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Summary: Humungous Meisterwork of the New New Sci-Fi
Review: While accolades like "Dickensian" are a bit over the top, there hasn't been a new novelist in years that deserved as much excitement as China Mieville. Here we have a very impressive tour-de-force of modern science fiction mixed in with cyberpunk, subversive politics, and other heavy aspects of the Gen-X mindset. This novel takes place in a wasted city that is surely inspired by London, on a devastated planet that is probably Earth in the very distant future. Humans have mixed with many races of aliens into a dysfunctional society that has degenerated into a dark age of chaos and repression. Mieville does show some tendencies of the rampaging young writer with a few too many ideas, as this book tends to ramble in places. Sometimes we are lost in lengthy technical descriptions of machinery and architecture (an example is an overly long write-up of the workings of a mailroom in chapter 9), there are too many place names with no impact on the story, and a few too many bizarre alien races.On the other hand, Mieville has a real gift for political intrigue and power plays in his writing, and bizarrely creative concepts and settings. My favorite is a garbage dump that evolves a collective artificial intelligence due to a computer virus. The most mind-blowing aspect of this novel is the villains - a tribe of mutants who feed on one's thoughts and dreams, and excrete dark psychic pain in amounts that drive entire populations insane. So while Mieville needs a little practice reining in his many ideas into a leaner-and-meaner focus, this book still has the power to blow your mind in ways that sci-fi hasn't been capable of in ages. Here's a hot new writer that deserves to be hot.
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Summary: Just read it...
Review: I can't believe the scope of talent put into this book. I had more fun reading this book than I have had watching any movie or playing any video game.
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Summary: Takes time to warm up, but worth it
Review: This novel called out to me for some time before I actually read it. It looks good on the outside and reviews have been very positive. Yet, it just seemed intimidating for some reason. Finally, I picked it up and began reading. The storyline is complex, and you have to take careful mental notes as to the various characters. Once you get going, however, you will find it very rewarding. The ideas it deals with are complex, and the main characters ar very realistic. The supporting characters are less artfully drawn, but this is not too serious a flaw. I recommend this book for fans of both hard SF and fantasy. It reminded me of the steampunk movement without the hubris.
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Summary: Some people seems didn't get it.
Review: Mieville's book, Perdido Street Station, no matter what the bookseller tells you, is not science-fiction. I repeat; it is NOT science-fiction, nor fantasy for that matter. It borrows elements from both fields along with other hybrid fields (Steampunk) and pure fields. (Horror) It borrows ideas, notions and philosophies akin to the Cosmic Horror branch (Machen, Lovecraft, Hodgson, Ligotthi, etc) and integrates them into a new whole, resulting in what we could safely call the "New Weird Tale" This explains why Mievilee's grasp of science is so different when compared to the solid understanding of science from established modern science-fiction authors, such as Stephen Baxter, Gerg Egan and Gregory Benford, strictly speaking. Science, in Bas Lang, should be viewed as the explanation of archaic magic, and therefore, science will be archaic, even bogus, not to mention unreal. People seem to complain from just about everything. We need to remember Isaac is a curious and neurotic scientist doing important research; sacrificing the menace in favor of "common sense" not only would seem inappropriate for his character but would have butchered the whole story, which is something Mieville is trying to TELL. Not to mention that the Motley, that multidimensional spider akin to Yog-Sothoth, behaves in a really bizarre manner. We, mere mortals, simply do not understand the inner workings of god-like creatures. That said, Perdido Street Station is a really nice read, highly recommended. It is a view from Hell unlike which we have been given previously. Unlike other hells, this Hell does seem real (Minus the bizarre alien creatures) an industrial wasteland existing in a fascist regime where "morals" are just an invention to get along. Perdido Street Station gives you, in a fictionalized environment, a clear view of our simple nature. We shelter from he menace of the Universe, who is there in all its mighty indifference, and that is precisely what's going on here, in New Crobuzon. Like Tolkien's Middle Earth, the world of Bas Lang is vast and complex. Throughout the book we are given bits and pieces such as Hell, the Fractured Land, the Tourniquet (Or something like that) etc, and none of them are mentioned again, something that has gained the complains of many readers. (As reviews here show) We need to understand that this is a tactic used by many writers, such as Lovecraft, Machen and Tolkien, to give depth to their worlds. There is no doubt Mieville will return to these concepts in latter stories; the existence of this book's sister book, "The Scar", which takes place in the world of Bas Lang, is proof enough that Mieville has more things to say about Bas Lang. Highly recommended for anyone who is tired of generic science fiction, fantasy and horror books that invade the shelves these days. This is neither sci-fi nor fantasy, it's something different.
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Summary: Rich, deep and dark
Review: This is the first "steampunk" novel I've read and I love it. China's descriptions of the city and the characters make me feel as though I'm there and the storyline is not at all cliché or expected. I found myself wishing that I could stay in his world but I'll have to move on to his other books. Unfortunately, I hear that Perdido Street Station is his best.
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Summary: Not fully developed
Review: I have just finished Perdido Street Station, and I am apt to agree with whomever said "The worst thief is a bad book". To borrow from the book, I feel a choice crime has been committed. Mieville is very imaginative, and has come up with a world that is rich (in a pungent, decaying way) and is an interesting take on a steam powered magical society. The characters and the plot are underdeveloped. The text is overly long, and really, a good editor could have checked the book in a couple of hundred words shorter. I have no problem with long works, but sections are repetitive and serve no purpose other than to paint the city with yet another coat of squalor. I know some will feel that plot lines coming and going adds to the mystique, but to me it feels like the author couldn't bring everything together. The story feels frayed, with the addition of new and strange things, just for the sake of novelty. The entire section devoted to the "hand lingers" could have been dropped for example. The writing is not strong, with the feeling of large, obscure words being roughly inserted, for some reason I cannot understand. The authors grasp of science is tenuous (at least, as displayed here), and it seems to be no more than another form of magic, which I suppose it is to many. But maybe I missed the point, perhaps it is meant to be portrayed in an archaic, mystical manner to reflect the state of understanding in industrial revolution-like setting. The book is not difficult, just overly long and not fully realized. It reads like an early draft. In the end, I think Mieville does show talent, and perhaps needs some time to develop further. I will give his next book a try, but I suspect I will put it down if I don't see an improvement.
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Summary: Ignore the hype
Review: Whenever I finish reading a book I always ask myself if it was worth the hours I spent reading it. Unfortunately I have to say NO for Perdido Street Station. The book is clearly imaginative but frequently gets muddled in insiginificant dribble that it would be better off without. At the end of the day, the book didn't challenge me, make me think, make me go wow! It only left me with a sense of wonder about why I wasted so much time on it. Mieville is an author with potential but he's not worth the hype he's been getting. On a side note, I did like Mieville's King Rat. Not challenging in any way but at least it was fun and entertaining.
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Summary: Too much to make a compelling read
Review: I was excited to sample this acclaimed author, and disappointed with the results. As a lover of books and words, I rarely find myself wishing a book would just end, though _Perdido Street Station_ caused much anguish, moaning, and gnashing of teeth as I turned page after page and never seemed any closer to the back cover (in this respect, it reminded me of the only book I never finished, one of Anne Rice's vampire books). I give Mieville considerable credit for imagining an entirely new universe, and for his consistency maintaining it through this novel. However, for every unique and interesting creature I encountered, I stumbled across another that either made no sense whatsoever or seemed created for the sole purpose of conveniently advancing the plot. (The deus ex machina cliche seemed too trite for a review of a steam-punk novel.) I found a number of passages that could benefit from a strong editor reminding the author that he's repeating himself again again, or preaching pedantically about something quite obviously of our world despite Perdido Street Station existing in another. Additionally, a few lengthy passages were clearly included only to extend the life of the universe into other books; these are awkwardly inserted throughout the book and made me feel like I was running down a rathole. I'm not widely read in the steam-punk genre, but would recommend the Sterling/Gibson collaboration on _The Difference Engine_ for readers who want to sample it.
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Summary: Interesting for 3/4 but not wrapped up well
Review: This guy's imagination is really something but it fails him for the last 1/4 of the book. Entire interesting plot lines are just dropped (what happened to the city administration anyway?). Conflicts and ambivalence are a big part of the book the whole way through but they lose meaning when they are caused by the author just not knowing where to go with the story. It is an interesting read, but really unfortunate that the brilliant vision fades out so badly when it came time to tie up story lines.
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Summary: Metamorphoses
Review: In New Crobuzon, Perdido Street Station is the heart, the nexus where all the train lines meet. Yagharek is a garuda who's been judged and lost his wings. He comes to New Crobuzon to find a rogue scientist named Isaac who might be able to help him gain flight again. Isaac is prone to obsessions, and takes on Yagharek's case with gusto. One of his lab specimens is a colorful caterpillar, and when this caterpillar emerges from its cocoon, it sparks a chain of terrifying events that affects not only Isaac and everyone he knows, but the entire city itself. Isaac, Yagharek, and their compatriots find themselves the only defense, and make their stand at Perdido Street Station. The novel is a gorgeous and voluptuous tale that builds upon its layers, building into an enthralling mixture of fantasy, politics, science, horror, and metamorphosis. Miéville's writing does stumble in places, and sometimes the story seems to ramble, but this does not take away from the sheer majestic scope of "Perdido Street Station", nor from the reader's enjoyment. By the final pages, each character transforms and the reader is left astonished and amazed.
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