Un Lun Dun, by China Meiville

Meg says:

 We decided to start off our reviews with a glowing entry on a real hidden treasure.  "Un Lun Dun", by China Mieville was a very pleasant surprise when I picked it up about three years ago at our local Borders.  The story takes place both in modern London, and an alternate version of the city known as UnLondon.  Two young girls, Deeba and Zanna, are thrust into a fateful adventure consisting of a ghost town, living smog, a man who spills creatures from his mouth when he talks, and a spider window that can lead to anywhere
 But enough from me.  I'm sure Leandra has something to say.

Leandra says:

 Mieville has created a world rich in imaginative monsters, colorful characters, and unique settings. Un Lun Dun is a novel that adults will also appreciate for its intelligence, wordplay, clever characters, and familiar backdrop. It's moody, slightly spooky, and simply entertaining. You will fall in love with the well-developed characters, and will find yourself so drawn in to their stories that you may not be able to suppress shouting words of encouragement.

Meg says:

 So true.  So who was your favorite character in the book?

 Deeba. When the book first starts out, it seems as though she's going to play second fiddle to Zanna. But when they step into the parallel world, Deeba kicks off her sidekick boots and becomes the star of the show. She displays courage and intelligence in a very bizarre situation. 

Meg says:

 Deeba, the "un chosen one", is a wonderful character.  In the novel, she is forced to take on the responsibilities that destiny would thrust on her friend Zanna.  You have to love a character who decides to throw fate out the window and do what needs to be done.  Personally though, I preferred Hemi the half ghost.


 Hemi is an example of racism at it's worst in UnLondon and how it can be overcome.
 The Unlondoners are wary of the spooks that live in Wraithtown, a sort of limbo.  Unlondoners believe that ghosts will steal your body at any given chance, which turns out to be an unfounded belief.   Hemi, as a product of a human dad and ghost mom, has to cope with badmouthing from both the living and the dead.  He is a very complex character that has had to develop a thick skin very fast in order to survive.  Hemi reminds me a bit of the Artful Dodger in Dicken's "Oliver Twist" with his street smarts and an ability to swim in the grey areas of morality.


 My favorite moment of his in the book is when Hemi chooses to alter the graffiti that reads 
 "CHOOSEN ONE ROOLZ!" to "UN-CHOOSEN ONE ROOLZ!"
 This is a moment in the book when he is silently supporting his friend Deeba in her quest to stop the smog, the antagonist of the book

Leandra says:

 Hemi is a great character. I enjoyed the interactions between him and Deeba, and watching their friendship deepen over the course of the book. 

Meg says:

 Un Lun Dun was full of so many lush locations.  Which was your favorite?

Leandra says:

 One of my favorite aspects of Un Lun Dun is the various bizarre creatures that populate the alternate world. There are trash bins called Binjas that do karate, buses with reptile legs in place of wheels, men with birdcages for heads, and many other oddities. Mieville's world is made up of imaginative takes on famous locations such as the river Smeath, which is straight unlike its well-known counterpart, the Thames. My favorite location is Webminster Abbey, a very spooky play on the famous church which is populated by extremely large, terrifying spiders called Black Windows.

Meg says:

 The creatures definitely add a touch of realism to the story, because they are scrapped together from real objects and ideas that we take for granted every day.  The binjas are an excellent example of this.

Un Lun Dun also has smatterings of Alice in Wonderland in it's concept.  The beauty of it is that Mieville has been able to elevate a trip down the rabbit hole into a trial by fire for a young girl finding her way into a new world with old prejudices.

One critique I would have for this book is that it is advertised as a Children's book. I found it in the Teen section, and rightly so.  The concepts and verbiage are a bit advanced for anyone under the age of fourteen in my opinion.  In fact, most young readers won't get some of the more subtle jokes unless they are from an older generation.  For instance, the weapon used to fight the smog is called the "Klinneract".  Get it?  Get it?  Clean Air Act.  Ha ha ha.  I hate puns.


Still, this is a very engrossing read that I highly recommend.  I'm looking forward to reading more of Meiville's work to see if he can hold his own in other reads.