A review by ajcorn
Perdido Street Station by China Miéville

adventurous challenging dark funny mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This is an incredible book. It is challenging, hard to read and confusing, as is often the case with Miéville's novels, but as is also always true, it is made up of incredibly detailed worldbuilding that vividly evokes the world of Bas-Lag. From the geography, to the magic ('thaumaturgy'), to the political powers and revolutions building in the background, to the demons and monstrous creatures, nothing is overlooked. Miéville is truly a genius of worldbuilding. Despite taking me months to read the whole book, I was invested in the plot and the characters. I recommend this book if you're looking for a challenging and weird novel. The books in the series are standalones within the same world, so it is also easy to treat Perdido Street Station as a one-off.
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