Railsea

Just such a wild and good book. It could be described as "Moby Dick, except that instead of chasing a whale in a sailing ship, they're chasing a giant mole in a railroad train", and that would be accurate but also not. And it sounds ridiculous, and it is, but it works, and it's terrific.

It's also steampunk of a sort, but steampunk that's fresh and unique and not Just Steampunk.

It is a wonderful time, a rollicking adventure, a sweet romp, complete in itself, the loose ends not exactly tied up but not exactly left dangling. It is easy to imagine (and even long for) sequels, or other stories in the same universe, but it's also easy to imagine there won't be any; this was about perfect.

Highly highly recommended.

Only China Mieville could create a weird future where the earth is covered by oceans not of water, but of railways. Later in the book you learn that capitalist railway barons have created this weird future as their monopolistic power overwhelms society. SF nerds of a particular bent might recall Douglas Adams and his planet which became dominated completely by the manufacturing of shoes.

But "Railsea" is not a humorous book like H2G2, it's a rollicking adventure. The unreal, impossible setting becomes compelling and believable. In fact it's the most fun I've had reading any of his books. He didn't quite nail YA in "Un Lun Dun", but he gets it right here.

Moby Dick meets Treasure Island on rails. Beatiful and cunning with a dash of Vonnegut-ish narration.