The twin strengths of this book are the drenchingly dense language and the products of Mieville’s imagination. I love Mieville’s use of language in his descriptions—in some sections, every word drips with meaning. And the world that he’s created is stunningly rich. Even if the story and characters weren’t well done (which they are), reading the book would be worth it just for the exploration of the the city of New Crobuzon and, by extension, the world of Bas-Lag.

Another library book experiment…