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China Miéville
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Perdido Street Station Paperback – 23 Feb. 2001

by China Miéville (Author)
4.3 out of 5 stars 3,754 ratings
on any 2 Qualifying items | Terms

The metropolis of New Crobuzon sprawls at the centre of its own bewildering world. Humans and mutants and arcane races throng the gloom beneath its chimneys, where the rivers are sluggish with unnatural effluent, and factories and foundries pound into the night. For more than a thousand years, the parliament and its brutal militia have ruled over a vast array of workers and artists, spies, magicians, junkies and whores. Now a stranger has come, with a pocketful of gold and an impossible demand, and inadvertently something unthinkable is released. Soon the city is gripped by an alien terror - and the fate of millions depends on a clutch of outcasts on the run from lawmakers and crime-lords alike. The urban nightscape becomes a hunting ground as battles rage in the shadows of bizarre buildings. And a reckoning is due at the city's heart, in the vast edifice of Perdido Street Station. It is too late to escape.

'A work of exhaustive inventiveness...superlative fantasy' Time Out

'A well-written, authentically engrossing adventure story, exuberantly full of hocus-pocus... Mieville does not disappoint' Daily Telegraph

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  1. Book 1 of 3
    Bas-Lag
  2. Print length
    880 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Tor
  5. Publication date
    23 Feb. 2001
  6. Dimensions
    11.1 x 4.9 x 17.8 cm
  7. ISBN-10
    0330392891
  8. ISBN-13
    978-0330392891
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Product description

Review

'China Miéville, poster boy for the so-called "new weird", is one of the most interesting and promising writers to appear in the last few years in any genre. Perdido Street Station is a fantastic yarn that follows the roads set by M John Harrison in his Viriconium world and brings an enormous energy and creativity to the table. A reinvention of modern fantasy with guts, brains and plenty of glory. Plunge in.'
--Carlos Ruiz Zafón, Guardian Books Blog

About the Author

China Miéville lives and works in London. He is three-time winner of the prestigious Arthur C. Clarke Award and has also won the British Fantasy Award twice. The City & The City, an existential thriller, was published to dazzling critical acclaim and drew comparison with the works of Kafka and Orwell and Philip K. Dick. His novel Embassytown was a first and widely praised foray into science fiction.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Tor
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ 23 Feb. 2001
  • Edition ‏ : ‎ New Ed
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 880 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0330392891
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0330392891
  • Item weight ‏ : ‎ 469 g
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 11.1 x 4.9 x 17.8 cm
  • Book 1 of 3 ‏ : ‎ Bas-Lag
  • Best Sellers Rank: 1,365,895 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • Customer reviews:
    4.3 out of 5 stars 3,754 ratings

About the author

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China Miéville

China Miéville

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China Miéville lives and works in London. He is three-time winner of the prestigious Arthur C. Clarke Award (Perdido Street Station, Iron Council and The City & The City) and has also won the British Fantasy Award twice (Perdido Street Station and The Scar). The City & The City, an existential thriller, was published in 2009 to dazzling critical acclaim and drew comparison with the works of Kafka and Orwell (The Times) and Philip K. Dick (Guardian).

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
3,754 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers praise the book's detailed fantasy world and compelling characters. The writing style receives mixed reactions - while many appreciate the incredibly descriptive prose, some find it not an easy read. The pacing and length also get mixed reviews, with several customers noting it's not very engaging and very long. The book's design receives mixed feedback, with some finding the paper copies well designed while others describe it as dull.

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Character developmentWriting qualityPacingLengthDesign
27 customers mention ‘Character development’20 positive7 negative

Customers appreciate the character development in the book, finding them compelling, with one customer noting how they create vivid images and another mentioning the apparently omnipotent villains and adversaries.

"...'s world is populated by so many fascinating, bizarre and endlessly endearing peoples that it would be impossible to keep track of them were they..." Read more

"...It's hard to decide which bit I liked most: the depth and connection with the characters..." Read more

"...reviewers have pointed out, Perdido Street Station's characters lack distinct voices, and too often indulge in rambling profanity...." Read more

"...This is not simply about the thrilling plot, the intriguing characters, the incredibly unique setting. It’s about China Mieville’s writing...." Read more

41 customers mention ‘Writing quality’21 positive20 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the writing quality of the book, with some praising its fantastic and incredibly descriptive prose, while others find it not an easy read.

"Great writer" Read more

"...becomes cringe-making whenever character or emotion is communicated, tedious when the first 'sight' of new and amazing things becomes endlessly..." Read more

"...his hyperactive imagination, Mieville is capable of dark, ambiguous writing and intelligent characterisation...." Read more

"Unreadable. Very disappointed." Read more

16 customers mention ‘Pacing’6 positive10 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the pacing of the book, with several finding it not very engaging.

"...The book starts slow, almost slice of life for good portion on the beginning but this is great, you actually need this to get a handle on the setting..." Read more

"Very unlike other books, with an extremely unique writing style...." Read more

"...Some are indulgent and poorly conceived afterthoughts that leave you aching for events to circle back to the central arc...." Read more

"...It starts off a little slow, but as soon as you meet Isaac, you simply don't want to put the thing down...even when your eyes are feeling heavy at 1..." Read more

11 customers mention ‘Length’4 positive7 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the book's length, with several finding it great but long, while one customer mentions it is strange for the first 200 pages.

"This book is long. Really long. Like nearly a 1000 pages long. It is fantasy after all. But it's not fantasy as you know it...." Read more

"...A long book, but absorbing and very enjoyable - one of the best books I've read in recent years...." Read more

"So strange for the first 200 pages that I thought about abandoning it but then it became gripping...." Read more

"A bit long winded in parts, but a good story that keeps you wanting to find out what happens next." Read more

6 customers mention ‘Design’4 positive2 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the book's design, with some praising the well-designed paper copies while others find them dull.

"...They are all richly drawn and feel real...." Read more

"Cant believe this got a hugo, dull and tedious, not a lot happens expect some stuff about giant mothswhich are supposed to be "terrifying"..." Read more

"...It's a good thing the paper copies are so well designed; I have one very well decorated shelf in my book case...." Read more

"...Whatever it is that he is describing, it’s beautifully done. Even when he’s writing about the most grotesquely unimaginable creatures...." Read more

Fed up of Tolkien? Or not. Either way it’s great
5 out of 5 stars
Fed up of Tolkien? Or not. Either way it’s great
This book is long. Really long. Like nearly a 1000 pages long. It is fantasy after all. But it's not fantasy as you know it. Mieville, as always, bucks the trend and sticks every middle finger and tentacle up at fantasy stereotypes. You won't find elves here, instead finding humanoid insects and living, breathing cacti. Mieville's worldbuilding and prose are dense and at times difficult, but I did not once find myself tempted to stop. There's a distinct danger of attempting to read the book cover to cover, something I'm not sure is even possible with such a hefty tome (if you need an extra little bit of justification to buy the paper copy, it would make a handy door stop or paperweight or blunt-force weapon should you be burgled). It's hard to decide which bit I liked most: the depth and connection with the characters (a difficult feat in fantastic literature, especially when key characters include a mysterious giant bird man (who lost his wings, of course) and an anthropomorphised insectoid artist.), the quality of the prose or the gripping plot. Yes, it's not perfect, every book has its flaws. This is certainly a more literary and weird version of the fantastic than many readers will be used to. But the rewards are worth it. You should go into this with the full knowledge that you will soon be purchasing the sequels, and lamenting the fact that only three exist in the series. At a push, I'd say The Scar manages to trump Perdido, which you may find hard to believe when reading it. You'll then go on to buy Mieville's entire catalogue. It's a good thing the paper copies are so well designed; I have one very well decorated shelf in my book case. After completing Bas Lag, I'd recommend (well, anything) Embassytown or The City & The City, which the BBC just released a four-part series of. That Perdido Street Station has not had the GoT treatment yet is criminal. Halfway through reading the book I had already purchased both sequels, and given copies to three friends. Why are you still reading? Buy it now. I don't think I could ever recommend a book more. If you found this review useful in any way I’d be super grateful if you clicked the “helpful” button below to let me know :)
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Top reviews from United Kingdom

  • D. Keatis
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Sprawling Steampunk Odyssey
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 9 July 2010
    Verified Purchase
    Ah, China Mieville. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways!

    After having read Mieville's collection of short stories my interest was sufficiently piqued to investigate his novels. Having read the synopses for all his books I decided this would be my best entry point for exploring China Mieville proper.

    I was both right and wrong. This, the first of the Bas-Lag series is not an easy read, in the same way that Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast trilogy is not an easy read. However, like Peake's idiosyncratic trilogy, Perdido Street Station is an instant classic and I can see why it has earned Mieville so many admirers in the world of fantasy fandom.

    Good fantasy writers are able to create a believable alternate world. Excellent fantasy writers are able to create a believable and engaging fantasy world alive with cultures and politics. Mieville's world is populated by so many fascinating, bizarre and endlessly endearing peoples that it would be impossible to keep track of them were they not so beautifully realised. As the novel progresses we are intoduced to the insectile / humanoid Khepri, the Cacatae (human cactuses, the amphibious Vodyanoi, the cybernetic Construct Council and the avian Garuda as well as their religions, hisories, cultures, subcultures, countercultures (and yes, even drug cultures) in a way that is never dry or dull but always a dynamic part of the narrative.

    For those who demand more than a diverse racial cast of players from their fantasy Perdido street station doesn't disappoint in the plot department either. Told from the point of view of Isaac, a good hearted but rough around the edges academic the story follows Isaac on an epic adventure precipitated by an unexpected visit from a mysterious stranger. This stranger, Yahgarek, is a Garuda who comes to Isaac with a simple proposition, to enable him to fly even though his wings have been severed (the harshest punishment possible for a Garuda reserved only for the foulest crime). Elsewhere his secret lover, a prodigious Khepri artist named Lin is comissioned to create a sculpted dopelganger for a gangster whose appearance so horribly and intricately malformed his appearance can only be insinuated by the author.

    There is so much depth, richness and complexity to this book it would be a long winded travesty to try and recap it here. Suffice to say if a world ruled by a totalitarian government with a direct line to Hell, where scientifically explainable magic can co exist with steam powered robots floats your boat then this is for you!
    18 people found this helpful
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  • Richard Bagshaw
    4.0 out of 5 stars An Exuberantly Inventive Thrill Ride
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 20 June 2012
    Verified Purchase
    Despite featuring a woman with a scarab for a head and her Da Vinci-like lover, a sentient, near-omnipotent spider-god and an anthropomorphic bird whose wings were hacked off for in incomprehensible crime, Perdido Street Station's most memorable character is New Crobuzon, the city in which it is set. Reminiscent of Victorian London, but peopled by a host of fantastic races and strewn with wonders and horrors, Mieville goes to extraordinary lengths to maintain the reader's interest in his creation. Much of the delight to be had in this book is to be had exploring New Crobuzon and the lives of its inhabitants. Astonishingly, Mieville manages to square every product of his prolific imagination with the internal logic of this believable - if bizarre - world. There are only a few moments in which some new MacGuffin feels like a plot device rather than a natural product of New Crobuzon's melting pot of alien minds and steampunk technology.

    Several hundred pages in, however, the reader may begin to tire of Perdido Street Station's lengthy asides, detailing imaginary peoples, places and science at the expense of character and plot. The indulgence of Mieville's editor weighs most heavily on the middle of the book. The dialogue, too, may begin to grate; as other reviewers have pointed out, Perdido Street Station's characters lack distinct voices, and too often indulge in rambling profanity. As the scope of the novel widens, cracks begin to show. Scenes of supposedly Machiavellian politicking do not ring true, and Mieville's credibility is undermined by some factual errors. (He appears to regard the cerebellum as synonymous with the brain, for example). The arrival of the book's antagonists doesn't add much urgency at first, and indeed gives rise to several new but ultimately irrelevant plot threads which add to the sense of drift.

    The book gathers pace again as its finale approaches, and the spectacular showdown atop Perdido Street Station will not disappoint. What had me truly gripped, however, was its melancholy aftermath. The book's last few pages demonstrate that, when not indulging his hyperactive imagination, Mieville is capable of dark, ambiguous writing and intelligent characterisation. Had Perdido Street Station featured more of this - and been 200 pages shorter - it might have been a classic. Instead, it is a fascinating riot of imagination, and an exhilarating thrill ride. Despite its failings, it comes highly recommended.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • nathan wolfe
    5.0 out of 5 stars One of my favorite books of all time
    Reviewed in Canada on 11 March 2016
    Verified Purchase
    One of my favorite books of all time. Mieville's description of the city is amazing and gripping, he somehow manages to rattle off detail after detail while still being riveting. The story is stunning, very emotional, thought provoking and entertaining all at the same time. Characters are great, felt a lot of empathy for them, found them endearing. Plot moves at a steady place. When it gets slower it is with purpose, when it gets faster it is with purpose. I never feel bored or as if the action is for action's sake. I've read the book 4 times and have bought the book for friends to read.
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  • Rose
    5.0 out of 5 stars Twisting and turning with a final punch at the end
    Reviewed in Australia on 21 August 2023
    Verified Purchase
    It took me several tries to get into the book. Whilst it was worth it I do wish the ending was less miserable.
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  • スイート・サイエンス
    3.0 out of 5 stars 面白いが結構疲れる作品
    Reviewed in Japan on 14 November 2010
    Verified Purchase
    この作品はジャンルとしてはSFファンタジーに分類されるのだろう。
    作品の舞台は New Crobuzon という架空の世界で、人間以外に様々な異形の種族が共存している。様々な種族と言っても、伝統的なファンタジーの巨人族や小人といった類ではなく、人間の身体に昆虫が乗っているような遺伝子操作の結果生まれたような異様な種族が多い。

    主人公のIsaacは人間でエキセントリックな落ちぶれた科学者。物語は翼を切り落とされた、半分鳥で半分人間のGarudaという種族の一人がIsaacを訪れ、再び飛べるようにしてほしいと依頼するところから始まる。これは一体どんな話になるのだろうと見当もつかないまま我慢して読み進めると、中盤から思いもかけないような転回になりぐっと面白くなるのだが、そこまでたどり着くのに結構疲れ、途中読むのを中断したことが何回かあった。

    このような異様な世界を創造した作者には敬意を表するが、この作品は世界に入り込むまでには結構忍耐力が要求されるかもしれない。
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  • Saku
    5.0 out of 5 stars Underdog-Fantasy vom Feinsten
    Reviewed in Germany on 23 April 2013
    Verified Purchase
    Dieses Buch ist nicht für jeden. Es ist ein sehr unkonventioneller Roman, der zu unkonventionellen Stilmitteln greift und von unkonventionellen Charakteren handelt. Die Welt, in der diese Fantasy spielt, ist kein blühendes, harmonisches Pseudomittelalter inmitten grüner Hügel und Elfenwälder, es ist eine versumpfte, verdreckte, verdorrte, verwahrloste Großstadt mitten auf einem wüsten, unfreundlichen Kontinent. Alles scheint dagegen zu arbeiten, dass es dort Leben gibt.

    "Perdido Street Station" ist eine Geschichte von herbem Charme, die sich sicher nicht jedem erschließt. Aber für mich macht exakt das seinen Reiz aus.

    Der Plot lässt sich schwer zusammenfassen, ohne gleich zu viel zu verraten. Auch ist fragwürdig, ob der Fokus der Geschichte wirklich auf dieser Handlung liegt - statt auf der Entwicklung, die jeder einzelne Charakter durchmacht, indem er mit aller Kraft kämpft, scheitert, wieder aufsteht und eine Entscheidung fasst. Statt auf der Gehirnsinnlichkeit dieser sehr komplexen Welt, in der so viele verschiedene und für Menschen oft schwerlich nachvollziehbare Moralitäten und Weltanschauungen aufeinander treffen. Statt auf der wilden, hintergründigen Schönheit, die einen in New Crobuzon, dem Ort der Handlung, umgibt. Statt auf philosophischen Fragen, die das Buch einem stellt - oder die sich einem beim Lesen selbst stellen. Vielleicht muss jeder Leser seinen Fokus für sich selbst finden.
    Damit will ich nicht sagen, dass die Handlung uninteressant wäre, keineswegs. Sie ist in einem rasanten, aber nicht hastig voran eilenden Tempo verfasst, setzt sich auf jeder einzelnen Seite - verdammt, vielleicht sogar in jedem einzelnen Absatz - fort und hat alles, was man sich von der Handlung eines Fantasyromans wünschen könnte: Es gibt Intrigen, Spannung, Action, Gefahr, Missverständnisse, Magie, schieren Horror und sogar eine Liebesgeschichte. Ständig tun sich neue, unerwartete Wendungen auf, Herr Miéville schöpft die Möglichkeiten des New Weird-Subgenre voll aus.

    Die Prosa ist schlicht und ergreifend bezaubernd. Nicht Zuckerfeen-Einhorn-Regenbogen-bezaubernd, im Gegenteil. Nichts wird verschwiegen, nichts wird beschönigt, man starrt auf die Seite und alles ist schrecklich, aber diese Geflechte aus Worten, die sich zu kunstvollen Mustern zusammenwinden, sind zu schön, um wegschauen zu können, so sehr auch alles schimmelt, stinkt, im Elend versinkt. Es ist, als würde man beobachten, wie ein noch lebendes Baby seziert wird. Man kann nicht wegschauen, so furchtbar es auch sein mag. China Miéville ist derjenige, der dieses Baby aufschlitzt. Und er singt dabei. Es ist abartig - aber, Himmel, ist es schön! Diese Prosa wird nicht jedem gefallen. Sie ist wild, beengend, komplex wie ein Spinnennetz. Ich habe mir sagen lassen, dass selbst Muttersprachler das eine oder andere Wort im Wörterbuch nachschlagen mussten. Es ist keine echte rosa Prosa; zwar ist sie gespickt mit haufenweise deskriptiver Adjektive, Einwürfe, Beschreibungen, die sich in sich selbst verlieren und den Leser mit sich reißen, aber nichts daran ist kitschig, nichts wirkt unnötig. Es ist, als würde New Crobuzon auf diese Weise aus Worten gebaut: All diese "Hässlichkeit" bordet so sehr über, dass sie den Leser unter sich begräbt und völlig mühelos auf die Stufe der Charaktere bringt.

    Das Worldbuilding ist eine von Herrn Miévilles großen Stärken. New Crobuzon ist eine einzige eiternde, verrottende Masse, in der die Menschen (Und Cactacae, Khepri, Vodyanoi...) leben wie Maden auf dem Müll, dominiert von der titulären Perdido Street Station. Alles das - das gesamte von menschlicher oder wenigstens fühlender, denkender Hand errichtete Monstrum von einer Stadt - bricht unter seinem eigenen Gewicht zusammen. Die Atmosphäre ist beklemmt, verzweifelt, resigniert. Niemand versucht, aus diesem dreckigen Loch einen besseren Ort zu machen, allen ist klar, dass es unmöglich ist, und die meisten haben zwischen Armut, Korruption, Gewalt, Rassismus, Drogenverkehr und dem Verlust der eigenen Integrität wohl auch gar nicht mehr die Energie, die Faust zum Himmel zu heben, höchstens, um die Götter zu verfluchen, an die sie vielleicht einstmals glaubten.
    Aber New Crobuzon lebt. New Crobuzon als Setting hat mehr Charakter, scheint mehr zu atmen und zu sprechen, als so mancher Protagonist aus einem weniger gut verfassten Roman. Diese Stadt, die scheinbar aus Alpträumen gemacht ist, die all die Sünden großer Städte auf dicht gedrängtem Raum in sich vereint, vibriert, pulsiert, erschließt sich dem Leser und erklärt sich ihm. Sie ist laut und angsteinflößend und manchmal wünscht man sich, dass sie nur halb so faszinierend wäre, weil sie einem so viele Dinge zeigt, die man nicht sehen will. Aber letzten Endes bereue ich nichts - absolut nichts!

    Die Charaktere sind einfach wundervoll. Keiner von ihnen ist ein Held im eigentlich Sinn, keiner von ihnen ist jemand, der man sein will, vielleicht nicht einmal jemand, den man kennen will. Da ist es umso erstaunlicher, dass man als Leser mitfiebert, weil man um jeden Preis erfahren will, wie es weitergeht mit Isaac, dem dicken, nicht ganz legal arbeitenden Wissenschaftler mit perversen Neigungen, mit seiner Freundin Lin, einer verbitterten Künstlerin, auf deren humanoiden Körper statt eines menschlichen Kopfes ein riesiger Skarabäus sitzt, mit Yagharek, dem anthropomorphen Vogel, dem man die Flügel abgeschnitten hat und der redet wie ein altes Buch, mit Derkhan, der mittelalten, militant linken Lesbe. Sie sind alle so unglaublich... menschlich. Ihre Geschichten gehen einem unter die Haut, weil sie Leute sind, denen man in der Fußgängerzone begegnen könnte. (Davon abgesehen, dass zwei von ihnen keine Menschen sind, versteht sich.)
    Überhaupt, Yagharek. Er ist vielleicht der wichtigste, der definitive Schlüsselcharakter des Romans. Einige Abschnitte sind aus seiner Ich-Perspektive geschrieben, verschnörkelt, poetisch und traurig. Yagharek ist, wie ich finde, der sympathischste Charakter des gesamten Romans, derjenige, den man am leichtesten mögen kann, was den Grund für den Verlust seiner Flügel nur umso erschreckender macht. Hier wird jetzt natürlich nichts verraten, obwohl viele Leser aus seinen Anspielungen vermutlich eine düstere Ahnung ziehen werden.
    Auch Lin ist ein Charakter, den ich rasch gern haben konnte. Die Geschichte ihrer traurigen Kindheit wirkt aufgrund der Un-Menschlichkeit, der schieren Andersartigkeit ihrer Kultur zunächst nicht ganz leicht zu durchschauen, aber eigentlich greift sie Themen auf, die heutzutage auch in dieser Kultur eine ebenso große und erschreckende Rolle spielen können. Und Hurrah für Künstler-Charaktere, die auch authentisch als solche dargestellt werden! Generell ist es wundervoll, dass Herr Miéville auch die Ansichten und Vorstellungen nichtmenschlicher Rassen weder "vermenschlicht" noch als übermäßig undurchsichtig darstellt. Das Thema des Anthropozentrismus wird direkt aufgegriffen: Lin bemerkt, dass sie nicht findet, dass Khepri wie Menschen mit Käfern als Köpfen aussehen - sie findet, dass Menschen wie Khepri mit den Köpfen rasierter Affen aussehen.

    Und dann fährt alles zur Hölle (Nicht wörtlich zu verstehen: Es wird so brisant, dass es selbst der Hölle Angst macht!) und die wenigen Charaktere, die nicht sterben, erleiden Schicksale, denen der Tod vorzuziehen wäre.

    Was passiert, wie und warum es passiert, wird natürlich nicht verraten. Gesagt sei nur, dass alles damit begann, dass die Regierung von New Crobuzon sich mit einem Drogenboss eingelassen hat (Hier und an diversen anderen Stellen erkennt man gut Miévilles starke sozialistische Neigungen, aber es sei gesagt, dass diese Neigungen niemals Überhand nehmen), dass neben der Stadt auch Motten, Spinnen und Träume gewaltige Rollen spielen und dass die meisten Leute noch niemals eine Fantasy gelesen haben, die diesem Meisterwerk auch nur ähnelt.
    Leuten, die von konventioneller Fantasy die Schnauze voll haben oder sich einfach nur in ein Leseabenteuer stürzen wollen, bei dem sie nie wissen, was sie als nächstes erwartet, kann ich "Perdido Street Station" nur ans Herz legen. Dieses Buch braucht mehr Liebe.
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  • A. Gavin
    5.0 out of 5 stars Maximum Weird - Maximum Creative
    Reviewed in the United States on 6 August 2012
    Verified Purchase
    I am in utter awe with regard to the creativity oozing from this novel.

    While perhaps not for everyone, and not perfect, this is a first rate work of fantasy. And I mean that in the broadest sense because the book is set in a unique milieu that is part Dickens, part steampunk, part fantasy, part Blade Runner, part Lovecraft and a whole lot more. As one agent said of my first novel's early drafts: Perdido Street Station suffers from an extreme case of too-much-ness. It has too many words, too many characters, too many points of view, too much description, too many subplots, too many races, too many kinds of magic, too many villains, too many heroes, too many really really big words, or old words (I had to use the dictionary every couple of pages). Still, it works, even rises to greatness.

    Amazing things about this book:

    1. The prose: which is highly descriptive, deft, and subtle, building elaborate piles of intricacy out of slashes of words.

    2. The main characters: Isaac, Yag, and Lin all have some real depth.

    3. The world: is just so creepy, slimy, and cool -- although not for the faint of heart. This book is dark. It makes The Darkening Dream seem like vanilla icing.

    4. The monsters and the weird: nice and creepy. This is a book where human on bug sex is the sweet part!

    5. The clarity: for all its length and bewildering array of everything, the book is easy to follow and read (provided you have a dictionary handy).

    6. Imagination: No shortage of amazingly cool ideas, images, races, monsters, technologies, places, etc. in this puppy.

    Things that aren't as strong:

    1. Pacing: the masses of description, which while evocative, effective, and downright creepy, are constant and unrelenting. The city itself is a character and this slows things down a bit. It doesn't drag, but it isn't lightning fast either.

    2. The tangents: there are more than a few here, and not all of them worth it.

    3. The minor points of view: A number of characters pop in, have their couple POV pages in the sun, and then vanish (usually into the deadpool). This isn't always maximally effective.

    4. The baroque plot: The story is easy enough to follow, but it does take A WHILE to get going and is not always full of classic drama created from thwarted desire. In fact, the first third or so is distinctly short on that, but is fast paced mostly because the world is so fascinating.

    5. Actions of the government and other non-protagonist forces: There are some big chunks in here where the government is trying to do stuff, and only indirectly involves the regular characters. This stuff is less effective because of the emotional disconnect.

    6. Deus ex machina: oh-too-coincidental happenings and escapes occur a number of times.

    Overall, in the same way that Vegas transcends cheese by way of pure magnitude, Perdido climbs to greatness on the strength of its positives, rising above any petty flaws. If you appreciate flights of imagination, good writing, and the weird, it's required reading. No question. Not for the square, the staid, the boring, or the grounded who do not at least dream of flying.
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