist theorist Andre Breton. In the strange games of the dissident diplomats, exiled revolutionaries, and avant-garde artists, Parsons finds and channels hope. But what he unwittingly unleashes is the power of dreams and nightmares, changing the war and the world forever. In 1950, a lone Surrealist fighter, Thibaut, walks a new, hallucinogenic Paris, where Nazis and the Resistance are trapped in unending conflict, and the streets are stalked by living images and texts--and by the forces of Hell. To escape the city, he must join forces with Sam, an American photographer intent on recording the ruins, and make common cause with a powerful, enigmatic figure of chance and rebellion: the exquisite corpse. But Sam is being hunted. And new secrets will emerge that will test all their loyalties--to each other, to Paris old and new, and to reality itself."-- Provided by publisher.

REVIEWS & SUMMARIES

Library Journal Review
Booklist Review
Publishers Weekly Review
Summary / Annotation
Table of Contents
Fiction Profile
Excerpt
Author Notes

COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Surreal Fiction submitted by Meginator on August 5, 2017, 9:09pm This novella is a somewhat surreal vision of a Paris besieged by, well, surreal visions come to life. As such, it takes a while for the narrative to begin to make sense; I found the effort to be worth it, but the book opens with almost obstinate obscurity. The story itself unfolds gradually although the climactic action is disappointing and indeed rather odd. I didn't understand or care much for the main character, but the reveal of one characters' true motivations is fitting and handled well and Miéville's use of the ultimate World War II villain (yep, him) is unique and suits the theme. This book seems to say a lot about the nature of art and, more specifically, surrealism, but it's difficult to drill down into it. It's a fleeting curiosity and definitely different than most things I have read, but too little is concrete for me to be particularly moved.