Perdido Street Station

A short, simple, and informal review from a casual reader

Wow. Amazing book, and I loved it! I have never read anything so original and refreshing. The world-building in this book is like nothing I've ever seen. I can't even begin to tell you how unique it is. There is nothing like the world of Bas-Lag. It's a mixture of original and compelling ideas, in its own category of hard fantasy, bordering on surreal. It's a dark kind of whimsical world...it gave me sort of twisted Alice in Wonderland vibes, in a way. The species, the city, the creatures, the culture...fantastic. It's a unique form of steampunk...I almost want to call it grimepunk. This book is absolutely brimming with some of the most creative concepts I've ever come across, and it's definitely my favorite part of the book.

Onto the prose, Mieville's imagery is superb. There is a kind of griminess and grittiness in New Crobuzon that feels so tangible. I swear, I could smell the rancid odor of the city and feel the dirt underneath my fingernails. It's probably one of the most vivid reading experiences I have ever known. The way Mieville writes is almost poetic in a way, maybe a bit too purple but it really feels like some sort of dream. Every single one of the five senses is touched upon in his descriptions.

I had heard that there were some horrific elements in this book, not quite a horror novel but definitely horror aspects. I can agree. Some parts of this book are very unsettling, other parts are filled with dread. I'm not usually a horror reader, but I was able to enjoy the still enjoy it. Some parts got extremely intense, but in conjunction with everything else, it was a thrilling ride.

Onto my criticisms. !!!Spoilers ahead!!!

As with all long books, some parts feel a bit meandering. There are tiny plot points in the book that I feel were nothing more than fluff. It wasn't too bad, since it did give a chance to explore more aspects of the city, which I loved. But do be warned this is a pretty long book with branching plot threads.

I thin my biggest gripe with the book overall is the ending. Endings are probably the hardest thing to get down in a book. Even the great Stephen King himself is a victim of subpar endings to great stories. Perdido Street Station is no exception to me. The ending felt very unsatisfying. Call me old-fashioned, but I like endings that have a payoff. Whether it's a sad ending or a happy ending, I want to at least feel like the journey was worth it at the end. I've read that Mieville did this on purpose to show that protagonists don't always win, or that things don't always end up wrapped up in satisfying ends. I agree with the first part, but with the second part...I'm not sure I really agree with that. My argument is that...it's a book. It's a self-contained narrative written for an audience. If I end the book with a “huh, that's it?” it makes me more frustrated than anything. Especially since, considering for the particular characters and narrative in this book, it's not like they're continued in another book in the series. It just peters out. I guess Mieville is making a statement that just doesn't jive with me.

All in all, an excellent book and one of my favorites. One of my most memorable reads and a world that I've fallen in love with. I will end this review by declaring that New Crobuzon would be a great setting for a mini comic-book series or a graphic novel!