This collection of China Miéville's short stories ranges from near-realistic horror to full fantasy, all rooted in cities. The title story follows a man making his way through a London emptied by some unexplained catastrophe, searching for a friend called Jake and dodging dogs and shadows. Other pieces include a tale of a house that exists in a cellar of London, a story about a woman whose uncle comes back with a drawer of oddities, and one set in a ball room in a department store. Miéville draws on weird fiction, folklore and political anger, and his language is dense.
Readers of Miéville's novels such as Perdido Street Station will see his ideas in compact form here, and anyone new to weird fiction gets a sampler. It is best for those who like cities as characters.
Open-ended; a moderate read.
Best for readers like The Story Seeker. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 2003
- Language
- EN
