Railsea was a fascinating book to read.   It is a post-apocalyptic fantasy written in a style that will bring classic literature to mind.  It is inspired by the novel Moby Dick, which I have not read but the influence is fairly obvious.  A quick skim of the cover jacket at first made me a little skeptical about how good of a book it would be–a novel about people who hunt moles? However odd it sounded, I’m glad I took the time to read it, because it’s an awesome read.  The classic-style writing and third person perspective are the perfect tools for Mieville to utilize in his artful story telling.  The characters will definitely appeal to high-schoolers, and possibly those of the steam punk following.  The language could be difficult for some readers, but this only adds to the novel’s charm.  The ending, though a bit quirky in some aspects, is perfect and will leave the reader smiling.  If you want to read a novel that combines active imagination with stylistic art, Railsea is the book for you!

Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language: 2 religious exclamations; 15 mild obscenities; 1 derogatory name; 3 scatological words

Violence/Gore:  Characters threaten each other; there is a report of violence; several characters are eaten or mauled by creatures, resulting in death and injury, with some description of blood.  There are a couple of battle scenes that result in death and injury with some description of blood.

Sex/Nudity:  None

Mature Subject Matter:

Death

Alcohol / Drug Use:

Characters drink a lot; protagonist gets extremely drunk.