The Readventurer
  • Home
  • YA Reviews
  • Adult Reviews
  • Contests and Giveaways
  • Policies
  • About Us
    • Flannery's Challenges
    • Catie's Challenges
  • Contact Us

YA Review: Railsea by China Miéville

4/6/2012

13 Comments

 
Railsea cover
Railsea
Author: China Miéville
Publication Date: 05/15/2012
Publisher: Random House

Blurb(GR):
On board the moletrain Medes, Sham ap Soorap watches in awe as he witnesses his first moldywarpe hunt: the giant mole bursting from the earth, the harpoonists targeting their prey, the battle resulting in one’s death and the other’s glory. But no matter how spectacular it is, Sham can't shake the sense that there is more to life than traveling the endless rails of the railsea–even if his captain can think only of the hunt for the ivory-coloured mole she’s been chasing since it took her arm all those years ago. When they come across a wrecked train, at first it's a welcome distraction. But what Sham finds in the derelict—a series of pictures hinting at something, somewhere, that should be impossible—leads to considerably more than he'd bargained for. Soon he's hunted on all sides, by pirates, trainsfolk, monsters and salvage-scrabblers. And it might not be just Sham's life that's about to change. It could be the whole of the railsea.

From China Miéville comes a novel for readers of all ages, a gripping and brilliantly imagined take on Herman Melville's Moby-Dick that confirms his status as "the most original and talented voice to appear in several years." (Science Fiction Chronicle).

Review:

Once again, 
China Miéville delivers one of the most unique, imaginative worlds I’ve ever spent time in. I sometimes wonder if this man is taking some sort of imagination supplements that the rest of us don’t know about (Hallucinogenic drugs perhaps?  Dreamshit?).  How does he even come up with these things?  I mean, I was pretty skeptical about giant moles as monsters, but he really sold it:

"The mole rats shook off earth.  Like hairless, wrinkled mammal newborn, swollen to dog-size, snapping dreadful incisors.  Eyes like raisins shoved in dough.  They breathed throatily.  The earth growled."

Chine Mieville mole rat
A very creepy picture by China Miéville
And it turns out that he’s a very talented artist as well!

He doesn’t just come up with these worlds; he paints them so vividly – reading one of his books is like being consumed (& just FYI – if you’re intrigued/confused/annoyed by all the ampersands, give him time.  It gets explained).  The world of this book is different than anything I’ve ever read.  It’s a forgotten planet - a planet of pollution, salvage, monsters, and an endless sea of rails.  
 
"Generations of thinkers have stood with notebooks open on coastlines, the endless spread of ties-&-iron before them – countless junctions, switches, possibilities in all directions - & insisted that what characterizes rails is that they have no terminus.  No schedule, no end, no direction.  This has become common sense.  This is a cliché." 

The few humans live on small islands surrounded by the railsea.  The only way to get on or off the islands is by train. Touching the earth in between the rails is not only taboo, it’s dangerous.  The earth is infested with giant moles, ants, earwigs, and earth worms, all changed irrevocably by years of exposure to environmental pollution.  

Sham Ap Soorap is a young man like so many others featured in classic high seas adventures: he's setting off on his first adventure and he's in over his head.  His well-meaning guardians have sent him aboard the moling train Medes to apprentice under the train’s doctor, a task he has no passion for.  The Medes navigates the switches and turns in search of Mocker Jack, the large off-white mole that’s become the obsession of the enigmatic Captain Naphi (yes, this is a nod to Moby Dick). When Sham uncovers a memory card within the wreckage of a train, containing a picture that should not exist – a single rail, leading in one direction out of the sea – he starts to develop an obsession of his own.  

This book is about bravery and exploration – it’s about having the courage to take those first few steps toward the edge of a flat world and risk falling off.  

“I’m not a kid anymore, Sham thought.  Shouldn’t take anything for granted.  A big bird cawed as he thought that, & Sham took it as applause.  All my life, he thought, they’ve told me about the dangers of the earth.  Maybe it’s true.  But…  He kept his eyes on the foody island across the narrow railsea strait.  But maybe it’s also useful for them if everyone believes it.  If people are too scared to just go.”

The world-building is outstanding, the characters are well-constructed and interesting, and for about 60% of the book, the story is compelling.  However, towards the end the plot lost a lot of steam and went a bit off the rails (hee hee). The ending felt odd and anticlimactic and just didn’t have the emotional impact that I was hoping for.  However, I am still in awe of this writer’s talent and I would still recommend this wholeheartedly to his fans.

A note: I really don't think this is YA, but it's not adult either.  The blurb says "for readers of all ages" but I think that's just a catch-all.  This book is extremely hard to place in any category.  The vocabulary is advanced (as always with this author) but the plot is young enough for middle grade readers. 

Perfect Musical Pairing
David Bowie – 5:15 (The Angels Have Gone)

The opening beats of this song are steady and repetitive, like the rhythm of a train. 

"All of my life
Angels have gone
I'm changing trains
Angels like them
Thin on the ground"
 

I think this song is about searching for something that you’re missing – that constant search.  Also, the second title “The Angels Have Gone” totally works as a reference to this book but I’m not giving anything away.  Let me just say that the “angels” were one of my favorite parts of this world.

4/5 Stars

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an advanced copy for review purposes. Please check all quotations against the final version.
Readventurer C Signature
13 Comments
Andrea link
4/5/2012 10:15:05 pm

Because of the reference to mouldiwarps, I thought this would end up being about time travel. Little bit of internet research tells me that mouldiwarp is just an archaic term for mole, and not a neologism of E Nesbit's.

Learn something every day.

Reply
Catie (The Readventurer) link
4/5/2012 10:37:45 pm

And so do I! I haven't read anything from E. Nesbit, but I just did a bit of internet research myself and it turns out her magical creature the mouldiwarp (from The House of Arden) was a little gold mole! He sounds much sweeter and cuter (and more loquacious) than China Mieville's moles, hahaha.

Reply
Noelle link
4/6/2012 02:45:36 am

"Eyes like raisins shoved in dough." Ahhhh! That's so perfect. Mutant moles, earwigs and earthworms?? *faints* I somehow have never read any books by this author but have always wanted to give him a try. Which book of his would you recommend to read first, Catie?

Reply
Catie (The Readventurer) link
4/6/2012 07:41:14 am

That's really hard to say Noelle! His writing is kind of an acquired taste for some, I've noticed. That's how it was for me. He writes really dense, poetic prose with a lot of big words but it's always just a bit silly. He has the most incredible world-building skills I've ever seen though - many of his books are worth reading for the settings alone. I read The City & The City first, which was really hard to get into...but I still think about that book almost a year later. I think that his young adult book Un Lun Dun is very accessible and fun, although some have said that it's overly juvenile. I really enjoyed it though! Perdido Street Station is amazing. And this one is great too! I guess I would recommend starting with Perdido Street Station or Un Lun Dun.

Reply
Sam link
4/6/2012 05:38:57 am

I haven't heard of this author before but I am determined to check out some of his books now. Great review, Catie! The world-building sounds like it is amazingly done. Plus the giant mole rats are enough to persuade me! ;)

Reply
Catie (The Readventurer) link
4/6/2012 07:43:28 am

His world-building really is amazing. I hope you give him a try someday Sam!

Reply
emma
4/7/2012 12:54:15 am

Cool web!

Reply
Catie (The Readventurer) link
4/7/2012 02:29:06 am

Thanks :)

Reply
Maja link
4/7/2012 03:48:48 am

Oh, China, our story is so tragic! Forever broken apart by a persistent man who just couldn't shut up about you.

You just couldn't resist that pun, could you, Catie? :) To be honest, even though I'm intrigued every time you review one of his books, he also scares me a little bit. I'm not sure I'm ready for his strange worlds. (Also, he looks kind of scary too.)

Btw, I am in love with the cover.

Reply
Catie (The Readventurer) link
4/7/2012 10:04:39 am

Isn't that such a great cover? It fits so well with the book too. Don't be scared of Mr. Mieville - he uses a lot of vocab words, but he's actually a lot of fun. Crazy, crazy imaginative & unique worldbuilding. Do you really think he looks scary? Flannery and I both think he's really, ridiculously good-looking. :)

Reply
Maja link
4/7/2012 04:15:38 pm

Haha, a little bit. He's good-looking, all right, but he has that strange look in his eyes that makes me want to run the other way.

Heidi link
4/7/2012 09:59:49 am

I kind of love that you found this book hard to place in a particular age range. I've been SO excited for this one since I first heard of it, and nearly swooned when I saw it pop up on NetGalley. Even more excited after this review! I feel like I haven't seen enough people excited about this one, and have been surprised. Happy to see it here!

Reply
Catie (The Readventurer) link
4/7/2012 10:08:36 am

Yeah, I think that maybe a lot of readers have a hard time getting into China Mieville's books. I just love his writing and I think he's a genius, but I can see how he wouldn't be for everyone. I'm so excited to see another fan on here though, Heidi! Are you going to read this soon? Let's spread the word!

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Follow Us On:

    Facebook Twitter Feed

    Subscribe:

    Subscribe
    Follow on Bloglovin

    Subscribe via email:

    Delivered by FeedBurner


    What We're Reading:

    Blood of my Blood cover

    Flannery

    Goodreads
    Monstrous Affections cover

     Tatiana

    Goodreads
    Rules of Civility cover

      Catie

    Goodreads

    Archives 

    March 2014
    September 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011

    Categories

    All
    Author Spotlight
    Book Events
    Book Vs. Movie
    Catie's Adult Reviews
    Catie's Y.A. Reviews
    Contest Or Giveaway
    Flannery's Adult Reviews
    Flannery's Y.A. Reviews
    If You Like This Maybe That
    Library Quest
    Odds & Ends On The Web
    Randomness
    Readalong Recaps
    She Made Me Do It
    Tatiana's Adult Reviews
    Tatiana's Y.A. Reviews
    Three Heads Are Better Than One Or Two
    Year Of The Classics


    Blogs We Follow

    Angieville
    Anna Scott Jots
    Badass Book Reviews
    The Book Geek
    The Book Smugglers
    Book Harbinger
    Books Take You Places
    Bunbury in the Stacks
    Chachic's Book Nook
    Clear Eyes, Full Shelves
    Collections
    Cuddlebuggery
    For the Love of Words
    The Galavanting Girl Books
    Inkcrush
    Intergalactic Academy
    Ivy Book Bindings
    The Nocturnal Library
    Rainy Day Ramblings
    The Readers Den
    The Reading Date
    Realm of Fiction
    Sash and Em
    Stacked
    The Unread Reader
    Vegan YA Nerds
    Wear The Old Coat
    Wordchasing
    Wrapped Up In Books
    Young Adult Anonymous 

    Grab A Button

    The Readventurer
    <div align="center"><a href="http://www.thereadventurer.com" title="The Readventurer"><img src="http://www.weebly.com/uploads/7/8/9/9/7899923/custom_themes/149267861480723643/files/TheReadventurer.png?1321429794244" alt="The Readventurer" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

    Parajunkee Design
    SiteLock
    Since 2/4/2012

Creative Commons LicenseThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License.
Photos used under Creative Commons from savillent, vue3d, vue3d, ljcybergal