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Un Lun Dun by China Mieville
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Un Lun Dun (original 2007; edition 2008)

by China Mieville

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingConversations / Mentions
3,4871943,640 (3.8)1 / 437
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * "Endlessly inventive . . . [a] hybrid of Alice in Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz, and The Phantom Tollbooth."--Salon What is Un Lun Dun? It is London through the looking glass, an urban Wonderland of strange delights where all the lost and broken things of London end up . . . and some of its lost and broken people, too-including Brokkenbroll, boss of the broken umbrellas; Obaday Fing, a tailor whose head is an enormous pin-cushion, and an empty milk carton called Curdle. Un Lun Dun is a place where words are alive, a jungle lurks behind the door of an ordinary house, carnivorous giraffes stalk the streets, and a dark cloud dreams of burning the world. It is a city awaiting its hero, whose coming was prophesied long ago, set down for all time in the pages of a talking book. When twelve-year-old Zanna and her friend Deeba find a secret entrance leading out of London and into this strange city, it seems that the ancient prophecy is coming true at last. But then things begin to go shockingly wrong. Praise for Un Lun Dun "Miéville fills his enthralling fantasy with enough plot twists and wordplay for an entire trilogy, and that is a good thing. A-."--Entertainment Weekly  "For style and inventiveness, turn to Un Lun Dun, by China Miéville, who throws off more imaginative sparks per chapter than most authors can manufacture in a whole book. Mieville sits at the table with Lewis Carroll, and Deeba cavorts with another young explorer of topsy-turvy worlds."--The Washington Post Book World  "Delicious, twisty, ferocious fun . . . so crammed with inventions, delights, and unexpected turns that you will want to start reading it over again as soon as you've reached the end."--Kelly Link, author of Magic for Beginners "[A] wondrous thrill ride . . . Like the best fantasy authors, [Miéville] fully realizes his imaginary city." --The A.V. Club "Mieville's compelling heroine and her fantastical journey through the labyrinth of a strange London forms that rare book that feels instantly like a classic and yet is thoroughly modern."--Holly Black, bestselling author of The Spiderwick Chronicles… (more)
Member:timorousme
Title:Un Lun Dun
Authors:China Mieville
Info:Del Rey (2008), Edition: Reprint, Paperback, 496 pages
Collections:Your library
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Work Information

Un Lun Dun by China Miéville (2007)

  1. 170
    Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman (Phantasma, ahstrick, jolerie)
  2. 90
    The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster (Phantasma, elbakerone, heidialice)
  3. 40
    The City of Dreaming Books by Walter Moers (Scorbet)
  4. 51
    The City & The City by China Miéville (heidialice)
    heidialice: May be an obvious recommendation, but these books cover a similar (very original) premise in very different ways. Un Lun Dun is for young teens, smaller in scope and message-heavy; The City & The City for adults, deals with complex themes and offers no easy answers. Both display Mieville's consummate skills and elegant humor.… (more)
  5. 40
    The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente (foggidawn, lottpoet)
  6. 52
    The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (heidialice)
    heidialice: Both are fantastical YA at its best. Gaiman is an acknowledged inspiration for Mieville, and it shows, though he has his own distinctive style and voice.
  7. 31
    The Well of Lost Plots by Jasper Fforde (melonbrawl)
    melonbrawl: Similar wordplay and meta-textual playfulness
  8. 00
    The Undrowned Child by Michelle Lovric (Rubbah)
  9. 00
    The Child Thief by Brom (GirlMisanthrope)
    GirlMisanthrope: A story inspired by/reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland. Has similar break-neck adventure and constant twists. And great artwork by the author.
  10. 12
    Summerland by Michael Chabon (anglemark)
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» See also 437 mentions

English (191)  French (1)  Czech (1)  All languages (193)
Showing 1-5 of 191 (next | show all)
I never read stuff like this but it came highly recommended by my colleague. It's been rough getting into the book but now that I'm about 1/3 of the way through the book, I'm enjoying it more.

( )
  monicaberger | Jan 22, 2024 |
China Mieville has (1) a good name (2) a wacky imagination and (3) some impressive doodling skills. While these are three great qualities in a fantasy writer, it is important to note that the one thing China Mieville does not have is a great talent for writing.

If you like wacky imaginative stuff and impressive doodling, this might be the book for you. If cobbled together plots and clunky exposition bother you, stay away. ( )
  LibrarianDest | Jan 3, 2024 |
Good story. Clever use of words. If you can get past the political commentary aspect. ( )
  jochemsj | Nov 1, 2023 |
Un Lun Dun has the enchanting feel of a fairy tale in a modern setting. Not a retold classic mind you, but something new - a fable of our times. It reminds me to some extent of Haroun and the Sea of Stories, though the language is not so lush (which is hardly an insult in comparison to Rushdie). ( )
  Zoes_Human | Aug 1, 2023 |
I loved this book! It is a fun romp in an alternative universe, with out of this world characters and concepts. Reading it was great fun because of the author's wonderful play with language (I couldn't help chuckling at many portions!); I also enjoyed how the usual fantasy concepts were twisted and turned on its head (playfully, not disdainfully). I'd love to visit UnLondon again! Here's hoping for more stories set there -- whether short stories, sequels or whatever. ( )
  ulan25 | Feb 14, 2023 |
Showing 1-5 of 191 (next | show all)
This is Miéville’s first book for younger readers. It is also copiously (and well) illustrated by the author. In it Zanna and Deeba, two of a group of normal young teenagers in London, are beset by strange occurrences. They are attacked by smoke tendrils, freaked out by an ambulatory umbrella and Zanna is addressed as Shwazzy several times during different chance encounters in one of which she is given a card naming her as such.

Soon they are both transported to a strange place where the sun is too large - and doughnut shaped - weird and colourful characters abound and telecommunications work through the medium of what can only be described as carrier wasps. Zanna is revealed as the choisi - chosen – the girl who will save the abcity of Un Lun Dun (unLondon) from the menace of the Smog. She is presumed to know the details of the Armets and their secret weapon the Klinneract which saved real London and drove the Smog to Un Lun Dun. (This parallel existence also contains other abcities such as Parisn’t, Lost Angeles, Sans Francisco and Hong Gone.)

The book which contains the Shwazzy prophecy - and which speaks morosely a la Eeyore or Marvin - turns out to be wrong, though, and Zanna is unable to help. She is incapacitated by the Smog whose attack is only driven off by using specially slit and treated unbrellas made by Mister Brokkenbroll to ward off the smog’s projectiles. With this apparent victory Deeba and the still far from well Zanna return to London. But Deeba cannot forget her experiences, realises that not all may be well in Un Lun Dun and so makes her return. On her quest to find a weapon to defeat the Smog she is accompanied by the aforementioned Book of Prophecy, Bling, a silver furred locust, Diss, a brown bear cub, a four-armed, four-legged, many-eyed man called Cauldron, a half-ghost, half-normal boy called Hemi, and Curdle, an animated milk carton Deeba adopts as a pet.

There are some nice coinages - mostly portmanteau words like smombies, Propheseers and smoglodytes. Mister Brokkenbroll - the Unbrellissimo - is a particularly redolent case. There are also glazed, wooden framed, eight legged things called Black Windows. These are just a few examples of Miéville's playful linguistic invention.

There is more than a hint of Alice in Un Lun Dun though generally Through The Looking Glass rather than Adventures In Wonderland. This is underlined on page 296 when the Speaker of Talklands echoes Humpy Dumpty by saying, “WORDS MEAN WHATEVER I WANT.” We also have a pair of Tweedledum/Tweedledee-ish mitre-wearing clerics, in white and deep red robes respectively, who only move in zig-zags. There are parallels too with THE CITY & YTIC EHT Miéville’s recent adult novel.


Un Lun Dun is an enjoyable romp. For its target audience I would have thought it might be more than a touch too long, though its young readers may welcome a long immersion in Miéville’s skewed world.
added by jackdeighton | editA Son Of The Rock, Jack Deighton
 

» Add other authors (3 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
China Miévilleprimary authorall editionscalculated
Hall, AugustCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Miller, EdwardCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Rosson, ChristopheTraductionsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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In an unremarkable room, in a nondescript building, a man sat working on very non-nondescript theories.
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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
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Wikipedia in English (2)

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * "Endlessly inventive . . . [a] hybrid of Alice in Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz, and The Phantom Tollbooth."--Salon What is Un Lun Dun? It is London through the looking glass, an urban Wonderland of strange delights where all the lost and broken things of London end up . . . and some of its lost and broken people, too-including Brokkenbroll, boss of the broken umbrellas; Obaday Fing, a tailor whose head is an enormous pin-cushion, and an empty milk carton called Curdle. Un Lun Dun is a place where words are alive, a jungle lurks behind the door of an ordinary house, carnivorous giraffes stalk the streets, and a dark cloud dreams of burning the world. It is a city awaiting its hero, whose coming was prophesied long ago, set down for all time in the pages of a talking book. When twelve-year-old Zanna and her friend Deeba find a secret entrance leading out of London and into this strange city, it seems that the ancient prophecy is coming true at last. But then things begin to go shockingly wrong. Praise for Un Lun Dun "Miéville fills his enthralling fantasy with enough plot twists and wordplay for an entire trilogy, and that is a good thing. A-."--Entertainment Weekly  "For style and inventiveness, turn to Un Lun Dun, by China Miéville, who throws off more imaginative sparks per chapter than most authors can manufacture in a whole book. Mieville sits at the table with Lewis Carroll, and Deeba cavorts with another young explorer of topsy-turvy worlds."--The Washington Post Book World  "Delicious, twisty, ferocious fun . . . so crammed with inventions, delights, and unexpected turns that you will want to start reading it over again as soon as you've reached the end."--Kelly Link, author of Magic for Beginners "[A] wondrous thrill ride . . . Like the best fantasy authors, [Miéville] fully realizes his imaginary city." --The A.V. Club "Mieville's compelling heroine and her fantastical journey through the labyrinth of a strange London forms that rare book that feels instantly like a classic and yet is thoroughly modern."--Holly Black, bestselling author of The Spiderwick Chronicles

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