Iron Council (2004) is China Miéville's fourth novel and his third set in the Bas-Lag universe, following Perdido Street Station (2000) and The Scar (2002), although each can be read independently of the others. In addition to the steampunk influences shared by its predecessors, Iron Council also draws several elements from the western genre.
Iron Council is perhaps the most overtly political of China Miéville's novels to date, being strongly ins...
More
Iron Council (2004) is China Miéville's fourth novel and his third set in the Bas-Lag universe, following Perdido Street Station (2000) and The Scar (2002), although each can be read independently of the others. In addition to the steampunk influences shared by its predecessors, Iron Council also draws several elements from the western genre.
Iron Council is perhaps the most overtly political of China Miéville's novels to date, being strongly inspired by the anti-globalization movement, and tackling issues such as imperialism, corporatism, terrorism, racial hatred, homosexuality, culture shock, labour rights and war. The novel won the Clarke and Locus Awards in 2005, and was also nominated for the Hugo, and World Fantasy Awards that same year.
Iron Council follows three major narrative threads that join to form the novel’s climax. Although Miéville weaves back and forth between narrative, time, and space, this summary will follow each narrative individually, discussing their relation...
Less
