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King Rat by China Mieville
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King Rat (original 1998; edition 2000)

by China Mieville

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
2,005568,116 (3.53)93
"Award-winning author China Miéville began his astounding career with King Rat-now in a new Tor Essentials edition-a mix of a young man's search for identity with a pulse-pounding story of revenge and madness. With a new introduction by Tim Maughan, author of Infinite Detail. Something is stirring in London's dark, stamping out its territory in brickdust and blood. Something has murdered Saul Garamond's father, and left Saul to pay for the crime. But a shadow from the urban waste breaks into Saul's prison cell and leads him to freedom: a shadow called King Rat. King Rat reveals to Saul his own royal heritage, a heritage that opens a new world for him, the world below London's streets. With drum-and-bass pounding the backstreets, Saul must confront the forces that would use him, the ones that would destroy him, and those that have shaped his own bizarre identity. Tor Essentials presents new editions of science fiction and fantasy titles of proven merit and lasting value, each volume introduced by an appropriate literary figure"--… (more)
Member:sgram
Title:King Rat
Authors:China Mieville
Info:Tor Books (2000), Edition: First Edition, Paperback, 320 pages
Collections:Prose
Rating:
Tags:Urban Fantasy, Science Fiction, Steampunk, British Literature

Work Information

King Rat by China Miéville (1998)

  1. 50
    Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman (chani, MyriadBooks, jeanned)
    MyriadBooks: For vanishing within the shadows of the city.
    jeanned: Disappearing into the unseen parts of London
  2. 10
    Pollen by Jeff Noon (wandering_star)
  3. 00
    The Book on Fire by Keith Miller (MyriadBooks)
    MyriadBooks: For relishing the exploration of the shadow side of things.
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» See also 93 mentions

English (54)  Russian (1)  Italian (1)  All languages (56)
Showing 1-5 of 54 (next | show all)
No one can set the atmosphere of his stories with a few well-placed descriptions like China Mieville. It's a gruesome, disturbing reality that Saul Garamond is sucked into when he meets the King of Rats to support him in his fight against the Piper of Hamelin, and it's the underworld of London, the literal sewers as well as the subculture of Drum'n'Bass, that serves as their battlefield.

The story is not the most intricate, but even in this debut Mievielle proves that he is first and foremost a master wordsmith. The vividness of his environments and the depth of his characters is not so much one of ideas, but of presentation, resulting in a story to fall into. He could probably make the life of an oak tree an intricate story. ( )
  DeusXMachina | Feb 24, 2020 |
A clunky read at times (as I have often found Miéville's books to be )
but... what a brilliant ending! The protagonist manages to turn the tables on the villain in the most complete and satisfying way - and it is all conveyed in a single sentence - obliterated, wiped out, tabula rasa, dead parrot! - he manages to destroy everything the villain stands for and worked towards during all of the narration and he does it with a single gesture, remaining completely in character, true to his life and beliefs and "honoring the father" (his real father, the one who brought him up, duh), his true roots, - pure genius.
  vittithing | May 31, 2019 |
The radio existed to communicate. But here it was failing, it had gone rogue, it had forgotten its purpose like the piano, and the people could not reclaim the city.

A few weeks ago I listened to a London Review podcast of Miéville
reading a story about the immolation of animals. It was certainly the New Weird, the images clung to me, no doubt enhanced by his nuanced delivery. Miéville said he found the story a child of Austerity. I liked that. I suppose a YA audience would like the milieu of King Rat, whereas I did not. I hated the book. It is lad lit expressing daddy issues. It is a clumsy reworking of a few myths with the virtual art of Drum and Bass spot-welded on board to provide urban edge. I read this as a part of a group read but I was afraid to spoil the collective mood with my face-palming and kvetching. I expected much more from that strangely talented author.
( )
  jonfaith | Feb 22, 2019 |
This urban grunge fantasy is Mieville's debut novel and the first of his works I've read. This is a riff on the Pied Piper of Hamlin and is imaginative and fast-paced. The language is delightful as is the imagery. The plot, however, is entirely predictable and there is one clear flaw in the plot, having to do with the protagonist's ability to resist the Rat Catcher's tune when no one else can. Still, it's a fun and fast read, and shows Mieville's developing talent. I'll read more of his work. ( )
  Laurenbdavis | Aug 2, 2017 |
Well I rated this 5 stars then promptly forgot to write a review when the story still lingered fresh in the air. I think I was marinating in the beautiful ambiance this story left behind for me.
well, Now it has to be a dumbed down version of an intelligent review.
The point is- I love this story, with all my heart and the author is incredibly talented.
I own two hairless Rats... the way the author depicted rat characteristics is SO accurate its mindblowing. I want to read more from this author asap! ( )
  XoVictoryXo | Jun 28, 2017 |
Showing 1-5 of 54 (next | show all)
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» Add other authors (3 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Miéville, Chinaprimary authorall editionsconfirmed
Clive BarkerIntroductionsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Miller, EdwardCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Moran, MarkCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Nielsen, CliffCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed

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A London Sometin' ...

        Tek 9
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To Max
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I can squeeze between buildings through spaces you can't even see.
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"Award-winning author China Miéville began his astounding career with King Rat-now in a new Tor Essentials edition-a mix of a young man's search for identity with a pulse-pounding story of revenge and madness. With a new introduction by Tim Maughan, author of Infinite Detail. Something is stirring in London's dark, stamping out its territory in brickdust and blood. Something has murdered Saul Garamond's father, and left Saul to pay for the crime. But a shadow from the urban waste breaks into Saul's prison cell and leads him to freedom: a shadow called King Rat. King Rat reveals to Saul his own royal heritage, a heritage that opens a new world for him, the world below London's streets. With drum-and-bass pounding the backstreets, Saul must confront the forces that would use him, the ones that would destroy him, and those that have shaped his own bizarre identity. Tor Essentials presents new editions of science fiction and fantasy titles of proven merit and lasting value, each volume introduced by an appropriate literary figure"--

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