May 2012

Are those moldywarpe bones towering over New Crobuzon?

Now there's a thought. But it ain't true, sorry. This ain't a Bas-Lag book. It's more fun than that.

Sham Yes ap Soorap ("Call me Sham") is just a mediocre doctor's assistant aboard the Medes, a moletrain hunting the railsea for, well, you get it--& its one-armed captain is on the lookout for the biggest moldywarpe ever: Mocker-Jack, the great white mole himself!

Yeah, it's kinda like Moby-Dick-with-trains, only it's not, too--far as I know, Ishmael & Ahab didn't go looking for the end of the (rail)sea, & there weren't angels either. Or were there? I haven't read it yet.

Sorry, this review has derailed a bit (har!), but you get the idea: there's a boy named Sham, & he discovers something strange in a wrecked train: somewhere out there, the many many tracks that crisscross the dangerous earth (full of big beasties, antlions & earwigs & moles, oh my) just end--the railsea just stops!--& what lies out there past the edge of the maps where trains don't go is a secret many many trainfolk would kill to find out.

& it's by China Miéville!

& it's got illustrations of giant beasties!

& it's full of ampersands!

& it's a YA novel. I was skeptical when I first heard about it, but quickly converted--it's too fun & playful & adventurous to dislike. It might be one of China's best books in years, too--not that The City and the City or Embassytown weren't also great, but this one is just wicked fun. Which might say something about expectations, since I was skeptical of all those titles (Railsea especially) that turned out great, & the one that excited me most a few years back (Kraken) turned out to be less than good. So I think I should stop judging Miéville's books before they come out, & focus all my time on reading (& enjoying) them as they come.

So, when's the next one? I'm waaaaiting.