Essence Reviews: Perdido Street Station by China Miéville

 

Perdido Street Station by China Miéville is a steampunk novel that takes place in the world of New Crobuzon, which is beneath an ancient, dead beast’s towering ribs. When I stopped reading, Issac and Lin started their unique journeys. Issac is about to attempt to construct wings for a Garuda, a half-bird, half-human creature, named Yagharek, who has come to him for help from the Cymek. 

Lin and Issac’s relationship would be frowned upon in New Crobuzon if people knew about it. Issac is a human and Lin is a khepri. Khepri are not despised as they once were, but there are people and creatures alike who do have prejudices against khepri. Issac seems to be enamored with Lin for who she is, and he can be possessive. However, he does not want to be seen in public with her, and this is a source of contention for Lin, who is unashamed of who she is and what she does. She is proud of her rebellion, whereas Issac is quiet about his. He wants to keep it that way so he can continue to be in the “in-crowd.”

Lin, a self-exiled artist, has been commissioned to create an artwork for a creature only known to her as Mr. Motley. Mr. Motley found Lin through several drug suppliers and was highly impressed with her work. 

Perdido Street Station is populated by a diverse cast of people and creatures. Miéville has created an entire system in this novel and needs all the pages to tell the story. It is a good selection for fans of Charles Dickens, Neal Stephenson, and Franz Kafka, of whom this book is “reminiscent” (from the back cover flap).