Vampires Judas

Kraken by China Miéville

The author of Kraken, China Miéville is passionate about the city London. The author has already won several awards for portraying the city in different lights for his several books. China Miéville now says the city is going to be destroyed by the tentacles of a giant squid. Definitely, he is not the first author to say so, but the readers are sure to have most fun while reading his version.

 

The main story is about the museum curator Billy Harrow who wants to recover his exhibit, the giant squid Architeuthis. The city of London is full of cults and magic though the readers never get the hint the author is going to come up with some unexpected puns and deliberately playful lines throughout the forthcoming pages of Kraken.

Jokey Tone Throughout The Book

 

The voice adopted by the author China Miéville also has a jokey tone, which is a pleasant surprise especially after the last novel which had a very serious tone. The attempt seems deliberate, since China Miéville may have thought of flexing his creative muscles somewhat after the previous serious novel.  Although the squid is gigantic in the story, the cast is much more than just the squid. There is also the foul mouthed policeman and the union leader who reincarnates as an action toy and men who become giant fists.

The Story Is Overblown And China Miéville Knows It

 

The story definitely is overblown and it’s not that China Miéville, the author of Kraken doesn’t know it. His imagination is definitely working overtime when he pokes fun at the urban fantasy genre. The imagination of China Miéville is truly prodigious and he playfully dissects the genre that gave us huge successes like Harry Potter, Twilight, The Dresden Files and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. While the body of urban fantasy genre has been tackled rather well, the heart couldn’t get the same treatment, though the novel Kraken is still complex and thrilling at the same time.

Characters Weighed Down By The Plot

 

The weight of ideas of the author and plot weigh heavily on the characters none of which come out very clearly in the novel Kraken. For example, when the curator of the museum is told his prized exhibit was keystone of a cult and that may be they want him to infiltrate their cult, what they might be thinking of Billy, John the Baptist or Judas? There are times when the pages of the novel seem too long to some of the readers, though the fun still remains there for most of the readers.

Judas Priest: Nightcrawler / Vampire Hunter D