Perdido Street Station

by China Mieville | Science Fiction & Fantasy |
ISBN: 0345459407 Global Overview for this book
Registered by ermintrude75 of Norwich, Norfolk United Kingdom on 4/12/2004
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7 journalers for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by ermintrude75 from Norwich, Norfolk United Kingdom on Monday, April 12, 2004
Okay, I admit, it was the cover art which drew me to this book (not the Amazon.com one I'm stuck with for the bookshelf - this one)! And the fact it was on 3 for 2 :) But in fact it was a good purchase.

The story synopsis, without giving too much away, is as follows. New Crobuzon is a sprawling city inhabited by humans alongside various other species such as the beetle-like khepri and the plant-based cactacae. Isaac, a scientist with loose ties to the university, is approached by a stranger with a strange request, but plenty of gold to make it happen. In the process of trying to fulfil that request, Isaac makes an amazing discovery but also unwittingly unleashes unimaginable terror on the city's inhabitants, a terror that even the all-powerful Militia and the shady bosses of the criminal underworld cannot seem to conquer. It is up to him and his motley assortment of friends and contacts to destroy the menace while staying one step ahead of the authorities and the underworld.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time immersed in the world created by China Mieville, as much as you can enjoy a place so oppressive, filthy and full of human (vodyanoi, khepri...) detritus. In some ways it brought to mind Ankh-Morpork from the Discworld novels, except with less humour and no magic, but a certain kind of dark charm nonetheless. It is certainly just as vividly created, with snippets of daily life happening in among the story threads. But instead of demons and octarine, the technology here is more a blend of steam and mechanics, machinery relying on cogs and gears and punch cards rather than diodes and chips, which I actually found quite refreshing.

In some ways it was annoying not to know more about the various alien races mentioned throughout the text - Isaac's khepri girlfriend Lin, the vodyanoi adventurer Pengefinchess, and garuda Yagharek would all have been more real in my mind had I known a bit more about what they looked like and where they came from. Perhaps it shouldn't matter, and the talk of headlegs, beaks and carapaces should be enough, but I can't help feeling that my version of the imagined city of New Crobuzon is peopled by more human-looking beings than the author intended.

The story perhaps went on a little long, but I didn't have trouble finishing the book at all, and the wrapping up of Isaac's dealings with Yagharek felt almost a bit rushed, as if the author decided 860 pages was enough and he should wrap it up :) But in general the plot twisted and turned enough to keep me hooked without confusing me (too much), and I found the descriptions of machinery and constructs fascinating. Just please don't ask me about crisis theory...

Journal Entry 2 by ermintrude75 from Norwich, Norfolk United Kingdom on Monday, August 23, 2004
Off on a ring, PM to join...

loopy1 (and DH :)
perfect-circle
Mytilusgirl
indielibrarian


Journal Entry 3 by loopy1 from Herne Bay, Kent United Kingdom on Friday, August 27, 2004
The book arrived in a very soggy Kent this morning. It's a hefty tome! Good job I'm fairly free of rings and rays at the mo. In fact apart from the two that arrived this morning I'm clear, so look forward to spending time in Perdido Street Station getting to know it.
Thanks!

Journal Entry 4 by loopy1 from Herne Bay, Kent United Kingdom on Monday, September 13, 2004
Well I finally finished it!

I've heard it said that books are either plot-driven, character-driven or milieu-driven, and in that case would put this book squarely in the milieu-driven category. The plot did keep me reading, I have to admit, but the characters didn't grip me as much as they could - although I felt a certain affinity with the character called Lin!
New Crobuzon is an amazing place, and yes it did remind me of Ankh-Morpork, especially with the description of the river: "Strange vapours wafted over the roofs. The converging rivers on either side ran sluggishly, and the water steamed here and there as its currents mixed nameless chymicals into potent compounds. The slop from failed experiments, from factories and laboratories and alchymists' dens, mixed randomly into bastard elixirs. In Brock Marsh, the water had unpredictable qualities. Young mudlarks searching the river quag for scrap had been known to step into some discoloured patch of mud and start speaking long-dead languages, or find locusts in their hair, or fade slowly to translucency and disappear."

This book evoked a very rich landscape, and the world was very clearly pictured. I feel the plot came second to that. Unlike Ermintrude25, I had very clear pictures in my head of what the various characters looked like, and enjoyed that part. I think I'd be almost disappointed to see any illustrations that might exist, as they would almost certainly differ from my imagination :-)

To summarise, I'm glad I read this book, and I enjoyed my time spent in the environs of Perdido Street Station, but I don't think I'll be re-reading it any time soon :-)

Thanks for sharing this, it will be travelling on.

Journal Entry 5 by perfect-circle from Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear United Kingdom on Saturday, September 18, 2004
arrived in Newcastle this morning

Journal Entry 6 by perfect-circle from Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear United Kingdom on Saturday, September 25, 2004
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I found Meiville's descriptions amazing and they really helped paint the city in my head. I agree with Lin in that I wouldn't like to see this on screen, I think my New Crobuzon would be very different.

I felt the story laboured a little at the beginning and, considering the length of the book, the ending seemed rushed, which was a shame. But I enjoyed it and will definitely keep my eye out for more of Meiville's work.

Posted on to Mytilusgirl this morning.

Journal Entry 7 by Mytilus from Plymouth, Devon United Kingdom on Wednesday, September 29, 2004
Arrived today, and my goodness, look at the size of it! It's certainly going to keep me quiet, off the streets and out of jail for a while...

;o)

Thanks!

Journal Entry 8 by Mytilus from Plymouth, Devon United Kingdom on Monday, October 18, 2004
I'm afraid that I just could not get on with this book at all. I don't believe it's a failing of the book, just that my normally widely encompassing SF & F 'habit' did not quite run to Perdido Street Station, which is a *real* shame. Sorry!

Perdido was sent to ermintrude75 on the 16th October.

Journal Entry 9 by ermintrude75 from Norwich, Norfolk United Kingdom on Monday, October 18, 2004
Safe home, since indielibrarian picked up another copy... Thanks guys, and sorry you didn't find it your cup of tea, Mytilusgirl.

Journal Entry 10 by ermintrude75 from Norwich, Norfolk United Kingdom on Wednesday, August 10, 2005
Off on a ray (I don't think I'll ever read it again, and if I decide I want to I can pick up another copy...), running order below. PM me to join!

turquoisefloys
MrsDanvers

Journal Entry 11 by abitstormyout from Ely, Cambridgeshire United Kingdom on Monday, August 15, 2005
Oh. My. God. This is one doorstep of a book!! It might take me a while to read it!! But it sounds absolutely enthralling. Thanks ermintrude75 for sending it on!!

Journal Entry 12 by abitstormyout from Ely, Cambridgeshire United Kingdom on Monday, October 24, 2005
This was really very good. It invoked a dark seedy city remeniscent of London but it felt a bit rough around the edges. Certain characters were left dangling for 400 or so pages and the end really felt rushed and a bit of a cop-out, really.

But don't let my opinion rule you!

Have PMed MrsDanvers for her address to send it onto her.

Journal Entry 13 by abitstormyout at BookRing in Bookring, A Bookring -- Controlled Releases on Monday, October 24, 2005

Released 18 yrs ago (10/24/2005 UTC) at BookRing in Bookring, A Bookring -- Controlled Releases

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

RELEASE NOTES:

MrsDanvers replied very quickly to my PM so I will not waste any time and get it in the post to her this afternoon, when the village Post Office reopens after lunch.

Enjoy!!

Journal Entry 14 by MrsDanvers from Aldeburgh, Suffolk United Kingdom on Friday, October 28, 2005
Arrived today (two rings in the same day!). Thanks ermintrude and turquiose-floyd. Sitting patiently waiting in TBR.

Journal Entry 15 by MrsDanvers from Aldeburgh, Suffolk United Kingdom on Monday, January 23, 2006
New Crobuzon is an amazing construction; a Dickensian imagined city; the mudlarks, river-people , artists and political agitators, with a completely alien twist.
I loved the way the book explores the life of the city and the descriptive talent of China Mieville really brings it to life. I don't think I've ever read such a powerful evocation of an alien world.
I was in thrall to the descriptive style when suddenly we were off searching for Slake-moths pursued by Government militia and mobsters. Even as the pace of the book speeded-up there was no loss of description.

An amazing ride!

Released 18 yrs ago (2/7/2006 UTC) at Caffe Nero, King's Parade OBCZ in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire United Kingdom

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

RELEASE NOTES:

To be released at the Cambridge meet-up

Journal Entry 17 by RonOren from Wassenaar, Zuid-Holland Netherlands on Wednesday, February 8, 2006
To be honest, I'm not quite sure about this one. Contrary to all the other ones I picked up at the mini-meet, I've been picking it up and putting it down at least four times before I decided to hold on to it. It does look interesting; I just hope the terror part on the blurb doesn't mean it's too much Stephen King-ish! Oh well, I'll find out eventually.

Journal Entry 18 by RonOren from Wassenaar, Zuid-Holland Netherlands on Wednesday, February 14, 2007
It ended up being very interesting. I just browsed through earlier comments; loopy1's comment about being plot-driven, milieu-driven or character-driven struck me as very sensible.
For me, however, it was mostly character-driven. The plot itself didn't really mean too much to me; in fact, when the story actually started getting some momentum, when the slake-moths started terrorising the city, I almost lost interest.
What I liked best was the character of Isaac. It probably has a lot to do with me being a scientist too: I could completely understand how he gets sucked into his work, only submerging after a week or so for the oh-so-needed pint :-).

I have to say, I did like the idea of all those different races, or mixtures of races. Whereas I could somewhat imagine the garuda and had some image of vodyanoi (albeit probably one that isn't based on any description in the book), I'm pretty much stumped at the khepri. While I like the idea, I just cannot get a comfortable picture (i.e. one that seems right) of them in my head!

I certainly did enjoy it, even though it was something completely different from what I expected. I'll see if anyone is interested in it, or I might release it. Next time I'm on King's Cross seems a very apt place...

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