The New Weird Revolution: The Works (so Far) of China Mieville

In the early 20th century an author by the name of H. P. Lovecraft would descend upon the literary world with a series of stories that were strange, terrible and wondrous all at the same time. Most people did not know what to do with his tales; they were so different they required a new genre of fiction that he helped name. In 1925 Lovecraft would write a non-fiction survey of horror (Supernatural Horror in Literature) where he would coin the term "weird fiction." The name would inspire a pulp magazine called Weird Tales and a surge of strange stories that would reach its peak in the1930s.

That is where the story might have ended if not for author China Mieville. This 36-year-old author was born around London and grew up greatly inspired by the works of Lovecraft and other authors of the "weird fiction" genre. His works have been at the forefront of a New Weird fiction revival that he tried to describe in an interview with Joan Gordan, in Science Fiction Studies, as being an intersection between Surrealism and pulp. Though he admits growing up on Dungeon and Dragons, China has always strived to create fantasy novels that move away from that traditional fantasy world.

His debut novel is called King Rat. It took the myth of the pied piper and infused it with the urban legend of rat kings in the sewers. The dark urban coming of age fantasy incorporate these myths with the Drum and Bass rave culture of London to tell a story that was both familiar and strange.

His next novel, Perdido Street Station, it the first of three books set in the world of Bas-Lag. It took place in the massive city of New Crozobun where countless creatures gather in a city that was inspired by the Victorian age and the grime and beauty of the Industrial Revolution. The story centers on a scientist who takes on the mind-boggling experiment of giving a birdman who has lost his wings the ability to fly again. Along the way he nearly brings about the destruction of the city and through a series of bizarre events ends up saving everyone from an enemy that would have made Lovecraft proud.

He followed this novel up with another story set in the world of Bas-Lag called The Scar. The book starts off with a small ship heading away from New Crozobun across the Swollen Ocean. The ships crew includes a linguist and a scientist who along with the rest of the ship gets captured by pirates and are taken to the floating city of Armada. Once there they are pressed into services and discover a plot from the pirate kings to destroy the city they love. To add to all that trouble there is a plot by the leaders of the Armada to discover The Scar, a fabled place in the world where reality breaks down and anything is possible.

His final book (so far) that takes place in Bas-Lag is called Iron Council. The story returns to the city of New Crozobun and focuses on the politics within the vast urban sprawl. The main focus of the novel is a group of worker revolutionaries who steal a very special train from the government and get into a heated struggle with the cities militia. The story is overflowing with conflict both on the larger political scale and also between the revolutionaries who are on the run. It is in my opinion China's best work in this highly complex world he has created and for witch we have still only seen a little bit of.

His next book goes back to the city of London where the author grew up, but mostly explores a side of the city few have seen. Un Lun Dun tells the story of two young girls who discover another world, one that is a bizarre mirror version of our own. Once there, the girls meet many strange creatures like talking trash heaps, ghost, and weather witches. One of the girls gets declared the chosen one to fight a creature created by the smog in London, but the story really begins after the chosen child fails to defeat her foe. This story is written for young adults but should be read by everyone. So far I believe it to be Mr. Mieville's best book.

His latest novel also deals with parallel worlds and is called The City and The City. It is crime novel that takes place in the cities of Bezel and Ul Qoma. The lead investigator, Tyador Borlu, thinks he is looking into a routine murder but finds that the mystery he has stumbled on goes beyond the very limits of reality. For you see Bezel and Ul Qoma are not typical cities, for even though those who live in them see them as different places entirely they seem to occupy the same geographical space. This is China's first murder mystery and true to his earlier form he has taken an established genre and turned it on its ear, creating a murder mystery that challenges our views on what is real and what is not.

So far in his career he has wrote six novels and various short stories that has won him praise and awards. Each book stands on its own as a complex work, that is hard to define. He builds interesting and vast worlds that don't hold on to the conventions that seem to bog down other writers in his genre. When I finish a book by China I always feel both challenged by his themes and in awe of his writing. His books often hint at a greater world beyond what is being shown. He has recaptured Lovecrafts gift of showing us things that are wonderful, thrilling and terrifying all at once. I recommend each of his books if you long for well written fiction that is unique and yes always very "weird'

Supernatural Horror in Literature by H. P. Lovecraft
Interview with China Mievelle, by Joan Gordon in Science Fiction Studies