King Rat (China Mi éville) читать бесплатно онлайн полную версию книги

Acknowledgements

"A genuine contribution to London’s subterranean mythology… It’s humane and delinquent. And it bites"

Iain Sinclair

"Full of the rank energy of Jungle rhythms, China Miéville’s rat’s nest of a book gives a new meaning to the term ‘alternative London’, a kingdom we didn’t know we’d inherited. KING RAT goes down as sweetly as week-old garbage, to leave the reader eyeing speculatively the manhole covers of Soho and Battersea. A knotted, toothy, thought provoking read."

M. John Harrison

"China Miéville is an intriguing new voice in British fantasy. He’s inventing a language for Jungle London that’s both ancient and part of the city’s future."

Christopher Fowler

"A story so compelling you almost haven’t time to notice how fine the writing is: a dark myth reinvented for our time and for London in particular with great wit, style and imagination"

Ramsey Campbell

"King Rat takes us out of the high courts of fairy tale, away from the romanticised city streets of many current fantasies, down into the sewers… And his characters are fabulous, even the bit players… This is a riveting, brilliant novel. The language sings, the concepts are original and engrossing… an utter delight"

Charles De Lint

To Max

Thank you to everyone who read this in the early stages. All my love and gratitude go to my mother, Claudia, for all her support, always; and to my sister, Jemima, for her advice and feedback.

Deep love and thanks to Emma, of course, for everything.

My heartfelt thanks to Max Schaefer, who gave me invaluable criticisms, hours of word-processing help, and great friendship during a generally rubbish year.

I can never thank Mic Cheetham enough. I am incredibly lucky to have her on my side. And thanks to all at Macmillan, particularly my editor Peter Lavery.

I owe too many writers and artists to mention, but respect is especially due to Two Fingers and James The Kirk for their novel Junglist. They blazed a trail. Many thanks also to Iain Sinclair for generously letting me keep the metaphor I accidently stole from him. Jake Pilikian introduced me to Drum and Bass music and changed my life. Big up to all the DJs and Crews who provided a soundtrack. Awe and gratitude especially to A Guy Called Gerald for the sublime Gloc: old, now, but still the most terrifying slab of guerrilla bass ever committed to vinyl. Rewind. A London Sometin’…