Helpful Score: 3
A marvel of dark fantasmagoria and a most colorful collection or potpourri of intriguing ideas.. It may be worth heeding other reviewer's warning - the first half of the book are truly fantastic. As others have said, the action in the second half, while moderately intriguing and competent, flattens and simplifies the marvelous portrait. Nevertheless worth reading.
Helpful Score: 1
Really good - even better than Perdido Street Station. Disturbing, tense and unpredictable.
Helpful Score: 1
China Mieville writes a good book. The plots and subplots are all tied together well and resolved properly. His imaginative world of Bas-Lag is excellent--incredible creatures, good and bad characters, and impressive cities. His writing is descriptive and sometime overly so. The book will keep your attention for the most part but sometimes is too dense in description and ideas that don't move the plot. Overall, an excellent book--I recommend reading Perdido Street Station first but it is not necessary.
Helpful Score: 1
Mieville is the consummate world builder. What great creativity. Recommend this highly along with his Perdido Street Station.
Helpful Score: 1
2nd novel set in the same world as Perdido Street Station and Iron Council; not as terrifying as the first, but fascinating nonetheless. Great writing style - lush and Dickensian.
