King Rat

Something is stirring in London's dark, stamping out its territory in brickdust and blood. Something has murdered Saul Garamond's father, and left Saul to pay for the crime. But a shadow from the urban waste breaks into Saul's prison cell and leads him to freedom. A shadow called King Rat, who reveals Saul's royal heritage, a heritage that opens a new world to Saul, the world below London's streets--a heritage that also drags Saul into King Rat's plan for revenge against his ancient enemy,. With drum 'n' bass pounding the backstreets, Saul must confront the forces that would use him, the forces that would destroy him, and the forces that shape his own bizarre identity. Amazon.com Review Saul Garamond returns from a journey in late evening and sneaks into his bedroom to avoid a confrontation with his estranged father. He awakes to the intrusion of police and the news that his father has been murdered and he is the number-one suspect. Forgotten in a jail cell, he is freed by a peculiar, stinking, and impossibly strong stranger--only to find rescue may be worse than imprisonment. The plot moves through subterranean and rooftop London quick as a techno beat, as Saul discovers his curious heritage and finds himself marked for death in an age-old secret war among frightful inhuman powers. China Miéville's urban fantasy novel, King Rat , is an impressive, even daring, debut. It is a Lost Prince story that avoids both black-and-white morality and the standard fantasy-novel adoration of royalty. Furthermore, it is inspired by the unlikeliest of sources, the Rat King legend and the Pied Piper of Hamelin fairy tale. Finally, King Rat , powered and propelled by the rhythms of jungle/drum-'n'-bass music, is a fantasy novel set in the 1990s that genuinely captures the 1990s. --Cynthia Ward From Publishers Weekly In the past decade, contemporary renderings of traditional fairy tales have become a staple of fantasy fiction. This flashy riff on the Pied Piper theme marks a notable extension of the trend and an auspicious debut for its author. Saul Garamond is a restless young Londoner, aimlessly adrift, when he is wrongly imprisoned for the murder of his father. Saul is snatched from the authorities by a mysterious savior named King Rat, who claims to be both the deposed leader of the rodent army driven out of Hamelin 700 years before and Saul's real father. Raised as a human, Saul has much to unlearn before King can teach him to become a worthy opponent of the Rat Catcher, who framed Saul for murder and is still pursuing King. Meanwhile, the Rat Catcher forces his friendship on Saul's composer friend, Natasha, by posing as a flautist who hopes to work his melodies into her "drum 'n' bass" dance music and turn London's hip-hop underground into his unwitting stormtroopers. Though the plot is predictable and Saul's efforts to get in touch with his inner rat are clearly patterned on the Star Wars school of messiah-making, Mi?ville pulls the reader into the story through the kinetic energy of his prose. From the novel's opening image ("The trains that enter London arrive like ships sailing across the roofs"), the narrative crackles with a mesmerizing melange of impressionistic description and street slang that powerfully limns the squalid London cityscape. Paced at the rhythm of the Jungle music it evokes, this dark urban fantasy proves nearly as irresistible as the Pied Piper's tunes. Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Something is stirring in London's dark, stamping out its territory in brickdust and blood. Something has murdered Saul Garamond's father, and left Saul to pay for the crime.

But a shadow from the urban waste breaks into Saul's prison cell and leads him to freedom. A shadow called King Rat, who reveals Saul's royal heritage, a heritage that opens a new world to Saul, the world below London's streets—a heritage that also drags Saul into King Rat's plan for revenge against his ancient enemy,. With drum 'n' bass pounding the backstreets, Saul must confront the forces that would use him, the forces that would destroy him, and the forces that shape his own bizarre identity.

Onion.com - Krewson

Saul Garamond comes home to his London apartment to find his father murdered and himself under arrest. While grieving in his jail cell, he is broken out by the stinking, shadowy King Rat, who takes Saul to the world beneath London's streets before revealing to him his own half-rat heritage. King Rat means to enlist Saul's aid against their oldest enemy, the Piper, who long ago embarrassed the King and stole the children in Hamelin, and has come again to do the same in London. This time, however, the rats have half-human rat-prince Saul--who is immune to the Piper's tune--on their side. If King Rat sounds a little too cute, it's because the book takes its cues from two of fantasy's most sugarcoated themes, the Lost Prince and the x. But it's somewhat grittier than that; the Prince doesn't usually eat garbage every few pages or spend most of his day wading through sewage. China Miéville blends a lot of good, solid folkloric material with a good deal of contemporary urban paranoia and drum-and-bass music, the multi-layered richness of which the Piper seeks to use for his own ends. It's ambitious, to be sure, and involved at times--it would help to know something about Cockney rhyming slang, the layout of London and its environs, and jungle music--but the book can easily be enjoyed by anyone with a love of good, gritty make-believe. King Rat is a strong first novel in the quirky sub-sub-genre of subterranean fairy tales that, with such recent good books as Lisa Goldstein's Dark Cities Underground and Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere, looks less cute and more promising by the minute.

Award-winning author China Miéville began his astounding career with King Rat—now in a new Tor Essentials edition—a mix of a young man's search for identity with a pulse-pounding story of revenge and madness. With a new introduction by Tim Maughan, author of Infinite Detail. Something is stirring in London's dark, stamping out its territory in brickdust and blood. Something has murdered Saul Garamond's father, and left Saul to pay for the crime. But a shadow from the urban waste breaks into Saul's prison cell and leads him to freedom: a shadow called King Rat. King Rat reveals to Saul his own royal heritage, a heritage that opens a new world for him, the world below London's streets. With drum-and-bass pounding the backstreets, Saul must confront the forces that would use him, the ones that would destroy him, and those that have shaped his own bizarre identity. Tor Essentials presents new editions of science fiction and fantasy titles of proven merit and lasting value, each volume introduced by an appropriate literary figure. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied. "Award-winning author China Miéville began his astounding career with King Rat-now in a new Tor Essentials edition-a mix of a young man's search for identity with a pulse-pounding story of revenge and madness. With a new introduction by Tim Maughan, author of Infinite Detail. Something is stirring in London's dark, stamping out its territory in brickdust and blood. Something has murdered Saul Garamond's father, and left Saul to pay for the crime. But a shadow from the urban waste breaks into Saul's prison cell and leads him to freedom: a shadow called King Rat. King Rat reveals to Saul his own royal heritage, a heritage that opens a new world for him, the world below London's streets. With drum-and-bass pounding the backstreets, Saul must confront the forces that would use him, the ones that would destroy him, and those that have shaped his own bizarre identity. Tor Essentials presents new editions of science fiction and fantasy titles of proven merit and lasting value, each volume introduced by an appropriate literary figure"-- Provided by publisher Something Is Stirring In London's Dark, Stamping Out Its Territory In Brickdust And Blood. Something Has Murdered Saul Garamond's Father, And Left Saul To Pay For The Crime. But A Shadow From The Urban Waste Breaks Into Saul's Prison Cell And Leads Him To Freedom. A Shadow Called King Rat, Who Reveals Saul's Royal Heritage, A Heritage That Opens A New World To Saul, The World Below London's Streets--a Heritage That Also Drags Saul Into King Rat's Plan For Revenge Against His Ancient Enemy,. With Drum 'n' Bass Pounding The Backstreets, Saul Must Confront The Forces That Would Use Him, The Forces That Would Destroy Him, And The Forces That Shape His Own Bizarre Identity. China Mieville's King Rat Was Nominated For Both The International Horror Guild And Bram Stoker Awards For Best First Novel. At The Publisher's Request, This Title Is Being Sold Without Digital Rights Management Software (drm) Applied. Something is stirring in the London dark, stamping out its territory in brickdust and blood. Something has murdered Saul Garamond's father, and left Saul to pay for the crime.. "But a shadow from the urban waste breaks into Saul's prison cell and leads him to freedom. A shadow called King Rat. Freedom and a new destiny: King Rat reveals Saul's royal heritage, a heritage that opens a new world to Saul, the world below London's streets.. "A heritage that also drags Saul into King Rat's plan for revenge against his ancient enemy, the Pied Piper of Hamelin. The Piper walks the world again, and wants to finish the job he started those long centuries ago. With Drum and Bass pounding the backstreets, Saul must confront the forces that would use him, the forces that would destroy him, and the forces that shaped his own bizarre identity. China Mieville's exciting debut novel, King Rat, mixes a young man's search for identity with a pulse-pounding story of revenge and madness. When Saul Garamond's father is viciously murdered by an intruder, Saul falls into the care of King Rat, and into the subterranean world he inhabits. A world of rats, slime, and garbage, a world Saul was born to rule. But King Rat has plans for Saul, his special weapon in a war that goes back to a town called Hamelin... A London man is enrolled by the King of Rats to assassinate the Pied Piper of Hamelin who dethroned him. The man is Saul, whose rat mother joined humanity, making him immune to the piper's call. In his rat persona Saul eats garbage and climbs walls.