No one can set the atmosphere of his stories with a few well-placed descriptions like China Mieville. It's a gruesome, disturbing reality that Saul Garamond is sucked into when he meets the King of Rats to support him in his fight against the Piper of Hamelin, and it's the underworld of London, the literal sewers as well as the subculture of Drum'n'Bass, that serves as their battlefield.

The story is not the most intricate, but even in this debut Mievielle proves that he is first and foremost a master wordsmith. The vividness of his environments and the depth of his characters is not so much one of ideas, but of presentation, resulting in a story to fall into. He could probably make the life of an oak tree an intricate story. ( )

A clunky read at times (as I have often found Miéville's books to be )
but... what a brilliant ending! The protagonist manages to turn the tables on the villain in the most complete and satisfying way - and it is all conveyed in a single sentence - obliterated, wiped out, tabula rasa, dead parrot! - he manages to destroy everything the villain stands for and worked towards during all of the narration and he does it with a single gesture, remaining completely in character, true to his life and beliefs and "honoring the father" (his real father, the one who brought him up, duh), his true roots, - pure genius.

This is Young Adult???!!! ( )

The radio existed to communicate. But here it was failing, it had gone rogue, it had forgotten its purpose like the piano, and the people could not reclaim the city.

A few weeks ago I listened to a London Review podcast of Miéville
reading a story about the immolation of animals. It was certainly the New Weird, the images clung to me, no doubt enhanced by his nuanced delivery. Miéville said he found the story a child of Austerity. I liked that. I suppose a YA audience would like the milieu of King Rat, whereas I did not. I hated the book. It is lad lit expressing daddy issues. It is a clumsy reworking of a few myths with the virtual art of Drum and Bass spot-welded on board to provide urban edge. I read this as a part of a group read but I was afraid to spoil the collective mood with my face-palming and kvetching. I expected much more from that strangely talented author.
( )

This urban grunge fantasy is Mieville's debut novel and the first of his works I've read. This is a riff on the Pied Piper of Hamlin and is imaginative and fast-paced. The language is delightful as is the imagery. The plot, however, is entirely predictable and there is one clear flaw in the plot, having to do with the protagonist's ability to resist the Rat Catcher's tune when no one else can. Still, it's a fun and fast read, and shows Mieville's developing talent. I'll read more of his work. ( )