Synopsis
King Rat blends eerie fairy tale and contemporary urban fantasy in China Miéville's fantastical debut.
Something is stirring in London's dark, stamping out its territory in brickdust and blood. Something has murdered Saul's father, and left Saul to pay for the crime.
But a shadow from the urban waste breaks into his prison cell and leads him to freedom. A shadow called King Rat.
In the night-land behind London's façade, in sewers and slums and rotting dead spaces, Saul must learn his true nature.
Grotesque murders rock the city like a curse. Mysterious forces prepare for a showdown. With Drum and Bass pounding the backstreets, Saul confronts his bizarre inheritance - in the badlands of South London, in the heart of darkness, at the gathering of the Junglist Massive.
Like the DJ says: 'Time for the Badman.'
Details
02 July 2026
9781035097739Reviews
Tackles his theme with a dark assurance . . . with its original blend of twisted urban fairytale and modern gothic horror, King Rat marks out China Miéville as an author to be watched.
Brings together elements of fantasy, fairytale and the detective story . . . I greatly enjoyed Miéville's weird and engaging myth-making.
