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Railsea

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About this listen

Savage giant moles, rail pirates, and explorers abound in China Miéville's thrilling young adult novel, Railsea.

On board the moletrain Medes, Sham Yes 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 – are extraordinary. But no matter how spectacular it is, travelling the endless rails of the railsea, Sham senses that there’s more to life. Even if his captain can think only of her obsessive hunt for one savage mole.

When they find a wrecked train, it's a welcome distraction. But the impossible salvage Sham finds there leads to trouble. Soon he's hunted on all sides: by pirates, trainsfolk, monsters & salvage-scrabblers. And it might not be just Sham's life that's about to change. It could be the whole of the railsea.

And it might not be just Sham's life that's about to change. It could be the whole of the railsea.

 Fantasy Fiction Science Fiction Science Fiction & Fantasy Steampunk Paranormal

Critic reviews

Miéville’s work is thrillingly imaginative . . . immensely witty and utterly unforgettable.
One of the most imaginative young writers around in any kind of fiction.
Miéville’s imagined societies may be fantastic, but they are utterly coherent . . . wonderfully infectious.
All stars
Most relevant
Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant.....Another excellent bit of fantasy from an exquisite imagination.
Top setting, top story good characters...

Another piece of quality

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A curious steampunk work that leaves as much unexplained as it elucidates. The narrator's voice shifts minutely in tone and accent, like the various rhythms of the rail-faring engines, creating a mesmerising pace to the story but occasionally making it tricky to distinguish between who of the characters is speaking. Overall, a compelling read.

Something for a rail-voyage

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it took me a while to get my head round this endless sea of railways track . But once l had l found this book entertaining and the story gripped me and l must admit I was lost a Bit until l was deeper into the book. It's well worth the effort to get to understand this world .

Fascinating book

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A cracking good yarn. As with all his books your patience is rewarded and a new world unfurls.

Another great story from China Mielville

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Working my way through China Mievele's works and wasn't sure about this one. I'm not a fantasy fan and it felt like a bit of a slow starter for the first few chapters but once the scene was set and world was painted, It became a beautiful story that I couldn't put down.

I've never read a story that has has described action in such a visceral way, making me feel like I could be riding along the rails right with them. And there are a couple of chapters where I felt genuinely awed, something which very rarely happens.

My only gripe would be on the odd occasion the pacing could be a little better. Some events, large and small, build up nicely, get me hooked, ramp up some more then as I'm expecting a satisfying conclusion, it will wrap up too quickly for me. It's almost like someone off stage is telling him to wrap it up and move on.

That aside, I thoroughly enjoyed the story and was never able to predict what would happen next.

A true fantasy story

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