Jan 29, 2008 | 496 Pages | Middle Grade (10 and up)
“It hardly seems possible that I didn’t read this novel and love it at age 12, it brought back so vividly the long, book-drunk days of my late childhood. Like the best children’s fiction, Un Lun Dun seems to have always been there waiting to be discovered. Finding it as a grown-up may not be the optimum way to stumble into UnLondon, but it’s pretty miraculous all the same.”—Salon
“Give [Un Lun Dun] to a kid (and borrow it when they’re done). It just might help them grow up into the kind of nerd we need a lot more of—one who thinks they can save the world with sheer ingenuity.”—Wired magazine
“Miéville has done us a favor by creating a protagonist who was most assuredly not chosen to save the day, and it’s an excellent turn of events. There are some icky gruesome baddies and the good guys are often a lot of fun.”—January Magazine
“[Miéville] relies on his formidable storytelling skill for this lengthy yet swiftmoving tale that, with a wink and a nod, cuts through archetypal notions of fate and prophecy. Highly recommended for Neil Gaiman and Clive Barker fans especially.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“The most thoroughly playful tale Miéville has written.”—Locus magazine
“A multifaceted romp through a world many of us would love to visit.”—Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
“Full of clever word play and compelling characters, Miéville’s novel is a tour de force. This rollicking, fantastical and altogether incredible novel will appeal to both adults and young readers.”—Romantic Times
“Whimsy, wondrous images . . . There are few more fascinating world builders than China Miéville. . . . His powers of invention seem boundless . . . his sensitivity to language immense.”—The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction
“A book which shows the world as it truly is: full of marvels and monsters and unexpected opportunities for heroism and magic. Un Lun Dun is delicious, twisty, ferocious fun, a book so crammed with inventions, delights, and unexpected turns that you will want to start reading it over again as soon as you’ve reached the end.”—Kelly Link, author of Stranger Things Happen and Magic for Beginners
New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age WINNER 2008
YALSA Best Books for Young Adults WINNER 2008
