Kraken is the newest offering from China Mieville. I have to admit to reading several books by China in the past and have to say I’ve liked and disliked them at the same time. His characters and places all intrigued me and I’ve enjoyed the stories, I just suspect that there has been too much “stuff” in the stories, to weird a location maybe, though I’m not 100% sure what has turned me off from the books.
Kraken takes place in modern day London, though the London is split between a normal city and one rich in magic. The story wraps around the theft of a Kraken from the Darwin Centre and drags its curator from the normal world into the one full of magic. A massive power struggle is going on between differing factions, all vying to lay their hands on the missing Kraken which as vanished into thin air. Some want to stop the end of the world, others want it for their own ends and others just want it because the other groups want it!
It’s a well paced, enjoyable read that has a decent plot is grounded in a recognizable world, albeit one that has a strong tendencies towards the fantastic.
7.5/10
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