I suppose it wasn't enough for China Miéville to write a gripping thriller with likeable characters that are recognizably tropey without becoming cliché.

It wasn't enough either to write the said thriller in a very rich and flowing style, with a mastery of structure and rhythm that makes of this book a page-turner in which you nevertheless want to stop to taste what you've just read, to think about it--perpetually torn, in a good way, between plot, style and ideas.

On top of that, I guess he HAD to set this brilliant thriller in a world like no other, an uncanny urban environment that challenges your understanding at every corner without being too confusing.

A great, great read; the first book I've read by that author, and certainly not the last.