Books of 2010: 43. Kraken, by China Miéville

Since I first read Perdido Street Station, I've been a big China Miéville fan. So when I saw Kraken on the library's shelves, I figured I'd give it a shot. Unlike the other books I've read by Miéville, this one is set on Earth, in modern times (sometime between 2003 and 2007; the precise date is never given). In fact, Kraken is highly reminiscent of Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere: a normal London white-collar worker (in this case, Billy Harrow, curator of a natural history museum) is unexpectedly thrust into a world of strange factions and strange magic, revealing an alternate subculture of London full of its own rules, threats, and alliances.

What kicks everything off for Billy Harrow is the theft of a preserved giant squid from his museum -- a theft that should have been impossible to accomplish and for which no one claims credit. Harrow suddenly becomes the target of interest for a squad of London police officers who specialize in the occult, a squid-worshiping cult, and other less savory groups. Through it all, he must both adapt to this new London and figure out who stole the squid and why before the city of London is wiped out forever.

Kraken is similar to Neverwhere, if Neil Gaiman hadn't faded to black for the violent bits. Miéville is graphic and dark, and often the scenes of violence were difficult for me to read. Moreover, his hyper-realistic dialogue and slightly off-kilter descriptions sometimes left me wondering just who was talking in any given conversation or whose point of view we were supposed to be using at any given moment.

( Spoilers behind here )

All told, it was an enjoyable -- if a bit disorienting -- read. That said, I'd probably prefer Perdido Street Station if I were to ever reread a Miéville book, and I'm glad I just got this one from the library instead of spending money on it.

Adventures in cooking: Bean and vegetable chili

Tonight, I felt like surprising Marc with a nice, fall dish. Something warm and hearty he could eat after spending the day outside. I came upon this recipe from Mark Bittman (one of my favorite sources for recipes), and then heavily adapted it. This recipe is actually based on his book Food Matters, in which he says it's totally okay to switch out the beans, the vegetables, or pretty much anything else you like.

I wasn't quite sure my pot was going to be big enough, but in the end it was -- just. My vegetables worked out to about 4 cups before cooking, and that's a decent amount of vegetables! Other issues: the recipe never says when to add back the meat, so I put it in with the tomatoes and beans. I also wasn't quite sure what to use to replace the chile pepper, so I added some chili powder and some red pepper flakes, and that seemed to work out pretty well. For the first time ever in cooking, I didn't measure out my seasonings. I consider this a milestone. Finally, towards the end, I didn't think it was thick enough, so I added a tablespoon of corn meal. (Thank you, Google, for the helpful hint!) Which meant it was just thick enough for a first eating, and will be super-thick when it's reheated for leftovers.

Marc and I both really like this one. I think it's a keeper.

( My adaptation behind here )