Note: Wendy Jehanara Tremayne will be presenting her book at Powell's City of Books on Sunday, June 23, at 7:30 p.m. For seven years Mikey and I...
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mikecampbellsan, August 19, 2012 (view all comments by mikecampbellsan)
A phantasmagorical work. A bit steam punky, a bit fantastical, and entirely engaging. If you want to dip your toe into the "New Weird" of fantasy/sci fi, this hit by China Mieville is a great choice. Follow up with The Scar if you like the world of New Crobuzon.
Anthony Thayer, September 2, 2011 (view all comments by Anthony Thayer)
The story Mr. Mieville spins about this amazing steampunk metropolis is so sprawling and varied that it is difficult to fit into my poor brain. Every re-read reveals more and more of the world, and every book that takes place in this world only adds to the weight and feel. Politics and rage and romance and descriptions that defy description make the whole thing feel so real. Though difficult to read at times, it pays to keep with it and see it through all of the filth and grit for the shining core of the story to come through.
mclarenster, January 14, 2010 (view all comments by mclarenster)
One of the best gift books I've ever received. When I started reading it I actually sighed in pleasure and snuggled down into the couch looking forward to a good, long read. (Part of my joy in this book is that it opened up the rest of Mieville's work to me.)
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Product details
640 pages
Del Rey Books -
English9780345459404
Reviews:
"Staff Pick"
by Hobie,
Perdido Street Station is an excellent tale. The characters are realistic, as is the city they live in (even though it is a far-fetched fantasy land). The story is well paced and carries the reader forward — it will keep your interest piqued till the very end.
by Hobie
"Review"
by Kirkus Reviews,
"Earthy, sometimes outright disgusting — imagine finding your toilet blocked up by diamonds — but, amazingly in a book of this length, flawlessly plotted and relentlessly,stunningly inventive: a conceptual breakthrough of the highest order."
"Review"
by Jonathon Carroll,
"The most exciting, enthralling novel I have read in a long time. It is about everything important — love, work, hope, worlds we knew were out there but needed a writer like Miéville to show them to us. His imagination is vast, his talent volcanic. Read this book. It just might be a masterpiece."
"Review"
by Booklist,
"More world building than storytelling, the yarn at least suggests that the author of King Rat is marching forward in his fantasy-writing career."
"Review"
by John Clute,
"It is the best streampunk novel since Gibson and Sterling's."
"Review"
by Brian Stableford,
"[A] phantasmagoric masterpiece...The book left me breathless with admiration."
"Review"
by Andrew Leonard, Salon.com,
"This science fiction novel rocked my world. Sex with giant insects. Dream-sucking slake moths. An action-packed thriller with high literary production values. A sprawling, vastly ambitious, exquisitely executed science fiction fantasy with the best possible ending: You want more, more, more."
"Review"
by Publishers Weekly,
"Miéville's canvas is so breathtakingly broad that the details of individual subplots and characters sometimes lose their definition. But it is also generous enough to accommodate large dollops of aesthetics, scientific discussion, and quest fantasy in an impressive and ultimately pleasing epic."
"Review"
by Peter Hamilton,
"China Miéville's cool style has conjured up a triumphantly macabre technoslip metropolis with a unique atmosphere of horror and fascination."
"Synopsis"
by Ingram,
In the sprawling gothic city of New Crobuzon, a stranger requests the services of Isaac, an overweight and slightly eccentric scientist. But it is an impossible request — that of flight — and in the end Isaac's attempts will only succeed in unleashing a dark force upon the city.
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