Riveting and thought-provoking

This one was really hard to put down. I know I will be thinking about it for weeks to come. There are many complex characters and themes to consider.

I was surprised at who had the final word.

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Worth Diving In

Many of the reviews I read on here before picking this up spoke negatively about how "gross" this book is, and honestly they're not wrong. Miéville describes the monstrous races of New Crobuzon with an unflinching scientific eye. Ever wanted to know how a bug-human hybrid woman has inter-species sex? Too bad, because Miéville is going to fill you in on the mechanics. While this kind of exploration sounds, and often is, rather off-putting, it's also undeniably interesting. Once you get past the initial 'ick' factor you begin to appreciate the fascinating ecosystem that is New Crobuzon.

Miéville's writing is generally excellent. His prose is often baroque and verbose, but in a way that complements the world and the story. Over the top phrases like "psychic effluvia" tend to be endearing rather than distracting. The characters are interesting and well rounded, and the world itself is rendered in ultra high definition. There's a literary depth and quality on display in Perdido Street Station that I don't usually expect from fantasy novels.

I found John Lee's narration to be a little much at first, as he seemed to be over-enunciating in an affected way, but I came to see that this was actually an apt interpretation of the written style. Lee's reading here is top-notch, particularly his dialogue, which really makes these characters jump off the page.

At the end of the day Miéville has created a strange and wondrous world that is worth diving into, not despite, but because of the disgusting abominations that await you there.

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loved it

Fantastic story, great narrator. One of my favourite authors telling a compelling story. The characters are diverse, complicated, and extremely unique.

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Not what I'd ordinarily read...

I blind picked this book as it was narrated by John Lee.
It takes a little while to get into but then is compelling.
Enjoy!

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Imaginative triumph

One of the most imaginative books I’ve ever encountered. Filled with novel characters, ideas and poetics. Combining science, philosophy and a steam-punk type feel with exciting world building and a good story. The voice actor, too, was absolutely phenomenal. I will look for more books from both this author and this reader.

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Dark depressing yet consistently entertaining

Dark. Not for the faint of heart. Gritty to the point of obsession with filthy details. Over arching story line is constantly exciting, well fleshed, and satisfying however. The narrator is the best I have ever heard.

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Interesting but depressing and a bit confusing

China Miéville is a fantastic writer (literally, as well as figuratively) and I loved The City And The City in particular. This book however felt as if it was trying to do too much at once, and the result is a bit confusing. Miéville also clearly does not believe in happy endings; almost all the books I've read include a character (or more than one) coming to a sad ending that could, if the author have wanted, been written much more happily. This book's no exception and the end of some of the characters is fairly depressing. So... torn between four stars, for the amazing writing and imaginative setting, and three stars because it was just not an enjoyable or happy book in many ways.

New Crobuzon is a strange, mixed, alien city with many things left unexplained. A mix of "normal" humans and other races all live here together in the shadow of the ribs of some enormous dead creature that is never fully explained. The acceptable punishment for crimes appears to be to turn offenders over to be "remade", literally have their form changed to punish them. So convicted criminals may have limbs removed (or added), new body parts grafted on, unspeakable disfigurations, and often apparently just for the sadistic fun of those doing it. There's great poverty, massive corruption, and a strange magic system never entirely explained.

The book centers mainly around Isaac, a "scientist" studying chaos magic who is hired by a Garuda outlaw to try and restore the wings that were removed as a punishment for a past crime, and Lin, his non-human girlfriend who cannot speak (like all her insect race) and who is hired to create a statue of one of the most powerful drug lords in New Crobuzon. As Lin and Isaac get more deeply involved in their separate commissions they're initially pulled apart more, but then together again as the separate worlds they've been working in start to cross. Add in a somewhat confusing awakening of sapient robots and vicious mass-murdering slake moths that hypnotize their prey with mesmerizing wing patterns, and the whole plot gets quite complicated and probably longer than really necessary until it reaches a conclusive but deeply depressing end.

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Rich tapestry and fantastic world building

I first read “Perdido Street Station” years ago and remember enjoying it very much! The audiobook version expands on that to bring the story to life by presenting the richness of the world building and character development that China Miéville has created. The story is weaved together and full of imagery, ideas, characters, and concepts that are both familiar and strange. This is a book that will challenge your suspension of disbelief, but I believe but if you let it take you where it’s going, you will thoroughly enjoy the voyage. I wish I could give it more than five stars!

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Disgusting

I gave it a try, but this isn't for me. Everything about the world created in this book is disgusting. From the first pages people are spitting everywhere, swimming in rotten water, oozing goop all over the place. The writing is a bit too vivid for me, and I found myself consistently grossed out and turning it off. I don't want to know about a world like that.

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