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paigeds 's review for:
Perdido Street Station
by China Miéville
Perdido Street Station... What a work of art you are! Extraordinary imagination and creativity at its finest. This is without a doubt one of the most baffling but captivating books I have read so far. If you're looking for a refreshing twist or a small break from your usual fantasy worlds, I would recommend giving Perdido a read.
Welcome to New Crobuzon, a city-state within the world of Bas-Lag, that lives and breathes filth and corruption, strange magic, and unusual technology.
Follow surprising and unforgettable characters, made up of various species (Human, Garuda, Khepri, Remade, Cactacae and Vodyanoi to name just a few), as they try to survive not only the sneaky city militia but also the accidental and frightening aftermath of an intriguing request.
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For the majority of the story, we follow the life and consequences of one of our main characters. The “undisciplined” and ever-fascinated human scientist 'Isaac Dan der Grimnebulin' takes on a huge project for a Garuda (bird-person) known as Yagharek, and unintentionally releases nightmare-fueling terrors into the city.
We are pleasantly given the additional perspectives of many other important characters such as Derkhan, a human editor for a rebellious underground newspaper, and Lin, a scarab beetle-headed (Kepri) artist who is trying to make a good life for herself with her unique spit sculptures, all while juggling her low-key, cross-species relationship with Isaac.
As with most cities, we also get a glimpse into the inner workings of a secretive government AND get to unravel big criminals, all of which have their parts to play in this new panic that sweeps through the streets.
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What I love about these characters is how realistic they feel, and how much they can connect with the reader despite being of different races. I found myself loving them, being frustrated with them, laughing at their wit, wanting to succeed with them, and even feeling their pain.
There ARE some parts of the book that can be challenging to keep up with or understand language-wise. This is easily dealt with by using a dictionary or a simple google search, and I find that it will only help to broaden vocabulary - something that all readers want, I'm sure.
With that said, in my own reading experience, not understanding some of the words did NOT take away from the story at all. Overall, this book is nothing short of spectacular and outstanding.
Perdido Street Station comes together so well and is a compelling page-turner. Thankfully, unlike some of my usual fantasy novels, I couldn't have ever predicted the conclusion of this book. Every chapter gave me something new and unexpected which only added to this wonderful journey.
China Miéville always kept the story twisting and turning perfectly. He snipped right through what I started to believe and then redirected me to a completely new path as if I too were caught up in the Weaver's great 'world weave'.
Welcome to New Crobuzon, a city-state within the world of Bas-Lag, that lives and breathes filth and corruption, strange magic, and unusual technology.
Follow surprising and unforgettable characters, made up of various species (Human, Garuda, Khepri, Remade, Cactacae and Vodyanoi to name just a few), as they try to survive not only the sneaky city militia but also the accidental and frightening aftermath of an intriguing request.
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For the majority of the story, we follow the life and consequences of one of our main characters. The “undisciplined” and ever-fascinated human scientist 'Isaac Dan der Grimnebulin' takes on a huge project for a Garuda (bird-person) known as Yagharek, and unintentionally releases nightmare-fueling terrors into the city.
We are pleasantly given the additional perspectives of many other important characters such as Derkhan, a human editor for a rebellious underground newspaper, and Lin, a scarab beetle-headed (Kepri) artist who is trying to make a good life for herself with her unique spit sculptures, all while juggling her low-key, cross-species relationship with Isaac.
As with most cities, we also get a glimpse into the inner workings of a secretive government AND get to unravel big criminals, all of which have their parts to play in this new panic that sweeps through the streets.
-----------------------------------------------
What I love about these characters is how realistic they feel, and how much they can connect with the reader despite being of different races. I found myself loving them, being frustrated with them, laughing at their wit, wanting to succeed with them, and even feeling their pain.
There ARE some parts of the book that can be challenging to keep up with or understand language-wise. This is easily dealt with by using a dictionary or a simple google search, and I find that it will only help to broaden vocabulary - something that all readers want, I'm sure.
With that said, in my own reading experience, not understanding some of the words did NOT take away from the story at all. Overall, this book is nothing short of spectacular and outstanding.
Perdido Street Station comes together so well and is a compelling page-turner. Thankfully, unlike some of my usual fantasy novels, I couldn't have ever predicted the conclusion of this book. Every chapter gave me something new and unexpected which only added to this wonderful journey.
China Miéville always kept the story twisting and turning perfectly. He snipped right through what I started to believe and then redirected me to a completely new path as if I too were caught up in the Weaver's great 'world weave'.