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Perdido Street Station: A Bas-Lag Novel 1
Perdido Street Station: A Bas-Lag Novel 1 | China Miville
The metropolis of New Crobuzon sprawls at the centre of its own bewildering world. Humans and mutants and arcane races throng the gloom beneath its chimneys, where the rivers are sluggish with unnatural effluent, and factories and foundries pound into the night. For more than a thousand years, the parliament and its brutal militia have ruled over a vast array of workers and artists, spies, magicians, junkies and whores. Now a stranger has come, with a pocketful of gold and an impossible demand, and inadvertently something unthinkable is released. Soon the city is gripped by an alien terror - and the fate of millions depends on a clutch of outcasts on the run from lawmakers and crime-lords alike. The urban nightscape becomes a hunting ground as battles rage in the shadows of bizarre buildings. And a reckoning is due at the city's heart, in the vast edifice of Perdido Street Station. It is too late to escape. 'A work of exhaustive inventiveness...superlative fantasy' Time Out 'A well-written, authentically engrossing adventure story, exuberantly full of hocus-pocus... Mieville does not disappoint' Daily Telegraph
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review
HeyT
Perdido Street Station | China Miville
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Pickpick

I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. The worldbuilding is weird in a good way. But the ending was a mess and it could have used a little bit more editing. Recommend the audio as well.

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Twainy
Perdido Street Station | China Miville
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I just got The Broken Binding signed special edition in the mail. Love it! ♥️The spredges are fabulous.

vivastory Whoa..... 8mo
AmyG Beautiful 🤩 8mo
Jari-chan I'm so jealous 😍 8mo
24 likes3 comments
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The_Penniless_Author
Perdido Street Station | China Miville
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#Two4Tuesday @TheSpineView

1. Perdido Street Station
2. No (I only read two books in May, but at least I finished them both 😁).

Tag @RaeLovesToRead @eeclayton @dabbe @Yuki_Onna @CBee @ImperfectCJ @BarbaraBB

CBee Thanks for the tag! 😊 1y
dabbe #ditto what CBee said! 🤩😍🤗 1y
TheSpineView Thanks for playing!📖📘📚 1y
eeclayton Thanks for the tag 🙂 1y
33 likes1 stack add4 comments
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The_Penniless_Author
Perdido Street Station | China Miville
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Pickpick

This book was my companion on our many shinkansen rides while in Japan, and I finally finished it up today. Right up there with the best world-building novels I've read. New Crobuzon is a rotting, festering, open-sore of a city, a sprawling slum where both futuristic and primitive, steampunk-like technology rub shoulders with surreal scientific disciplines that border on magic. Reminds me a little of Gene Wolfe, esoteric vocabulary included.

eeclayton I DNF'd this after about 200 pages, I just couldn't face 600 more pages of this weirdness. But I agree the world building is one of a kind. 1y
The_Penniless_Author @eeclayton It is an unrelentingly grim, gruesome place, I'll give you that. Certainly not the fictional setting I'd choose to live in. I wasn't surprised to learn that Mieville is an avowed anti-capitalist. New Crobuzon is basically what you would get in end-stage capitalism, where people are just resources to be exploited. Pretty dark and gross at times, for sure! 1y
54 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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Twainy
Perdido Street Station | China Miville
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Pickpick

🎧 I read this based on a recommendation. It‘s well written! The world is realllly interesting & well defined!

The narrator was good but I think reading the book might have given me a better experience as I never connected or loved/hated any of the characters.

The world is fantastically strange! Don‘t investigate. Read it for that!!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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Lindy
Perdido Street Station | China Miville
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I compute, therefore I am.

(Image from Shaun Tan‘s Creature.)

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Lindy
Perdido Street Station | China Miville
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Pickpick

This epic fantasy is a wild and wondrous ride, fully deserving of the many awards it has garnered. I was fully immersed in a steam-powered world shared by humans, bird people, insect people, frog people, cactus people and conscious metal constructs, and their love, loyalties and betrayals. 24 hours in audiobook, superbly performed by John Lee.

KathyWheeler I‘ve had this book for years but haven‘t read it. I bought it right after I read The City and the City, which I love. 2y
Lindy @KathyWheeler I read the City and the City years ago and loved it too. I‘m glad I finally got to this one. 😊 2y
KathyWheeler @Lindy I think I might make it a point to read it this year. 2y
31 likes1 stack add4 comments
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Lindy
Perdido Street Station | China Miville
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The image is from Shaun Tan‘s Creature: Paintings, Drawings and Reflections. It suits the mood of Miéville‘s Perdido Street Station perfectly: strange creatures, living feathered cheek by metal jowl, and dirigibles in the airspace.

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Lindy
Perdido Street Station | China Miville
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Recent Reads January 17: Queer TBR Tackle; Canada Reads; Immigrants; Monsters; Retellings; and a really long audiobook

https://youtu.be/j9jaZPkbUNY

31 likes1 stack add
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allyblue

Finding this much easier to get into than any other Mieville book - it usually takes a couple of chapters for my brain to synch with his writing style. The story is just as compelling as other Mieville books, but I'm finding the lead protagonist almost entirely unlikeable. Interesting that the non-human character, Lyn, feels much more likeable and sympathetic than the human character Isaac - who is a dick.

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Lizpixie
Perdido Street Station | China Miville
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My time so far for the #JoyousJanuary #readathon is not great. So busy with The Great Library Clean plus spending time with my grandsons that reading has been put on the back burner😱I know. Bonus though is that once we‘re done,I‘ll be able to put my hands on any book that takes my fancy coz they‘ll be where they‘re supposed to be for a change! Taking a break from this really wordy SFF for now,might do a reread or a novella instead. #JumpStart2022

Andrew65 Doing great 👏👏👏 3y
38 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Lizpixie
Perdido Street Station | China Miville
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For the 2nd #WeekendReading of 2022 I‘m still working my way through Perdido Street Station, a Speculative Fiction set on the world of Bas-Lag in the city of New Crobuzon,a dingy metropolis peopled by numerous species from all over the galaxy.When a scientist unwittingly lets loose an alien terror, the city explodes with violence. It‘s a strange story but very compelling so far though not much reading was done today coz of The Great Library Clean!

Andrew65 Have a good weekend of reading. 3y
40 likes1 comment
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Lizpixie
Perdido Street Station | China Miville
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One hour into the #JoyousJanuary #readathon and I‘m only on Chapter Three.I‘m liking it but it‘s very word heavy so far “Lin‘s escapades-broadly hinted at, never denied, never made explicit-would be the subject of louche discussion and innuendo. Her love-life was an avant-garde transgression” So it‘s taking a bit more concentration to read but a lot of SciFi,especially classic SciFi, is like that.How are you doing in the first hour? #JumpStart2022

DrexEdit This one is well worth sticking with, if you can. Good Luck! 👍 3y
Andrew65 Hope you are enjoying the book. 3y
34 likes2 comments
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eeclayton
Perdido Street Station | China Miville
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Bailedbailed

I really wanted to like this book, but every page was a struggle for me. I admit the world building was breathtaking, but it was like nothing but world building; and even after 200 pages, the wtf/page ratio was too high for my taste.
DNFed at 25%.

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TobeyTheScavengerMonk
Perdido Street Station | China Miville
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Truly one of my favorite covers of all time.

#bird #CuriousCovers @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs

Eggs Brilliant 💙🐦💙 3y
56 likes1 comment
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swynn
Perdido Street Station | China Miville
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1. Tagged. But also: Annihilation, City of Stairs, Dune, Geek Love, The Anubis Gates, the Chanur series ...

2. Probably Approximately Correct by Leslie Valiant

#Two4Tuesday

Suet624 Dune 💕💕💕💕 4y
TheSpineView Thanks for playing! 4y
20 likes2 comments
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TCLinrow
Perdido Street Station | China Miville
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Mehso-so

Maybe it was just me, maybe I missed something important somewhere along the way, but I couldn't keep track of what was going on half the time even when I tried going back over sections. It felt to me more like a series of short stories haphazardly strapped together and roughly attached to a central plot than a cohesive book.

TCLinrow The characters were good, and the writing itself was beautifully prosaic at times, which was something of a saving grace for the story for me at least, but there just was something missing for me and the whole thing was just foggy. 4y
48 likes1 comment
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Jari-chan
Perdido Street Station | China Miville
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Bookish song Nr. 16: Rockefeller Street

Me: I want a song for Perdido Street Station
Deezer: Here you go.

And I saw all the streets, the lights, the monsters and souls living in this special city and above all: Perdido Street Station.

#BooksAndMusic

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Jari-chan
Perdido Street Station | China Miville
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Pickpick

Wow, what an experience! I've only ever heard the name of the book, but had no clue about it. Happily I've finally read it!

This book is special, different. It's dark, it's touching, it's though, it's soft. I never knew what would happen next. The city is fascinating, the characters are das, the plot is fascinating.

What I missed in the German edition was a glossary, but at least it had a cool map 🗺

Readergrrl I loved this novel! 4y
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swynn
Perdido Street Station | China Miville
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#20Series20Days: Bas-Lag

Fantasy, politics, and weird fiction. This is the series that introduced me to China Miéville and I'm so glad it did. I think I feel a re-read coming.

@Andrew65

Ruthiella I‘ve only read The City and the City by Mieville. I want to read more for sure! 4y
Andrew65 These look great. 4y
Zoes_Human My husband and I reading The Scar to each other now. Lucious language and a wonderful story. 4y
swynn @Ruthiella @Andrew65 @Zoes_Human Yes! Such a great author, such a great series. 4y
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TobeyTheScavengerMonk
Perdido Street Station | China Miville
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@Clwojick

🌟 - I can‘t fathom why anyone on the planet would ever want or need to read this mess.
🌟🌟 - I was actively bothered, but hey, someone out there in this wide world might enjoy it.
🌟🌟🌟 - Solid. Did what it set out to do. A balance of good & bad.
🌟🌟🌟🌟 - I enjoyed myself thoroughly, though I have nitpicks.
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 - I will carry it in my heart for all time, & feel a rush of happiness when I see it on my shelf or in the wild.

candority Love your explanations! 4y
marleed I love your system! 4y
Cupcake12 A great system! Xx 4y
nicebicycle Perfect! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4y
52 likes4 comments
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effani
Perdido Street Station | China Miville
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My area is experiencing an invasion of moths right now (good info at https://extension.colostate.edu/docs/pubs/insect/millermoths.pdf). My cat, who thinks moths are fun, is delighted, but the humans not so much.

Meanwhile I'm having a sudden urge to reread Perdido Street Station, a book about terrifying, giant evil moths.

20 likes1 stack add
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Lizpixie
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Kicking off my #MarchBookHaul which was also my #BirthdayBookHaul with a classic SF novel which was recommended when I searched for books like Neuromancer by William Gibson. Isaac is an eccentric scientist in the city of New Crobuzon, spending his life working on his research. But then the Garuda, a half human half bird creature comes to him with a request, and Isaac can‘t resist his curiosity, not realising what it will unleash.

vivastory I got this one for Xmas, but haven't read it yet. I love these covers! 5y
53 likes1 comment
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emz711
Perdido Street Station | China Miville
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Getting real weird
#kafka-esque

j9brown I read this years ago and still think about how weird it was sometimes! 5y
40 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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JCPaulk
Perdido Street Station | China Miville
Pickpick

Slow going at first as the reader's mind gets adjusted to the fever dream quality of the work, but my, is it entertaining!

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Readergrrl
Perdido Street Station | China Miville
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Pickpick

A reread for me: Miéville never disappoints! Meeting Issac and Lin, Yagharek and Derkhan, while sinking into the steampunk world of New Crobuzon thrilled me as much as I remembered it did the 1st time. I was equal parts horrified, entranced, and enthralled with Miéville‘s writing. Can‘t wait to reread The Scar so that I can read the third book of the trilogy, The Iron Council, for the first time! Fantastic mix of scifi, fantasy, and horror! 5/5⭐️

Swe_Eva Miéville‘s mind is such a wondrous thing. ? 5y
TheAromaofBooks I love rereading books to get to the newest in a series! It's so fun to revisit favorite characters and anticipate the unknown!! :-) 5y
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Expandingbookshelf
Perdido Street Station | China Miville
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Pickpick

A disgruntled scientist and his allies—including a de-winged hawkperson, steampunk cyborgs, a bug-headed artist, and a badger—all tackle a corrupt government. And nightmarish dream-eating insects. Also robot mobsters, the Ambassador of Hell, swashbuckling mantis-armed bandits, shapeless horrors, and Devices That Tamper With the Stuff of Reality. An absolute blast

Djspens I'm not sure about the book lol but the flight looks good!! 6y
speljamr Love this book! 6y
vivastory Your review reminds me that I'm overdue to read some Miéville 6y
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Bookcation74 Nightshift! 🍻 6y
Expandingbookshelf @Bookcation74 I love Nightshift! They just opened a new location near The Garden 👍🏻🍺 6y
Expandingbookshelf @vivastory You‘ve got to get on it! 6y
11 likes1 stack add7 comments
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SincerelyWinona
Perdido Street Station | China Miville
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I have to work this weekend, so I‘m not formally participating in #24in48 this time around, but I did send my class to the computer lab so I could catch up on a little reading!

#guiltypleasure #teaching #englishteaching #ESL #ESLteaching #24in48Readathon #badteacher

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SincerelyWinona
Perdido Street Station | China Miville
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Fresh 2019 book tracker! Hopefully I can fill in a book or two on my flights back to Indonesia. Starting off the year with some China Miéville.

#BulletJournal #BuJo #booktracker #books2019 #booksof2019 #2019books #bookgoals #bujotracker

Crazeedi Love!❤👍 6y
BookishMarginalia That‘s gorgeous!! 6y
Heideschrampf I love this design! 6y
See All 9 Comments
Cinfhen Love your #BuJo design 🙌🏻💕 6y
Chelleo 😍😍😍 6y
SincerelyWinona @BookishMarginalia thank you so much! 6y
SincerelyWinona @Heideschrampf thanks! I found a similar one on Pinterest and then just recreated my own version. So I can‘t take full credit. 😊 6y
SincerelyWinona @Cinfhen Thanks! ☺️ 6y
BookBabe That‘s awesome! 🙌🏻 6y
28 likes9 comments
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shadowspeak17
Perdido Street Station | China Miville
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Pickpick

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This book grabbed me and had me hooked from the first paragraph. The world building was fantastic and was probably my favorite aspect of the novel. The city actually felt like a real place. I loved the first half. The second half dragged at times and I found some of the characters and aspects of the plot a bit lacking, but this was still a great read.

#booked2018 #steampunk #catsoflitsy #Ember

Cinfhen I‘ve always been curious about this title..not sure if I‘ll like it...gonna try #libraryRoute 6y
alisiakae 😻😻😻 6y
BarbaraTheBibliophage Good job! I have this on my shelf and just haven‘t gotten to it ... 6y
TK421 This is in my I finally have to read it pile to start off 2019. 6y
54 likes1 stack add4 comments
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shadowspeak17
Perdido Street Station | China Miville
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I‘d hoped to read 25 books this year, but last night I finished the tagged book and hit 50! 😄🎉🎊

#goodreadschallenge #2018stats

Librarybelle Congratulations! 6y
robinb Yay!!! Way to go, girl! 🎉🎉🎉👏👏👏👏🙌🏼🙌🏼 6y
kellyann28 Congrats!! That is awesome! 6y
See All 11 Comments
BridgetteM Congratulations! 🎊🎈🎉 6y
Reggie Congratulations!!! 6y
britt_brooke 🙌🏻🙌🏻 6y
WanderingBookaneer Brava! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 6y
JoScho Yay! 🎉💜🎉💜🎉 6y
hes7 Yay! 🎉 6y
Jas16 🙌🏽 6y
cocomass Well done! 🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽 6y
49 likes11 comments
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shadowspeak17
Perdido Street Station | China Miville
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As I expected, I haven‘t gotten much reading time in this month, so I‘ve been reading this book very very slowly. I‘m so close to finishing though. Just three chapters left! 😄

GrilledCheeseSamurai I've been thinking about a re-read of this. 👍 6y
39 likes1 comment
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shadowspeak17
Perdido Street Station | China Miville
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I‘m feeling like I‘m not going to end up getting much reading in this month because of Christmas, but that‘s alright. I‘ve read 49 books this year (a personal record!) which I‘m very happy about. So my goal for the month is just to finish reading this book and bring my total up to 50. If I get more in, great, but if not, 50 sounds like a nice number to end the year on. 😃👍🏽

robinb Congratulations! 🎉🎉🎉 It sounds like a perfect number! 6y
40 likes1 comment
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shadowspeak17
Perdido Street Station | China Miville
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#Phoenix decided to be my reading buddy tonight. #catsoflitsy

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shadowspeak17
Perdido Street Station | China Miville
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Yay, it‘s here! Thank you so much, @Schlinkles! 😄

#bookmailisthebestmail #catsoflitsy #Phoenix

Schlinkles You‘re quite welcome! Cute kitty! 6y
TobeyTheScavengerMonk Oooooo this is one of my favorite books ever! My Miéville gateway drug! Enjoy! 6y
Sace Oh what a beautiful cat! 6y
43 likes3 comments
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GrilledCheeseSamurai
Perdido Street Station | China Miville
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⚡Air Ship.
⚡Left arm.
⚡Owl.
⚡Tagged book.

#FandomFriday
@LibrarianRyan

TK421 I have this book, but haven't read it yet. I think I'll move it up higher on tbr mountain. 6y
KJHowe Special bonus points for the Mieville reference, 6y
LibrarianRyan ⭐️🧐🚂 6y
GrilledCheeseSamurai @KJHowe @TK421 All the feels for Perdido! 👏 6y
63 likes4 comments
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Schlinkles
Perdido Street Station | China Miville
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Getting a jump on this deceptive chunkster for this month‘s sci-fi book club

RJHowe This book is a treat. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Meiville may have created a new sub genre with this one. 6y
GrilledCheeseSamurai Loved this one when I read it! 🤘 6y
BookwormAHN Did you mail me the last book in the #weknowwhereyoulive group? It was The Traveling Vampire Show. 6y
Schlinkles @BookwormAHN I‘ve never gotten that one. The last one I received was White Tears and I sent that one off. 6y
BookwormAHN Okay, I received that one, thanks. 6y
31 likes5 comments
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mrozzz
Perdido Street Station | China Miville
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Tagged is my current & final read (#Steampunk) for the 2nd season of #Booked2018 ! I really loved each of the other books I read for these prompts 🤗

#ChildhoodFavorite: Speak
#AboutEnvironment: Lab Girl
#RefugeeMC: Map of Salt and Stars
#Friendship: Simon vs. the Homo Sapeins Agenda
#SwordOnCover: Children of Blood and Bone

Cinfhen Well done🎉🎉🎉im really interested in 6y
MichelleScott_author Perdito Street Station is amazing! 6y
mrozzz Thank youuuu @Cinfhen it was really great! I hope you pick it up 😊 6y
See All 7 Comments
mrozzz Yay! So glad it to hear... it‘s not something I would have picked up without this prompt. @Coffeeshopreviews 6y
Pamwurtzler Nice job!! 6y
mrozzz Thank you!!! 😃 @Pamwurtzler 6y
mrozzz @Cinfhen @4thhouseontheleft @BarbaraTheBibliophage hey all! If it factors into anything I just wanted to say that I did NOT complete Perdido Street yet. 6y
97 likes7 comments
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TobeyTheScavengerMonk
Perdido Street Station | China Miville
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Leftcoastzen On my TBR! 6y
mrozzz 👌🏻 6y
79 likes2 comments
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tessavi
Perdido Street Station | China Miville
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Pickpick

The world building was amazing and I enjoyed the first half a lot. The second half dragged a bit and since I listened to the audiobook, I noticed that my mind kept wondering to other things. I am curious about Miéville's other books.

firesalamander The city & the city is reeeeeaally good, and brief. The Kraken is trippy and fun, but likewise starts to drag after a while. 6y
tessavi @firesalamander I finished The City & Tbe City earlier this year and enjoyed it 😊 6y
53 likes2 comments
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TracyReadsBooks
Perdido Street Station | China Miville
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Pickpick

Brilliant. Fantastic. Horrifying. Mesmerizing (some of the characters might say literally). Compelling. And on & on & on. Miéville has created one of the most intriguing & unusual worlds I‘ve ever read & populated it with a cast of characters who defy expectations. Isaac is a brilliant scientist. He‘s approached by a half-man/half-bird creature who asks for help & so the story begins. What happens next makes for a most excellent read. Recommended.

mrozzz Yay! Looking forward to this for #Booked2018 6y
KateFulfordAuthor Just finished watching The City & The City here in the UK - very atmospheric 6y
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TracyReadsBooks
Perdido Street Station | China Miville
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1. Also Love, Hate & Other Filters for a book club.
2. I don‘t remember ever not reading—my mom is likely responsible.
3. Any time at all.
4. So many rattling around my head: LoTR, Jane Eyre, Pride & Prejudice, Grasshopper Jungle, Carry On, Eleanor and Park, I‘ll Give You the Sun, Treasure Island, Mr. Croup & Mr. Vandemar, Marko & Alana, Austin, Simon and Baz, Kaz Brekker, Victor Vale, Darrow...I could go on...😂

#manicmonday @JoScho

JoScho ❤️❤️❤️ 6y
14 likes1 comment
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TracyReadsBooks
Perdido Street Station | China Miville
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This book is so fantastically weird. It‘s also a book you pick up to read a few pages only to find yourself so completely absorbed in the story when next you look up it‘s hard to reorient yourself. I love it when a writer can do that as it is no easy thing to completely disconnect a reader from their own situation. Is this book for everyone? Probably not. But for those who are up for pushing boundaries & some adventurous reading, definitely!

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TracyReadsBooks
Perdido Street Station | China Miville
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Just want to say, I‘m about a third of the way into this book and I have no idea what I‘m reading but I like it!!! It‘s strange and fantastic and weird and wonderful and much like other books such as Autonomous and Ancillary Justice makes you think about the future in different & unexpected ways. Definitely a good recommendation from my friend. Ok, that‘s all I wanted to say...

mrozzz Yay! I also have this one to look forward to next month for #Booked2018 7y
21 likes1 comment
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TracyReadsBooks
Perdido Street Station | China Miville
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Love the descriptions.

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TracyReadsBooks
Perdido Street Station | China Miville
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Now reading.

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TracyReadsBooks
Perdido Street Station | China Miville
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When in Boston on a Friday night, one most of course visit the Harvard Bookstore. I mean, what else are you going to do? The tagged book is one my friend picked for me while The Changeling is what I picked for myself. I picked Y The Last Man Vol. 1, The Library at Mount Char and Americanah for her. So much excellent reading!!!

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mrozzz
Perdido Street Station | China Miville
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Picked up the surprisingly large Perdido Street Station for #Booked2018 #Steampunk & couldn‘t leave without the paperback of Age of Anger (which I‘d somehow held out on buying in hardcover). Looking forward to reading something new in the Miéville. #BookHaul

BarbaraTheBibliophage Good stuff! 7y
Cinfhen I‘m curious about this one...#steampunk scares me 7y
mrozzz LOL yeah it‘s intimidating... but if The Time Machine is considered steampunk I think this should be fine 🤞🏻 @Cinfhen 7y
104 likes1 stack add3 comments