Railsea Audiobook

" So this is kind of like Moby Dick. Except people travel with trains on the railsea instead of with boats on the ocean. Oh and giant mutant desert animals attack anyone who touches the dirt. So, better. There's also some nods to other nautical tales like the Odyssey, Treasure Island, and Robinson Crusoe. It was also slightly reminiscent of Iron Council, one of Mieville's Bas-Lag books with a heavy emphasis on trains. And even though it's labeled as a young adult book, it doesn't feel like it at all. Which is nice because I'm pretty sick of YA right now. The characters are all pretty interesting, I particularly liked the Captain and Sirocco, and the plot is entertaining. The weird narrator interjection chapters were kind of odd at first, but once I got used to them weren't bad. Overall this was definitely the kind of awesome that I expect from Mieville. "

" 3,5 stars. Quite imaginative, but writing style is... irritating, for the lack of a better word. Another big problem are characters. Comrade Mieville, in my opinion, is always more invested in a setting, than in characters, but this novel takes it to a whole other level. I actively disliked all the main ones, and didn't care at all about secondary. "

" This is my third China Mieville book, the other two being The City & The City and Embassytown, and this one is by far and away my favorite of the three. "

" Overall the story is interesting. We have a number of different people on quests that find their quest overlapping with others. Initially the language the author uses is confusing eventually a rhythm develops and you get the invented words. This book falls into the classic category of hero quest. "

" Railsea is a good book written by China Mieville. It is about a boy named Sham who in a doctors assistant on a train called the Medes. I would recommend this book to young readers who like adventure books. "

" not finished; a bit precious so far. "

" An absolutely delightful retelling of Moby Dick! Once more, Mieville blurs genres--this book is a little bit steampunk, a lot of fantasy, and thought-provoking all the way through! "

" Good, but unlike other his books not great. Yeah, the references are clever, but the ideas are not as developed nor the characters as gripping. But I could see this being an entry point into Mieville's work for young adults. "

" A good novel, but not great. I was far more interested in the captain's quest, and fascinated by the concept of captains who KNOW that the giant animals they chase are symbolic, than Sham's story. I sort of wanted that book in full rather than glimpses of it as part of a different story. "

" Another instant classic from one of the best authors out there. More obviously a comment on political and economic issues that are on all our minds recently, but that is really not the focus of the adventure, so not distracting at all. Loved it. I love reading and re-reading China's books! "

" Adventure is really not my genre, but this is one eccentric, well-written book. "

" Way fun. Very inventive and interesting. "

" Moby Dick on trains... "

" China Mieville is one of the most creative and unique world-builders I have ever read. Railsea is no exception, and the way he reveals the world to the reader is amazing. I want to reread this some day when I have time to just revel in the use of language, the turns of phrase. "