Perdido Street Station

Author: China MiÃ©ville

Isaac Van Der Grimnebulin and his girlfriend, Lin, live in the city of New Crobuzun. It is a grimy, harsh metropolis - but then aren't all cities grimy, and harsh? Lin gets an offer of work from the Mob Boss Mr Motley - he wants Lin to create a sculpture of himself, being as how he is a Mob Boss, and feels the need to express his status in the world. Isaac, meanwhile, is approached by one of the Warrior-Bird folks, this one named Yagharek - who (due to a terrible crime against his people) had his wings cut off. Now Isaac is an inventor of sorts, and Yagharek wants his wings back. Isaac begins to work, and collects a veritable flock of flying creatures to study - amongst them a brightly hued caterpillar, which feeds only on the drug called 'dreamshit'. But the caterpillar - later a moth - is not quite a normal moth (or ex-caterpillar), and dreamshit is not quite a common, run-of-the-mill drug either... I have got to tell you that reading about Isaac and Lin's sex life is definitely...umm... interesting. This is because Lin is not human. She is humanoid/insectoid being, complete with head scarab, mandibles, and wings. Communicates by way of hand signs. Go figure. There are remades (as in re-made) - with all sorts of extra bits added in/on/over them (imagine a prostitute with extra...ummm...'tools of her trade'), various brands of ambulatory cactus, demonic beings, spontaneous (and contagious) machine intelligences, and a giant spider with human hands. Magic is referred to as 'Thaumaturgy' (and is a definable science), we have the totalitarian rulership in place and the word 'dystopia' is on the tip of everyone's tongue. Because of all these things this must be Steampunk. Right? Maybe a bit of Mythpunk thrown in? And possibly a largish whack of a sort of pseudo-Biopunk. Actually, I don't know quite how to categorise this book, except that it is not precisely cyberpunk - or even exactly science fiction. I read a review the other day that called it fantasy - but it's not that either. I will say that it is truly a great work: China looks deep into our collective psyche, and pulls out some pretty serious stuff for us to look at, and once you realise that he's writing about us, then only do you begin to really appreciate this book. He pokes a finger into the wasp-nest of human consciousness and swirls it around good and proper, so the wasps are all pissed-off when they come charging out to see who dares disturb their dark, quiet rest. Themes involve compulsion - both good and bad, artistic and perverse; consequence; sexuality - and sexual depravity, and the flaws inherent in being 'people'. What makes our heroes heroic is that they acknowledge their failings, and in owning them, discover some true inner horrors. A worthy read by any standard. You don't have to like it - but if you don't respect it you're either an idiot, or a Mills & Boon fan.

Books in New Crobuzon Series (2)

The Scar

Iron Council