355- ] English Literature - China Mieville

355- ] English Literature

China Mieville

China Miéville's books: a guide 

Iron Council

by China Miéville  

The thrilling third novel in China Miévile’s Bas-Lag series, in Iron Council the city of New Crobuzon is being attacked from all sides. Locked in war with city-state Tesh and with tensions threatening to bubble into civil war at home, New Crobuzon is on the brink of being destroyed forever. Will the mysterious Iron Council, a band of rebels who stole a train and created their own society, return to help save the city?

China Miéville’s standalone novels

King Rat

by China Miéville

First published in 1998, King Rat is China Miéville’s eerie and otherworldly debut novel. A reimagining of the Pied Piper folktale set within the dark underground tunnels of London, King Rat stars Saul, a man searching for who is behind his father's murderer––a crime he is wrongly accused of. Weaving the lore of what lurks in London’s underground tunnels with the city’s legendary 1990s drum and bass music scene, King Rat is a love letter to Miéville's home city.

Un Lun Dun

by China Miéville

Published in 2007, Miéville’s first foray into the young adult genre was ahead of its time with its revisionist approach. When Zanna is revealed as the ‘Shwazzy’ – the ‘chosen one’ of London’s fantasy counterpart, Un Lun Dun – she and her best friend Deeba answer the call to defend that city from the evil Smog. After Zanna gives up, Deeba takes the quest on herself. Un Lun Dun features a quirky, rebellious, ‘ordinary’ girl who tackles The Big Bad with smarts and perseverance. She’s the hero despite the Prophesy, not because of it. As well as the carnivorous giraffes, Un Lun Dun also features oddly adorable sentient rubbish – including a seriously cuddly milk carton. For fans of Patrick Ness’s The Rest of Us Just Live Here, Rainbow Rowell’s Carry On, or anyone who enjoys a great story that entertains the reader while upending tropes.

The City & The City

by China Miéville

A mind-bending tale of two cities which exist alongside each other in the same time and space, this book has won numerous awards and has been likened to that cornerstone of dystopian fiction 1984. China Miéville combines crime fiction with the metaphysical in this strange and gripping tale of murder and conspiracy.