Customer Reviews

Perdido Street Station

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My first reaction after reading Perdido Street Station is what a shame it would be to try to classify this book as fantasy, science fiction, steam-punk or horror. These categories seem too limiting for a book that breaks the boundaries of each. Mr. Mieville calls it "weird fiction", a throwback term to those pulp novel days when some of the greats like Lovecraft and Howard were penning their strange tales. Meiville fits in well with this crew, only with the modern edge you would expect from a writer in the digital age.

Call it whatever you want, its a ride you won't quickly forget. Mieville creates a world, so detailed from the sewers to tops of the the city government, that you are transported to a place that seems both foreign and familiar at the same time. There is a clear sense of caste, characters whose station in life is as complicated as the problem at hand (I won't spoil it). War, poverty, corruption, racism and all topics thrown into the mix; and while the social commentary is evident, it's easily digestible with the fantastic elements, unusual characters, and face-paced action.

It is the first of three books, but feels solid as a standalone novel, so no fear of falling into a cliffhanger and committing you to the series (although after reading this, you will rush to buy The Scar).

Enjoy!

I have to say I liked Mieville's writng as much as I liked his story. His writing is rich, detailed and sufficiently poetic. Note his near perfect construction of a 120 word sentence around page 78 concerning Perdido Street station itself. Its interesting to note that despite the many editors injunctions (concerning 'said bookisms') that a writer should never hiss in his dialogue, Mr Mieville goes ahead hisses a trillion times anyway. I guess no fiction writing rule is absolute. The story is first rate, if you like Fantasy, Steam-Punk, Sci-Fi and especially Horror you'll love it. The characters are well developed and the story has plenty of plot twists, rich world-detail, bizarre creatures, politics, criminals, love storiness, evil military intel types, chimera, cool low-tech, drugs, tragedy and dream-killing monsters. Yeah, its kind of dark but not pure dark as it lets the reader, in so far as they can identify with the characters, do a fair bit of soul searching.

What a wonderful surprise this book was, seemingly out of nowhere. Take a politically oppressive Victorian type setting. Populate it with multiple races including humans who have to try and get along and work together.

Throw in a steampunk-magic punishment system, for a start.

Then, an adventure and terrifying threat via demons, drugs, and monstrous beasts.

A fabulous world has been built here, with its own mythology.