Perdido Street Station

Books | Fiction / Science Fiction / Action & Adventure

3.8

(387)

China Miéville

WINNER OF THE AUGUST DERLETH AND ARTHUR C. CLARKE AWARDS • A masterpiece brimming with scientific splendor, magical intrigue, and fierce characters, from the author who “has reshaped modern fantasy” (The Washington Post)“[China Miéville’s] fantasy novels, including a trilogy set in and around the magical city-state of New Crobuzon, have the refreshing effect of making Middle-earth seem plodding and flat.”—The New York TimesThe metropolis of New Crobuzon sprawls at the center of the world. Humans and mutants and arcane races brood in the gloom beneath its chimneys, where the river is sluggish with unnatural effluent and foundries pound into the night. For a thousand years, the Parliament and its brutal militias have ruled over a vast economy of workers and artists, spies and soldiers, magicians, crooks, and junkies.Now a stranger has arrived, with a pocketful of gold and an impossible demand. And something unthinkable is released.The city is gripped by an alien terror. The fate of millions lies with a clutch of renegades. A reckoning is due at the city’s heart, in the vast edifice of brick and wood and steel under the vaults of Perdido Street Station.It is too late to escape.

Fantasy

Buy now:

More Details:

Author

China Miéville

Pages

640

Publisher

Random House Worlds

Published Date

2003-07-29

ISBN

0345464524 9780345464521

Ratings

Google: 4

Community ReviewsSee all

"I liked this book okay, my biggest gripe is that I believe this world is significantly more fleshed out in the authors brain than it was on the page. I understand that’s the case with all books and authors, and all readers will always interpret differently, but I could sense the absences of information and details, sort of like when you’re telling a story about something you experienced that is so clear in your mind that you forget key components upon retelling. Conceptually, it’s very interesting and complex. In reality, it’s a little bit less so to me, he spent lots of time focused on details of battles and science and much less time on internal struggles, and a pretty intense moral struggle at the end, that deserved a lot more attention. Yes, both the science and battle were incredibly important, but his ability to flesh those things out and his inability to do the same with the personal side of things was a let down. His use of language was very fitting to the world he created. "

CaitVD

"I hope this isn't a spoiler, but I love the concept of "chaos theory" presented in this book. The idea that something is at it's maximum potential energy when it is teetering on the edge of something and about to fall. Fascinating. "

K W

Katie Wilson

"This is not an easy read. Perdido Street demands you slow down and take in its intricacies and filth all at once as you wander the streets of New Crobuzon. Despite its chaotic narrative and abrupt perspective changes, the narratives weave themselves into a unified story and theme that's captivating in its simultaneous scope and specificity. Worth the read if you have the patience its prose and the stomach for its topics. "

Levatín Cabrera

"Not my favorite, but good. Scar was the BEST!"

Sapphire

"This book definitely shows its age in some areas (at one point the author uses the word "autistic" in such a strange way that I still have no idea what he was trying to indicate, the plotline that pops up near the end and then immediately peters out also feels very dated) but overall I enjoyed this. The world felt original and the stakes always felt high. The characters were kind of awful but in a way that felt like it was on purpose.<br/><br/>3.5 stars rounded up"

awesome_user_984860

"This is this book that got me back into reading after aging out of YA and burning out on reading in uni. Chaotic and evocative, this book is so worth the read. "