China Mieville

May 10, 2012 The new novel reimagines Moby-Dick in a future where the oceans have become barren wastelands teeming with fantastical carnivores, and crisscrossed by a network of railroads.

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April 3, 2012 So many fantasy classics are written with young readers in mind — books like Alice in Wonderland and Harry Potter. But for the adult who loves to escape into new and magical universes, author Lyndsay Faye recommends these three reads. Have a favorite magical novel? Let us know in the comments.

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August 11, 2011 More than 5,000 of you nominated. More than 60,000 of you voted. And now the results are in. Explore the winners of NPR's Top 100 Science-Fiction and Fantasy survey — an intriguing mix of classic and contemporary titles.

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June 14, 2011 These five sci-fi novels offer satisfying, intellectually chewy pleasures that are perfect for a summer afternoon.

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March 16, 2011 Critical darling David Mitchell serves up a screwball tale in a Dutch outpost off Japan in 1799, Sam Lipsyte brings his effortless humor to campus, and China Mieville recounts an epic "squidnapping." Desmond Tutu reflects on forgiveness, and translator Edith Grossman tells of channeling Cervantes.

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July 8, 2010 Tired of vampires? Here are five freaky summer reads featuring gods, monsters, aliens, mutants, pulsating brains, sword-canes, dirigibles and derring-do. Each one, says critic Glen Weldon, is enlivened by wit and wordplay — not weepy, bloodsucking introspection.

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July 2, 2009 China Mieville's police procedural novel is set in neighboring, nearly identical fictional cities. The catch is, these cities — Beszel and Ul Qoma — co-exist in the same physical space, and their separation ultimately depends on how well each city's citizens do in ignoring the existence of the other.

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