"...the point where one thing becomes another. It is what makes you, the City,the world, what they are.... the zone where the disparate become part of the whole. The hybrid zone." (Mr. Motley to Lyn). Perdido Street Station by China Miéville.
In Perdido Street Station, Miéville constructs a world where the bizarre and the recognizable often coalesce -- not for the weak of heart, or for that matter the weak of stomach.
New Crobuzon, his characters and their lives all seem to be hybrids -- made of different parts that not always seem to fit together, yet work. They are shocking, but like a car wreck on a highway so fascinating, they make it impossible to look away from the page.
From the characters to New Crobuzon, a character in itself, the world in Perdido Street Station seems to be a place where transitions are blunt and yet become unseen by those who are trapped living the experience.
Ooh, China Mieville has been one of those authors I've been really curious to read, but just haven't gotten to. Both Perdido Street Station, and his YA, Un Lun Dun look really interesting!
ReplyDeleteI know! Mieville has been on my radar for quite a while. I purchased The City and The City, but then decided to just begin with Perdido... which I really, wanted to read first. So far, it has been worth it. ^_^
ReplyDeleteI had The City and The City from the library but had to send it back before I could read it. :( Abby, my teen, read Un Lun Dun and really enjoyed it! I'll need to give Perdido Street Station a try.
ReplyDeleteLeslie, I'm finding it a fascinating read... if you do give it a try, I'd love to hear your thoughts on it. :)
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