Perdido Street Station (New Crobuzon, #1) in /r/Fantasy Discussion Group

Nov 25, 2010 ♥Xeni♥ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: steampunk, ebook, horror, science-fiction, fiction, fantasy, audiobook, 2011-books-read

The first Miéville book I ever read was The Scar, which is actually the second in the New Crobuzon series. So all I knew of the city that Perdido Street Station takes place in was a bit of vague hints, a lot of mistrust and fear but nothing very concrete. So I knew to be prepared for some really odd things!

At first, I was bored. I started listening to the audiobook version a few months ago, and just couldn't stay focused. I am a science-loving kinda gal, but Grimnebulin bored me. So when I fini The first Miéville book I ever read was The Scar, which is actually the second in the New Crobuzon series. So all I knew of the city that Perdido Street Station takes place in was a bit of vague hints, a lot of mistrust and fear but nothing very concrete. So I knew to be prepared for some really odd things!

At first, I was bored. I started listening to the audiobook version a few months ago, and just couldn't stay focused. I am a science-loving kinda gal, but Grimnebulin bored me. So when I finished Kraken and I wanted another Miéville to devour, I didn't want to go back to Perdido Street Station. But then I figured "some time has past, maybe you'll like it now?" so I found me an ebook, put it on my iPhone and started reading!

Oh what wonders there are in store when not constrained by the slow reading of a narrator! (On a side note, this is why my fourth grade teacher got us all to hate Harry Potter. She took at least 4 sittings on the first chapter alone, and everyone KNOWS how boring that first chapter is!) So, I found myself living in New Crobuzon, day and night, pulled deeper into it's depths with every sentance, every wonderful descriptive passage tossed my way. I still don't really get Isaac (Grimnebulin) but at least now I could enjoy the story.

I do have to admit surprise when the whole story shifted direction from a scientific treastie on Bas-Lag sciences into this type of horror movie, hunting-down-the-bad-beasts show, but in the long run it worked for me. At times I was completely horrified and thinking "there is no way for these dreaming humans to ever win!!" but I trusted that the author would get us through, and find a way to make the good guys win.

I have only a bit more to say on plot, characters and writing style. I love everything that Miéville tossed my way (and unlike a lot of the reviewers on GoodReads, I actually get quite along with his writing style and flair for adjective use. Just consider: we're in a foreign world, where there might be humans, but nothing else is really the same. We need his colorful descriptions to paint the world around us. It is only through his writing that I can actually find myself thouroughly enjoying the story!) As to plot, it was a tad dry, in some parts, which is incredible, considering all the new "discoveries" the characters make along the way. Just the Glasshouse alone, and where it comes into the story (at suh a late moment) is incredible, tht such a monolith existed in this city of unique sections and structures, and Miéville managed to not spoil everything for us at the beginning already. The characters I found a lot less interesting in this book than in others I've read. Lin, the khephri artist was disturbing and just annoying, Isaac was the mad scientist, of whom I kept forgetting that he was such a smart genius most ofthe time since he kept acting so amazing dumb-like, and Yag (the broken Garuda) was interesting at first, and then became more interesting, and then by the end of the book I was annoyed with him to. All the other characters were fun and new and of different races and had interesting depths and really fleshed out the story. Of the most remarkable I will just say: Construct Council.

Last of all, the ending. The whole thing felt a bit like fate to me. After the huge moth thing, I realize that Miéville needed a way to finish the book and patch things up as much as possible, but it just feels poorly done. There could have been a better ending, a more acceptable ending. I am not satisfied with it.

The combination of not quite good enough character and the messy ending lowered this books rating to four stars. The Scar was a lot better, and I'm hoping that Iron Council, the third of the series, will be better as well. ...more

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