Perdido Street Station Add a review

Perdido Street Station is a novel by British writer China Miéville, published in 2000 by Macmillan. It is the first in a series set in the fictional world of Bas-Lag, and is followed by the independent works The Scar and Iron Council. It is home to various intelligent races, a form of magic called "thaumaturgy," and a technological and scientific development consistent with the early capitalism of the Industrial Revolution. The novel is set in the city-state of New Crobuzon, a dystopian industrial metropolis characterized by social stratification, economic exploitation, and partial segregation. Xenophobia is rampant, and cruel corporal punishment magically transforms convicts into "remade," a despised class. The dictatorial government is in cahoots with big business and organized crime. The plot centers on the heroes' struggle against colossal winged monsters that threaten the existence of a densely populated city. The protagonist, dissident scientist Isaac Dan der Grimnebulin, seeks a way to destroy the monsters and save his lover, the artist Lin, a member of the beetle-headed khepri race, from a crime boss.

The novel received positive reviews from critics, won several awards including the Arthur C. Clarke award, and attracted the attention of academic researchers. Critics praised the characterization of New Crobuzon, the novel's scale, the detailed and convincing world-building, the author's inventiveness, and the engaging storytelling. Genre-wise, the book combines elements of fantasy, science fiction, horror, and steampunk. The novel has been seen as a left-wing critique of postmodern capitalism (post-Fordism or neoliberalism), as a reflection on cultural diversity, as an exploration of the space of the modern city (including a revision of the classic totalitarian dystopias of Orwell and Zamyatin in the direction of an “urban dystopia”), as a discussion of the problems of racism and racialization, as well as issues affecting group solidarity, utopian alternatives and ethical choice.