Saul's father has been murdered and he's been framed as the murderer. When he is sprung from jail by a mysterious stranger claiming to be both a rat and his uncle, the mystery increases. And when a stranger arrives playing a flute that can control anyone who hears it, that's when Saul knows he's in way over his head.

I really enjoyed this book. It was fascinating to read an urban fantasy take on the Pied Piper legend. This was dark and gritty with quite a few terrifying scenes and I never found the book short of action. I never wanted to put the book down, even when my eyes were drooping from exhaustion.

The only part I didn't like about the book was it quite easy to predict the ending. I figured out fairly early what the Piper was going to do to attempt to defeat Saul. This predictability was more than countered by the high energy and horribleness of the final battle. And the scene with the children (that's all I'm going to say to avoid spoilers) when the wall split open almost made me cry.

All in all, I highly recommend this book if you have a strong stomach ;-) ( )

You can just imagine China and his mates out at a Jungle club night dancing like crazy and afterwards imagining how the Pied Piper could use that rhythmic music to control the population. Briliiant. I'm a Londoner and this is my town. ( )

One Sentence Review: If you like gritty urban fantasy give King Rat a whirl.

King Rat is a blending of many old tales in a modern setting, from Rat King Folklore to The Pied Piper of Hamelin to Anansi. If you aren’t a lover of folklore, fear not; the novel’s still enjoyable even if you are not familiar with these tales. It’s a swiftly paced novel, full of fleshy characters and a lush world in which it’s easy to lose yourself. Some may argue that Miéville is a bit too florid but the prose flowed smoothly enough for me.

This novel is very visceral: violent and grimy and dark but not without hope. Lots of obscene language, but that’s hardly worth noting these days. Point is, it fits with the characters and makes them believable but this isn’t a book I’d read to Little Timmy as a bedtime story.

The downside is that King Rat is one of the weaker works of Miéville. Still a worthy read, but not up to Perdido Street Station or The Scar. If you’re tired of dragons and elves, China Miéville’s novels are a refreshing change of pace and King Rat is certainly no exception. ( )

Another success.: Especially if you are into the music scene, ie drum and bass. A fun read, and I hope to read the rest of his work soon. Not as good as Perdido, but close.

King Rat was a fast read, but once the Pied Piper of Hamelin story clarified, it ran along rather predictably. The book does delve into the world clearly enough, and takes the reader into the world of Drum and Bass music sympathetically. ( )

I liked this a great deal, more than a number of others whose comments I have seen. It isn't on the grand scale of Perdido Street Station, and the fantasy elements don't sit quite so well with its London setting, but it has some great ideas and his enthusiasm for the subjects really comes through. There are times when China seems to be a slightly detached observer of the jungle scene rather than an insider, but this may be down to the writing as much as anything else. A fun read. ( )

http://nomiddlename.blogspot.com/2008... ( )

It could be argued effectively that King Rat is little more than a retelling of Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere, only much darker and without the clever repurposing of Tube station names. And yet, I enjoyed it just as much as most anything Gaiman -- my favorite living author -- has done. Why? Good question.

(Maybe it was because I was on vacation in London at the time?) ( )

With King Rat, China Mieville retells the story of the Pied Piper of Hamelin, giving an already dark story even more sinister underpinnings. In keeping with the gloomy nuances of the story, King Rat is set in London’s gritty and feral drum and bass scene, and Mr. Mieville makes the music play just as large a part in the story as the characters. And, no, that’s not a good thing.

The novel launches into action almost immediately - Saul Garamond comes home one night and wakes up the next day wrongfully accused of his father’s murder. As is wont in these stories, Saul has an unexpected savior who springs him from his jail cell - his would-be uncle, King Rat; Saul is, in fact, his heir apparent, although that’s hardly a position of distinction. The rats no longer follow King Rat after the Pied Piper led his subjects to drown themselves seven hundred years ago. Such vengeful vermin, these rats are.

Read the full review here. ( )

Wow. Just...... Wow.

King Rat is the first published novel by China Miéville. I was already a fan of his based on Perdido Street Station, Iron Council and The Scar, but.....

King Rat is the story of Saul Garramond. Saul arrives at the London home he shares with his father one night after a camping trip. His father has been murdered, and based on the bad blood between the two, Saul is arrested for the crime. Saul is rescued by an unusual benefactor who calls himself King Rat. Saul begins to learn that he and the King have a great deal in common.

This book is beyond good. Excellent writing that retells one of the oldest of folktales, told in Miéville's wonderful dark style that pulls no punches and leaves one both exhillerated and horrifed at the same time. Absolutely wonderful. ( )

http://www.amazon.com/review/R6CZ0LCD... ( )

Not to sow controversy, but I favor China Mieville over Neil Gaiman any day of the week. This book is in many ways similar to American Gods and Anansi Boys, but I feel it is generally superior in use of language and general story construction. This is by no means a diss on Gaiman's work, which I also love to read. However, Mieville has gone on with the Bas-Lag books to show that his is in the end the larger talent. ( )

Well, as part of my documented addiction to books, I was looking at an interview with Neal Stephenson, on Slashdot, and he listed the books he was reading. One of them that I noticed (After S. Agnon, which was cool, since I read some stuff in the original by him in Ulpan,) was "King Rat", by China Mieville. Wow. In addition to being an interesting book, it is amazingly well written in the literary sense, with absolutely stunning prose that almost, but not quite, overwhelms the dramatic tension and makes one slow down to savour it.

In any case, the book was definitely a top ten for the year, if not top three. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys fantasy (or Science Fiction, at least in the Neal Stephenson sense of the phrase.) The ideas were very new, and the plot was both compelling and interesting. Five thumbs up. ( )

Not as good as Bas Lag. Wanted to be American Gods Neverwhere. Maybe it was, but it seemed – I don't know – thinner? ( )

http://martlet-blog.blogspot.com/2007... ( )

Good. Less lushly described, and definitely more grounded than Perdido Street Station. ( )

http://www.sfreader.com/read_review.a... ( )

Can the half man half rat save London's funky underground scene from the Pied Piper? Of course he can. An imaginative story, but not great literature. ( )

http://scooterchronicles.com/2004/12/... ( )