Elf Sternberg

I seem to recall it was too artificial seeming to me, and I gave up in disgust. I also have serious problems with his name. Until I ran across Mieville, every single "China" I'd encountered had been female. I know, I know, there's no reason in the world someone named "China" has to be one gender or another, but it just feels as odd to me as if an "Alfred" turned out to be a woman. I also keep reading "Mieville" as "Melville", and my eyes choke on it.

For some reason, after I hit 45, I became less willing to give writers second chances, maybe because there's so much reading matter around that IS to my taste. Why should I bother to read folks I don't like?