BootsnAll Travel Community

Has anyone read this book? It's by China Meiville and is supposed to be high quality, original (not a Tolkien derivative) fantasy. I'm thinking about reading it next.

So, not that anyone showed any interest, but I did read this book. If you want some truly inventive and creative fiction, it's worth a read. It's of the "steampunk" genre, much like "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" with a mix of magic and 19th century technology.

It's got cactus people, people with bugs for heads, giant killer moths that eat your nightmares, flintlock rifle-swinging adventurers, and a giant multi-dimensional spider that speaks in free verse.

He's a very good world crafter and I may have to check out a few of his other works sometime.

I've struggled with (and not finished) The Iron Council, which was on this year's Hugo list, but from the few pages I've read of Perdido Street Station so far, it is fantastically inventive and wonderfully written. I love the way the guy describes a scene and sucks you right in. Good reading for travel writers!