Book Review: Perdido Street Station
I recently finished reading the book Perdidio Street Station by China Mieville and thought I would write up a review. It’s difficult to find a place to start about the book as it is complicated to explain. The novel takes place in the fictional city of New Corbuzon which is like a nightmarish amalgamation of London. The setting could be considered “steam punk” because magic and technology exist side by side. The technology consists of steam powered engines and clockwork run machines. The most impressive thing about the novel is convincing fictional world mieville creates with his words. It is very easy for the reader to visualize the ancient city with its many diverse cultures living together in a seething metropolis. Mieville is so detailed in his descriptions that it can be a nuisance at some point and the reader my skim over some of his more gregarious descriptions but overall they help to set the mood of the book.
The story of the novel is no less bizarre then the setting. Scientist Issac Dan van Grembulin is contracted by a Gerduda, who are a bird people, to help him to fly again. The Geruda’s wings have been amputated and Issac is one of the preeminent scientists on crisis energy which can be used to do just about anything its control wants it to. While researching the flying problem Issac studies many flying creatures, amongst one of which is an unusual caterpillar. He raises the caterpillar and when it finally emerges from its cocoon, it transforms into a creature that terrorizes New Corbuzon and Issac and the other characters spend the rest of the novel trying to stop it.
There are many bizarre characters in the novel. Issac’s girlfriend Lin is a Kephri who are a race of women with beetles for heads. There is also the Vodoynoi race who are a frog like people who can telepathically manipulate water. The re-made are the most strange beings humans or other races physically altered with manchinery or other weird appendages being added to their body for work or punishment purposes.
Over all Perdido Street Station is an excellent read with a very original and interesting storyline. Pick it up and you won’t be disappointed