Book Review – Iron Council

Author: China Mieville
Publisher: Macmillan
Binding: Paperback
Publication Date: July 2004

Fantasy has a plethora of great authors to offer readers of all likes, both contemporary and from the past, regardless if your tastes are for sprawling epic works, gothic, urban, high fantasy, or Sword/Sorcery novels, or collections, there are many choices on the shelves from any of these branches of the genre to discover for anyone. On rarer occasions one can find a work that’s wholly original, unique, and an author who not only adds to the existing genre but elevates it and pushes fantasy to a previously unknown place in speculative fiction for readers to explore and behold. Enter China Mieville. Mieville’s prior works that take place in the Bas-lag universe that Iron Council inhabits, Perdido Street Station and The Scar are two such novels. Original, groundbreaking, and trailblazing works in the genre, they are in my opinion rare instant classics, which not only offer a breath of fresh air to the genre but threaten to reshape it with its sheer magnitude of brilliance.

Chronologically the events in Mieville’s latest effort, Iron Council, take place some 20 to 25 years after the events of the 2 aforementioned novels. In Iron Council, Mieville takes us back to the familiar setting of the city-state New Crobuzon, which at the time is at war from the neighboring State of Tesh, while simultaneously suffering from internal turmoil, both economic and social dissent from its citizens whose anger is directed at New Crobuzon’s government. The story unfolds for the most part from 3 unique perspectives. One is that of Ori, a resident of New Crobuzon, a writer, turned revolutionary, the second is that of a merchant, Cutter, who desires to seek the semi-mythic Iron Council, with the aid of the third and in my opinion most intriguing character in the novel Judah Low.

What is the Iron Council? In typical Mieville fashion on the surface something deceptively very simple. The Iron Council was a group of railroad workers, who in New Crobuzon’s past triumphed over similar oppressive rule that runs rampant in the city now, over something equally simple and identifiable: wages. A simple strike it wasn’t, more aptly it could be described as a war. The hope of Cutter is that by finding the now absent Iron Council and returning them to New Crobuzon, will offer an uplifting hope, both symbolically and in actuality in a struggle they once triumphed over. Cutter seeks Judah Low, who was a member of the Iron Council during its historic movement, and has some rather unique abilities himself, and in my opinion the subject of the most interesting reading in Iron Council. He is a mage, who has the ability to create golems out of anything, including seemingly nothing. A good portion of the novel reveals his origins, his discovery of this unique skill, and his time with the Iron Council. Aside from these focal characters there are characters such as Toro, a rebel leader who Ori seeks out, and the enigmatic Spiral Jack who becomes a quasi-mentor of sorts. In typical Mieville fashion, although these characters actively pursue the same goals they each possess their own unique motivations and methods, and more importantly will go to very different lengths to obtain them. Throw in a rather what I can only describe as “different” anti-republican love aspect in the story (your going to have to read about that yourself), and you have the makings of a typical Mieville story, although the words typical and Mieville presents somewhat of an oxymoron.

As I said earlier, on the surface this seems to be a rather simple plot and to a reader unfamiliar with Mieville it is. However, the genius of Mieville, particularly in respects to Iron Council is the symbolism and correlations of the themes in the novel and how they both parallel and aptly depict various movements & ideals in our own world. Iron Council offers the reader examples and insight through story of expansionism, political revolution, social unrest by the working class, and the different means on each side that people will undertake to either create change or to keep existing institutions alive, wrapped up in a brilliant work of speculative fiction. On this level Iron Council is as brilliant as its predecessors.

The worst comment I can offer on critiquing Iron Council is that it’s simply not as entertaining as the two prior works, Perdido Street Station and The Scar, which are as I mentioned in my opinion examples of masterpieces in fantasy. Iron Council is no less brilliant in its literary quality, and the scope of the work, it just lacks that final piece present in the other novels. There is no Uther Doul (from The Scar, and one of the great characters in the genre) for the reader to instantly gravitate to from a likability standpoint. Another aspect of Mieville that deserves to be mentioned for prospective readers that is very apparent in his writing in all his works, that he makes no qualms about is that his brand of fantasy is not for everyone, his work is not typical, not the run-of-the-mill, and he is makes no attempt to “dumb down” his work. Mieville is for the reader who’s in search of something new, someone in need of separation from a genre that has become very formulaic and predictable. That said, this is still, in comparison to the rest of the genre a great read. Mieville’s genius is still undeniable and his originality evident from the onset to the end. Although stand alone, and not necessary, I would recommend to new Mieville readers to first pick up and Perdido Street Station, The Scar, , before diving into Iron Council.

Earlier this year I read an interview with Mr. Mieville. In which he revealed that his next effort will not be in the Bas-lag setting, and I eagerly await it. With great authors one can only imagine and wonder what their fruitful minds will contrive next. With brilliant authors one cannot possibly imagine what will come next, only that no matter what it is you must have it. China Mieville is a quintessential example of the latter statement.

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