Mieville’s first novel is a sequel of sorts to the Pied Piper of Hamelin tale from folklore—with numerous modern twists. Set in London’s Drum and Bass underground music scene, it’s told from the perspective of the half-rat, half-human son of the Rat King.
Mieville combines elements of noir crime fiction, urban fantasy, graphic horror and slipstream street culture. New Weird, indeed.
Not terrible, but not great either. I’d recommend it for completists who want to follow Mieville’s progression as a writer. If you’re just getting into his work, I’d recommend the award winning and awesome Perdido Street Station or Looking for Jake, his collection of short stories.