9/10: Un Lun Dun - Conventions and Tropes **Spoilers Possible**

[colleen the convivial curmudgeon]

What conventions were used in this story, and which were thrown on their heads? What did you think of the way Miéville handled them?

[colleen the convivial curmudgeon]

Well, the most obvious is the fact that "The Chosen One" doesn't save the day. I found the concept of this interesting, because I've often found myself wondering if a prophecied mukkity-mukk does't pull through, why can't someone else do it?

The skipping through the parts of the prophecy to the end was also kinda cool, and something I've wondered about in these quest stories before.

What other quest adventure conventions were turned on their head?

[Elise]

I liked how he did it that way too. Here I thought Zanna would be the main character, but she basically got knocked out and Deeba took over. I thought both of them were going to share time as the main character, but Zanna was barely in the story at all. I liked how it wasn't the cliche follow-the-prophecy plot.

[colleen the convivial curmudgeon]

Yeah - I did think it was kinda cool that once Zanna was out of it, she was literally out of it. I think it would've been too much if she stuck around.

[Christine]

I liked that Zanna was out of it. What I really like was how he described Deeba. I love that inverse of roles.

[Sandi]

I was completely bored with the first 1/4 of this book. I really thought I was just going to set it aside and not finish it. I picked it up after a couple of weeks away and was still thinking I wouldn't finish. Then, Zanna gets sent home and the story got exciting.

I think what I disliked at first was how much it reminded me of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. I didn't read either one of those until I was well over 40 and disliked both books very much. (I do love the Judy Garland movie of The Wizard of Oz.)

[colleen the convivial curmudgeon]

It is definitely a "through the looking glass" type of book.

I've never read 'Wizard of Oz', and I only read "Alice in Wonderland' recently, and I didn't like the book much, either. However, I did like the Judy Garland movie, and I loved the original Dinsey cartoon of 'Alice' and I liked the new Burton version. Heck, I even liked the Syfy mini-series version, which was a twisty little version.

So, even though I didn't really get into reading 'Alice in Wonderland', I still consider myself a fan of it, in general, if that makes sense?

While I was reading this book, I kept thinking of 'Neverwhere', though, which I loved. In a way, I think it would've been better if I could compare it to a less favorable version, because 'Neverwhere' blows 'Un Lun Dun' away, and I almost feel like I couldn't give 'Un Lun Dun' an entirely fair shake, in comparison.

[Dawn]

I too liked the way the whole chosen-one/quest scenario was thrown out the window. I have to say though, throughout the book I kept expecting them to suddenly discover that the prophecies actually were true, that they were just wrong about who the chosen one was, that it was Deeba all along. I'm kind of glad that didn't happen.

I also liked the skipping of the tasks.. I have to admit, when I read that there were seven tasks to complete, I inwardly groaned. I wanted to just cut to the chase by then and get on with the story already. So when Deeba said screw it and skipped to the last one, I was silently cheering her on.

[Sandi]

The point at which Zanna left the story was exactly where the book picked up for me.

[Jesi]

To me, there really wasn't that much of a "throwing out the chosen one" thing. It read exactly as every other book where there's a hero, regardless of if there's a prophesy or not. It's always a case of whoever's there to do it doing it, if that makes any sense? Then again, I've never really "bought in" to the whole prophesy thing to begin with - mostly I think authors just use it to make things "more interesting" - usually, unsuccessfully.

I was entertained by the whole "skipping tasks" thing. For once, someone who'd heard a prophesy actually did the intelligent thing.

[Chris]

Along those lines, I liked where Deeba confronted the two old bishops and convinced them that they didn't want the crown of the black or white king. She really was able to cut to the chase and get to the UnGun a lot quicker that way.

[colleen the convivial curmudgeon]

Yes - that was one of my favorite parts of the story, and I quite liked the bishops.

(p.s. It's about time you got here.)

[Chris]

I'm getting slow in my old age.

[Carmen]

I agree that it is nice for once that the prophecy is not fulfilled and Deeba skips the tasks.

What didn't work for me is that, as is the case in many other quest books, the protagonist has no plan, no idea of what she is doing, yet, again and again, she does the right thing.

For instance, the way she loads the gun and it gets stuck. Yet every time she shoots the gun later, she defeats whoever is to be defeated at the moment.

And the way she realizes Smog is afraid of nothing and the Un Gun is just too unlikely.

[colleen the convivial curmudgeon]

That's an excellent point, Carmen. I think, perhaps, that's one reason the book was so meh - there wasn't ever real suspension or tension because everything ended up falling into place and coming so easily, even though the characters didn't know what they were doing.

[Sandi]

I think the things that Carmen and Colleen bring up are the reasons I would classify this as a middle-grade book rather than young adult. It works if you're looking at a younger audience. I don't think it works for teens in middle or high school. It's just too simplistic.