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A review by thepurplebookwyrm
Railsea by China Miéville
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Imagine Moby Dick, but instead of an ocean, you have... a sea of rails, the Railsea, replacing great swathes of water from the Earth's continental shelves, uncounted decades, or centuries, into some sort of post-Industrial-Collapse future. And instead of the Great White Whale, you have the Great Ivory Moldywarpe (a big arse, far-future mutated mole). And then, on top of that, you have a divided sky, in which lurk, float, swim a menagerie of eldritch critters that were dropped off, long ago, by relatives of Roadside Picnic's rather inconsiderate aliens – pit stop rubbish, as it were.
That is the setting, and set-up, of China Miéville's Railsea. It is, at face-value, an absolutely ludicrous, far-future, and certainly far-fetched, post-apocalyptic setting, to be sure. It should, quite frankly, not work at all. And yet Miéville fucking made it work, because of course he bloody did! The world of Railsea is wonderfully weird, beautifully bonkers and I had a whale, or I should say moldywarpe (hehe), of a time reading this novel!
I'll venture so far as to say this might be the best non-obviously theming-driven, or theming-rich novel I've read so far in my life. It's definitely ideas-driven insofar as Railsea is all about its crazily imaginative, but no less thoughtful, world-building. But because its ideas are so firmly channeled into sheer world-building, and not theming, this one read more like a more purely entertainment-driven novel than anything else – which I found fascinating in itself!
That being said, it was, yes, incredibly thoughtful entertainment because my mind delighted in thinking about the world of Railsea, its geography, its ecology, its human societies, its cultural customs. Miéville's prose was on point, as usual, and I once again loved the way he used language, or rather specific linguistic conventions, as a world-building device – ampersands, amirite! 😉
All of it had heart as well! And a plot that joyfully pulled me along for its wild ride (yes, all the puns are fully intended here). No, it didn't have super deep character work, and the plot unashamedly riffed off of, or I'd argue paid homage to Moby Dick (and the Strugatsky brothers). But you know what? I'll freaking allow it, because it was bloody delightful! And because this was enthusiastic and loving imagination, creativity and storytelling in the best sense of those words, and concepts. This shit, right here, is why I love China Miéville's fiction. NOM NOM NOM ! 😋
That is the setting, and set-up, of China Miéville's Railsea. It is, at face-value, an absolutely ludicrous, far-future, and certainly far-fetched, post-apocalyptic setting, to be sure. It should, quite frankly, not work at all. And yet Miéville fucking made it work, because of course he bloody did! The world of Railsea is wonderfully weird, beautifully bonkers and I had a whale, or I should say moldywarpe (hehe), of a time reading this novel!
I'll venture so far as to say this might be the best non-obviously theming-driven, or theming-rich novel I've read so far in my life. It's definitely ideas-driven insofar as Railsea is all about its crazily imaginative, but no less thoughtful, world-building. But because its ideas are so firmly channeled into sheer world-building, and not theming, this one read more like a more purely entertainment-driven novel than anything else – which I found fascinating in itself!
That being said, it was, yes, incredibly thoughtful entertainment because my mind delighted in thinking about the world of Railsea, its geography, its ecology, its human societies, its cultural customs. Miéville's prose was on point, as usual, and I once again loved the way he used language, or rather specific linguistic conventions, as a world-building device – ampersands, amirite! 😉
All of it had heart as well! And a plot that joyfully pulled me along for its wild ride (yes, all the puns are fully intended here). No, it didn't have super deep character work, and the plot unashamedly riffed off of, or I'd argue paid homage to Moby Dick (and the Strugatsky brothers). But you know what? I'll freaking allow it, because it was bloody delightful! And because this was enthusiastic and loving imagination, creativity and storytelling in the best sense of those words, and concepts. This shit, right here, is why I love China Miéville's fiction. NOM NOM NOM ! 😋
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal death
The novel features far-future societies, and customs, some of which centre on the hunting of giant, mutated moles.