Un Lun Dun

[ravenus]

Finished this book a few days back and I thought it was pretty damn good on the whole, given the genre. It starts off somewhat disappointingly in the tired "Alice in Wonderland meets Heroic Quest Fantasy" that more than one author has employed when they write a "children's" book, and characters like the propheseers and the binja run below the expected mark of creativity from one such as Mieville , but the story does a lot better as it gets on and deserves a good bit of applause for the deviations it takes from the standard heroic fairy tale for kiddies.

Of course some of the stuff, like the smog powered axe-wielding zombies or the Bird-Man character Cavea, calls for a bit of caution if your l'il 'uns have weak stomachs. But really, it's all good in the long run, teaches 'em that life is not all roses and candy

I'll probably do a more detailed tak on it sometime but in the meanwhile, others that have read this book do please chime in with your views.

 

[Pyan]

I really enjoyed it - at first I was a bit sceptical (China Mieville? Writing Young Adult fiction??) but I was pleasantly suprised by it.

I agree that the beginning was a bit slowly, but once we got into the tale of the Unchosen, it really took off. And I don't think you can beat Mieville for imaginative invention at the moment.

Recommended √√√√½

 

[Connavar]

I really enjoyed it - at first I was a bit sceptical (China Mieville? Writing Young Adult fiction??) but I was pleasantly suprised by it.

I agree that the beginning was a bit slowly, but once we got into the tale of the Unchosen, it really took off. And I don't think you can beat Mieville for imaginative invention at the moment.

Recommended √√√√½

Have you read The King Rat ? I wanted to read a stand alone of his to try this author. I wondered if this book was a better start to CM than King Rat.

There arent many library books of his in town and they have this book.

 

[Anthony G Williams]

China Miéville is a highly regarded new British SFF author but I'd never read any of his work, so I decided to pick up a copy of Un Lun Dun, which has received good reviews. I was initially somewhat disconcerted to read in the introduction that it was his first novel for "younger readers"; something I hadn't been aware of when I bought it. However, I am aware that this category includes some of the best fiction past and present, so after a few mental and physical warm-up exercises (the book has over 500 pages) I got stuck in.

The location is London, the time is the present, the focus on a pair of schoolgirl friends to whom unusual things seem to be happening. There are signs and portents that one of them - Zanna - is the subject of intense interest not just from strangers but from animals too. Together with her friend, the reluctant Deeba, she follows her instincts and the pair find themselves in a strange, distorted and magical version of the city: Un Lun Dun. It is filled with all of the rubbish which has been discarded by London, with houses built of old washing machines or gramophone records, and populated by an extraordinary mixture of fantastic individuals including ghosts and ferocious carnivorous giraffes. Red double-decker buses drift across the sky supported by balloons, while the London Eye (the UnLondon-I) is a giant water-wheel generating electricity.

This fantastical world is under threat - from the deadly Smog, which has grown so thick that it has developed a malign intelligence and aims to take over all of Un Lun Dun. Zanna turns out to be the Chosen One, long prophesied in a revered and rather talkative Book to be the agent of the Smog's destruction. She collects a disparate group of allies and begins to fulfil the prophecies.

So far, just a different take on a predictable plot. But the story doesn't stay predictable for long, with twist after twist throughout the novel, right to the end. To say any more would spoil the surprises, but suffice it to say that I read the book in only three sessions and finished with a smile on my face. It has likeable heroes and is packed full of original ideas; I particularly enjoyed the UnGun!

Stories like this make a stark contrast with most modern fantasy, which has become very derivative if not hackneyed. I will be reading more from this author.

(An extract from my SFF blog)

 

[Stephen Palmer]

Nice one! It's a great book, for sure.

 

[coolerthanhot]

I wanted to read a stand alone of his to try this author. QUOTE]


All of his books are standalone so that shouldnt be an issue for you =)

 

[Adasunshine]

Have you read The King Rat ? I wanted to read a stand alone of his to try this author. I wondered if this book was a better start to CM than King Rat.

There arent many library books of his in town and they have this book.

I loved King Rat, it was the first book I read by Mr Mieville. Excellent take on the Pied Piper.

As for Un Lun Dun, I finished this a few days ago, my night shifts proved the perfect setting for reading this little gem. It did take a while to get into and I couldn't help but like Deeba over Zanna from the very start and was glad when she became the Unchosen.

All in all a very good read if a little unoriginal in its origins. Some excellent ideas and characters. Would definitely recommend. 4/5

xx