Perdido Street Station (New Crobuzon Series #1)

well-written, but uninteresting plot

I've heard about China Mieville for a long time, so I picked this book as a starting point and dove into it. I finished it wholly unsatisfied, but still interested in him as an author.

The prose is spectacular and vivid. I have seen many complaints that you need a dictionary to get through some of his descriptive pieces, but to that I say "read more; expand your vocabulary." These pieces are his strong suit and the most pleasurable part of reading this book. He has constructed a vivid world, though I was a bit disappointed that I didn't learn more about it. There was some wasted potential there. If there is a flaw in the writing, it's that he really beat to death the descriptions of New Crobuzon as a polluted industrial city - grime, filth, slime, etc etc.

Anyway, the real disappointment is the story. I never cared. The protagonists were caricatures of people, and the monsters, while fascinating, failed to be good antagonists. The plot itself meandered aimlessly through a series of mostly related events that did not cohere into a fully realized plot. The tragedy, again, is that some of the scenes were superb (really!), but they felt like small scenes from a diorama or things that Mieville imagined and thought "Oh yeah, that has GOT to go in my next book," but without the necessary hooks to the rest of the book. The handlingers vs slake moths scene is perhaps the best example of this.

TL;DR: I'll probably read King Rat, because it's supposed to be great, but you can safely skip this one.

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Great, but certainly not for everyone

The dystopian city that is the setting of this book is a character of it's own and the dark story is engrossing and detailed. Recommended for a sci-fi fan who is looking for a deeper, darker story than the traditional heroic tale.

Not really for me

Interesting setting but the characters don't seem very likeable. After the 3rd bought of pointless animal cruelty, I had to put it down. Wish I could get my money back.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Fantastic story which only happens to use fantasy and steampunk as a vehicle

You cannot regret reading this fantastic tale of discovery, adventure, and love. It is steampunk without a Victorian setting. Fantasy with barely a hint of magic. I put off reading this book for years because of its length, but having read it I see that removing anything would have been an injustice to this amazing book.

Nightmares-dreams or ?...

Dark, disturbing, other-worldly... China Mieville's Perdido Street Station introduces the reader to shadowy realms of fantastical characters vividly depicted drawing into the realm of nightmare. The coesive thread recognizable by readers is of human attraction, connection, protection and love. Thrilling and unpredictible this novel is a fiction lovers favorite dinner.

0 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

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