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Posted By: Terry McCombs Jan 12, 2002 - 05:04 pm

I want to sing the praises of a book that I have just read. It is Perdido Street Station by China Meiville, which I read in the 2001 Del Ray edition.

I found it a delightful fever dream of a story. The tendency these days seems to be to go for a quick `high concept' description of things. i.e. "The new Guy Spazmo film is like Hitchcock & Disney dancing a tango during a train wreck."

Mieville is too original for that..... however I will say that while reading P.S.S. I was struck by the metaphor that the book is a bit like Charles Dickens, Franz Kafka & Alex Raymond (Creator of Flash Gordon) in a mind meld on acid.

Okay, having gotten that out of the way the book takes us to the world of Bas-Lag; home of the city of New Crobuzon.

There we are introduced to enough striking concepts, races, groups, places, animals and individual characters to happily give life to six different books.

Mieville however manages to blend it all together into a single compiling story that is enthralling, grotesque, and beautiful all at the same time.

I will not go into the details of the plot. About Yagharek the wounded Garuda's quest, the fate of Lin the beetle headed woman's art project for Mr. Motley, or the research of Isaac for the young bird-man and the strange caterpillar that becomes part of it.

Why ruin the surprises that are found on almost every page? I will just say that for those who like their fiction to be filled with invention and originality you should not miss the trip to New Crobuzon found in the pages of Perdido Street Station.

Terry McCombs

Posted By: RedBen Aug 21, 2002 - 10:39 am

I have just seen this thread, and it deserves strengthening.

Perdido Street Station is one of the few Science-Fiction novels that takes a pride of place on my shelf. It is a huge amalgam of the twisted, bizarre and splendid. The milieu is described intricately and vividly, and the characters cover a brilliant spectrum from the grand to grim.

Mr McCombs has sung its praises well and thoroughly, so I need not say more.

Ben

Posted By: Sagethai Feb 14, 2003 - 02:04 pm

OMG!!! I am completely awestruck by China Meiville. I have never ben so conscious of an author bursting out and commanding his genre so immediately. That might be exageration, but all three of his books that I have read are great. Peridido Street Station takes magical-industrial themes beyond the imagination of previous attempts. His plots are well paced, intriqueing, and filled wth tension. All his characters are realistic and alien, yet infused with basc drives that speak to the reader. I could list adjectives all day, and I think I would fail to explain how good the book is.

Sage

Posted By: Hyperion Feb 14, 2003 - 02:33 pm

I find his work tiresome and far to long winded.
The book Perdido Street Station was in my opinion, way to long winded un imaginative and nothing new.
Hyperion out

Posted By: Sagethai Feb 27, 2003 - 11:37 am

I"m going to have to disagree (if it isn't obvious from my previous post). I find that there is a incredible talent in his writing and that it isn't long winded at all. Instead I might refer to it as hyper-descriptive. He spends time with each detail, making sure to include the mundane aspects that would normally be overlooked. In doing so he adds more character and depth to his setting. Probably what I like best is that he has a tendency to display the vile, dirty, filthy, and putrid. This provides a greater contrast for the good in his novels, and the way that each person is able to rise above the bizarre and horrendous that fills every aspect of their life. It is much like the way we live, where we deal daily with terrible and disgusting aspects of society, but continue to love and play despite this. I think by labeling it long-winded there is afailure to appreciate the intent of the description offered. He doesn't do it to fill pages, but rather to provide a believable world where even the smallest aspect retains significance.

Posted By: Boreas Sep 26, 2003 - 11:53 am

I'm with Hyperion on this one.
A book I found tedious and unengaging.

Posted By: Leif_- Nov 24, 2003 - 10:14 pm

While I throughly enjoyed "Perdido Street Station", I do think it's a book where the story plays second fiddle to the setting, so I can understand that some people don't find it engaging.

In my view, the main character of the book is actually New Crobuzon itself, and Isaac, Lin, the Moths and the rest are just supporting cast - it's not _their_ story; it's New Crobuzon's story. Which is why I don't find things like Jack Half-Prayer's brief apperance jarring.