Chapters 200-299: Well at least now we're getting somewhere, and it's mostly interesting, though there are still way too many characters and weird things about the universe to remember. His vibrant, poetical asides into mad science and techno-thaumaturgy have been toned down: no longer a virulent undercurrent, twisting and shaping his world, they have become curiosities and explanations.

Every few chapters, just when I thought we would make a big break, there would be a new twist or new piece of information. This plunges Billy into a surreal experience involving squid cultists, unionized familiars, and living tattoos. Not content with that, he also created magic of all kinds, a strike by familiars, protective London-based angels and a supernatural police force. There wasn’t a sense, as there was in Neverwhere, that this secret London could possibly coexist with the real thing.Also, there are some stand-out characters and scenes which are so good that I'm inclined to forgive some of the ropier stuff. The first book of Miéville’s that I truly respected and whatever else, because love isn’t the sort of word you use with that book, was Embassytown, which was a bit of a mind-bender of a science-fiction book.

I personally found it entirely satisfying; several other readers, however, seem to have been far less forgiving of the conclusion. Within a few chapters CM pulls one fantastic, fiendishly creative and often outlandisch concept out of the proverbial hat, proudly parades it by us (and straight down the roads of hapless London) and then promptly forgets about it, having it fade away like fog at noon.Todo ello me llamaba mucho, tiene un estilo en honor al maestro Lovecraft, pero el estilo y agilidad de su autor, China Miéville, por mucho que tenga, y no lo discuto, una imaginación de la ostia, no es compatible conmigo. I would like to thank Goodreads and Del Ray for sending me an uncorrected proof of Kraken through the Goodreads First Reads program.

Perhaps the one I felt most affection for was a millennia-old rebellious spirit, leading a strike of the city’s magical assistants and familiars against exploitation.You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice. I`m not qualified to give a critique but I hope others will ignore the negative comments and enjoy the ride. And he’s embracing the magic of London, in the vein of many other fantasy authors who have set their books in that city, picking up on the multi-faceted, multicultural history and the many rich layers of substance that makes London what it is. But there’s an important difference: established religions have the weight of tradition and, to varying degrees, society behind them.