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The Borrible Trilogy #3
The Borribles: Across the Dark Metropolis
The third book in this rebellious adventure for readers of all ages, set in a shadowy, alternate London. This edition contains a heartfelt introduction by author China Miéville, who says 'the Borribles were, and are, my heroes'.
Being a Borrible is far from easy, but it's full of bravery, treachery and excitement. They are outcasts and like it that way. But, to any vigilant policemen, their pointed ears prove that they aren't in fact runaway children. Then it's time for quick wits and the Borrible motto 'Don't get caught!'
In the last instalment of this great adventure, Battersea is no longer safe for Borribles. The London Police are closing in, using their Special Borrible Group - a secret unit dedicated to finding Borribles and clipping their ears. Driven on by the fanatical Inspector Sussworth, the SBG is determined to wipe out Borribles once and for all. It's now time to break away, escort their old friend Sam to safety in Neasden, then return to the old Borrible life of independence and freedom. So begins a perilous trek across the dark metropolis - a journey that will test the courage and cunning of the adventurers to the very limits.
327 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1986
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About the author
Michael de Larrabeiti
29 books38 followersMichael de Larrabeiti was an English novelist and travel writer. He is best known for writing The Borrible Trilogy, which has been cited as an influence by writers in the New Weird movement.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
June 23, 2009
The last of the Borribles trilogy, this seemed to have an even greater level of anti-establishment sentiment. The police are portrayed as completely idiotic, vicious, unsympathetic, mean, nasty, and truly disgusting human beings with no sign of redemption or goodness. The other adults are violent alcoholics who try to kill and/or betray the Borribles. It really is enough to make you want to turn into a Borrible so you won't grow up and be awful. In any case, these books are violent and not exactly an easy read, but the story is engrossing and really like no other young adult novel. The ending of this book is very sad, but uplifting at the same time.
February 13, 2020
Recensione presente su BookLover: https://booksserial.blogspot.com/2020...
Questo è l'ultimo volume della trilogia, e mentre lo leggevo sono stata beccata dal blocco del lettore. Quindi ci ho messo due mesi per finirlo... Che gioia. Non è colpa del libro, però, che mi è piaciuto molto. No quanto gli altri due, ma comunque mi è piaciuto.
Il nostro gruppo di Avventurieri Borrible devono riuscire ad attraversare tutta Londra per portare in salvo il cavallo Sam, che li ha aiutati durante l'attacco a Rumbledonia. Sussworth vuole uccidere il cavallo, così da togliere la speranza ai ragazzini dalle orecchie a punta, e vuole anche catturarli per poter farli tornare "normali".
Dei tre volumi, penso che questo sia quello con la trama più debole. A parte cercare di salvare Sam e non farsi beccare, i Borrible incappano in parecchi imprevisti e situazioni pericolose, ma ammetto che non è al livello del primo volume; le insidie di Sussworth, però, sono divertenti. È un personaggio abbastanza stupido.
Il finale, però, non me lo aspettavo. Ci sono rimasta malissimo, ma sono spoiler davvero grossi quindi non ne posso parlare.
Ogni cosa bellissima o bruttissima è uno spoiler pazzesco, a questo giro.
Però una cosa la dico: questo libro è molto più "dark" rispetto ai precedenti. Ci sono descrizioni di feriti e di uccisioni molto di più che nel primo e nel secondo volume
Per quanto riguarda i personaggi, ormai li conosco benissimo, e i miei preferiti sono Randello e Stivale di Napoleone. Tra i due è cresciuta un'amicizia molto forte, anche se Nap continua a essere un Bastonatore e non si fida di nessuno.
Sydney invece mi è stata un po' sulle scatole. Capisco il fatto di voler salvare Sam, ma a tratti era davvero insopportabile e piagnucolona.
Gli altri sono un po' più sullo sfondo, diciamo, a parte Chalotte.
Ci sono però due personaggi nuovi e fondamentali Nitch e Scooter. I due sono agli opposti, e lo si vede continuando nella storia... che ovviamente non va a favore dei Borrible.
Mi sono piaciuti anche gli altri gruppi di Borrible che abbiamo conosciuto in quest'ultimo libro, come le Castagnatrici, che sono fantastiche!
Per quanto riguarda lo stile, è un libro per ragazzi. Il linguaggio è molto semplice e, secondo me, la traduzione fila liscia.
Nel complesso, un buon libro!
Questo è l'ultimo volume della trilogia, e mentre lo leggevo sono stata beccata dal blocco del lettore. Quindi ci ho messo due mesi per finirlo... Che gioia. Non è colpa del libro, però, che mi è piaciuto molto. No quanto gli altri due, ma comunque mi è piaciuto.
Il nostro gruppo di Avventurieri Borrible devono riuscire ad attraversare tutta Londra per portare in salvo il cavallo Sam, che li ha aiutati durante l'attacco a Rumbledonia. Sussworth vuole uccidere il cavallo, così da togliere la speranza ai ragazzini dalle orecchie a punta, e vuole anche catturarli per poter farli tornare "normali".
Dei tre volumi, penso che questo sia quello con la trama più debole. A parte cercare di salvare Sam e non farsi beccare, i Borrible incappano in parecchi imprevisti e situazioni pericolose, ma ammetto che non è al livello del primo volume; le insidie di Sussworth, però, sono divertenti. È un personaggio abbastanza stupido.
Il finale, però, non me lo aspettavo. Ci sono rimasta malissimo, ma sono spoiler davvero grossi quindi non ne posso parlare.
Ogni cosa bellissima o bruttissima è uno spoiler pazzesco, a questo giro.
Però una cosa la dico: questo libro è molto più "dark" rispetto ai precedenti. Ci sono descrizioni di feriti e di uccisioni molto di più che nel primo e nel secondo volume
Per quanto riguarda i personaggi, ormai li conosco benissimo, e i miei preferiti sono Randello e Stivale di Napoleone. Tra i due è cresciuta un'amicizia molto forte, anche se Nap continua a essere un Bastonatore e non si fida di nessuno.
Sydney invece mi è stata un po' sulle scatole. Capisco il fatto di voler salvare Sam, ma a tratti era davvero insopportabile e piagnucolona.
Gli altri sono un po' più sullo sfondo, diciamo, a parte Chalotte.
Ci sono però due personaggi nuovi e fondamentali Nitch e Scooter. I due sono agli opposti, e lo si vede continuando nella storia... che ovviamente non va a favore dei Borrible.
Mi sono piaciuti anche gli altri gruppi di Borrible che abbiamo conosciuto in quest'ultimo libro, come le Castagnatrici, che sono fantastiche!
Per quanto riguarda lo stile, è un libro per ragazzi. Il linguaggio è molto semplice e, secondo me, la traduzione fila liscia.
Nel complesso, un buon libro!
September 15, 2016
The Borribles: Across the Dark Metropolis by Michael de Larrabeiti is the third and final book in the Borrible trilogy. I'd read the first two many years ago and, at the time, didn't realize there was a third book. I found it just last year and after rereading the first book last year, decided to give this one a try. Borribles are children who never grow up; distinguished by their pointed ears. They live in the shadows, surviving by knicking food and goods for their homes. This third book continues the journey of the Adventurers, 10 Borribles we meet in the first book, who were involved in the Great Rumble Hunt. The group are chased by the London Police, a special group, the SBG, led by the nasty Sussworth and his assistant Hanks.
The Adventurers are trying to avoid them and also to get a horse, who helped them in their adventures, to a place of safety so he can live his final years in peace. Sussworth's plans for Sam, the horse, are to catch him and take him to the slaughterhouse. He also wants to catch the Borribles and have their ears snipped; this makes them forget about Borrible life and also grow up. The story follows the Adventurers all across London; we meet further enemies and also new friends, other groups of Borribles. It's not necessarily a light and fluffy fantasy; you'll find it very gritty at times. A sad and also happy ending to the trilogy. Glad I found it. (3 stars)
May 13, 2022
Every positive thing I've said about the last books applies here too.
The character work was great as always, but this book excelled in setting especially, even more than the last two. London felt fully explored, vibrant and intriguing. It really became a character in itself. On top of this, we got to see so many more Borrible Boroughs and their different ways of life, which added to the setting more and created a great sense of Borrible camaraderie.
The pacing, as usual, was also very quick and snappy. The plot never took a break or let you get bored.
I found this book fell short in similar ways as the second one: the villains. Hanks and Sussworth felt far too clownish to be proper threats, especially when compared to how much dark this story got at times. The DAC was barely present enough to count as a villain. The antagonist Ninch was a bit more intimidating, but still never felt fully fleshed out or like a proper threat. The Methos were also pretty forgettable and uninteresting, and felt like a weak attempt to capture the creepiness of Dewdrop—the best villain in this trilogy in my opinion. There's definitely more of a quantity of villains than quality in this book.
!!!SPOILERS!!!
A trickle on effect of the villains being weak, is it dampened the emotion of the major character deaths in the story. In previous books, we only lost one supporting character—Adolf in the first and Spiff in the second—but we lost two in this book and were suggested to have lost another too. The two confirmed deaths happened due to sudden recklessness within the character and them acting rashly because they were overcome with emotion, instead of their deaths feeling like they were properly at the hands of the antagonists. It made the antagonists feel lamer and like the characters were mostly at fault for their own deaths. No one was overpowered or out manoeuvred, they just made mistakes. It brought the mood really low. I was too busy feeling frustrated at the characters that I didn't really mourn them. The final suggested death was a sacrifice that results in an ear-clipping—so a 'death' to their Borrible nature—so, once again, it was a character's death being majority due to their own actions instead of the antagonists' cunning or power. Because of this, the ending to an otherwise really fun and exciting book felt 'meh'.
The character work was great as always, but this book excelled in setting especially, even more than the last two. London felt fully explored, vibrant and intriguing. It really became a character in itself. On top of this, we got to see so many more Borrible Boroughs and their different ways of life, which added to the setting more and created a great sense of Borrible camaraderie.
The pacing, as usual, was also very quick and snappy. The plot never took a break or let you get bored.
I found this book fell short in similar ways as the second one: the villains. Hanks and Sussworth felt far too clownish to be proper threats, especially when compared to how much dark this story got at times. The DAC was barely present enough to count as a villain. The antagonist Ninch was a bit more intimidating, but still never felt fully fleshed out or like a proper threat. The Methos were also pretty forgettable and uninteresting, and felt like a weak attempt to capture the creepiness of Dewdrop—the best villain in this trilogy in my opinion. There's definitely more of a quantity of villains than quality in this book.
!!!SPOILERS!!!
A trickle on effect of the villains being weak, is it dampened the emotion of the major character deaths in the story. In previous books, we only lost one supporting character—Adolf in the first and Spiff in the second—but we lost two in this book and were suggested to have lost another too. The two confirmed deaths happened due to sudden recklessness within the character and them acting rashly because they were overcome with emotion, instead of their deaths feeling like they were properly at the hands of the antagonists. It made the antagonists feel lamer and like the characters were mostly at fault for their own deaths. No one was overpowered or out manoeuvred, they just made mistakes. It brought the mood really low. I was too busy feeling frustrated at the characters that I didn't really mourn them. The final suggested death was a sacrifice that results in an ear-clipping—so a 'death' to their Borrible nature—so, once again, it was a character's death being majority due to their own actions instead of the antagonists' cunning or power. Because of this, the ending to an otherwise really fun and exciting book felt 'meh'.
December 27, 2020
The end the trilogy deserves
This isn't quite as good as the first two books - don't love the use of the dwarfs and the plot requires too many people to take too many stupid pills - but it has the same propulsive storytelling and vivid descriptions and great set pieces. And when push comes to shove the last lines bring it back up to a 5 like the others. A group of people who choose a different way from society because what's it all for and who find themselves asking what's it all for doing things the other way; they end the book with an answer, but it won't last, but that's okay.
I wish there were more Borribles books, I'd read every one of them five times, and then use them to rebuild a perfect replica of London in the early 80s. May people read them forever.
This isn't quite as good as the first two books - don't love the use of the dwarfs and the plot requires too many people to take too many stupid pills - but it has the same propulsive storytelling and vivid descriptions and great set pieces. And when push comes to shove the last lines bring it back up to a 5 like the others. A group of people who choose a different way from society because what's it all for and who find themselves asking what's it all for doing things the other way; they end the book with an answer, but it won't last, but that's okay.
I wish there were more Borribles books, I'd read every one of them five times, and then use them to rebuild a perfect replica of London in the early 80s. May people read them forever.
June 3, 2024
An excellent resolution to the Borribles trilogy. Larrabeiti's madcap 70s London echoes the chaotic changes of that decade acting as a backdrop to the heroic quest and final treasure of oats. The entry to adulthood is reworked as a form of self-sacrifice, alongside the shock value of death, even for characters developed over the trilogy.
February 21, 2017
And here is the culmination of the trilogy. I have again found plotholes, I still think that the Borrible World lacks of internal coherence and that sometimes the writer uses childish solutions that spoil a nicely built plot line. But in spite of all the nuisances, I really enjoyed these three books.
In this third one, the City itself becomes one of the main protagonists: a dark and hostile entity that harbors inside hidden havens of friendship and help. The struggle of this bunch of 'Peter Pans' against a world full of grownups leads us towards a powerful ending that can be either taken as it comes or used to meditate in case there would be a moral somewhere.
In this third one, the City itself becomes one of the main protagonists: a dark and hostile entity that harbors inside hidden havens of friendship and help. The struggle of this bunch of 'Peter Pans' against a world full of grownups leads us towards a powerful ending that can be either taken as it comes or used to meditate in case there would be a moral somewhere.
December 14, 2015
More of the same. Great series overall.
I was very impressed how the first Borribles book brought a thrilling young adult story, as it presented these immortal "children" who love freedom above all. The second title, Go For Broke, impressed me even further with it's very intriguing characters. So I had high expectations for The Borribles: Across the Dark Metropolis.
Now the Borribles face a new threat: dwarves trained by the police to infiltrate the little ones' society. This brings some welcome tension as you know the informants are setting the Borribles up. But I felt the formula got a bit tiring on this third book. The Borribles are time after time locked away in a manner that all seems lost, and after the forth of fifth miraculous escape e began counting the pages to the end.
The characters were not very well constructed here. The Borribles didn't seem to me to have their own personality, but were more like sources of dialog to move the story along. Some characters of the London underworld are introduced, but without real dimensions. Even the death of a main character from the series seemed rushed.
The Deus ex Machina may be simple, but it does give you a chance to look back on the whole series and see how the Borribles changed. From children seeking adventure to veterans with a darker understanding of the atrocities that could happen to them. They felt like they aged on the inside. For me Across the Dark Metropolis was worth the read as the weaker book in great series.
I was very impressed how the first Borribles book brought a thrilling young adult story, as it presented these immortal "children" who love freedom above all. The second title, Go For Broke, impressed me even further with it's very intriguing characters. So I had high expectations for The Borribles: Across the Dark Metropolis.
Now the Borribles face a new threat: dwarves trained by the police to infiltrate the little ones' society. This brings some welcome tension as you know the informants are setting the Borribles up. But I felt the formula got a bit tiring on this third book. The Borribles are time after time locked away in a manner that all seems lost, and after the forth of fifth miraculous escape e began counting the pages to the end.
The characters were not very well constructed here. The Borribles didn't seem to me to have their own personality, but were more like sources of dialog to move the story along. Some characters of the London underworld are introduced, but without real dimensions. Even the death of a main character from the series seemed rushed.
The Deus ex Machina may be simple, but it does give you a chance to look back on the whole series and see how the Borribles changed. From children seeking adventure to veterans with a darker understanding of the atrocities that could happen to them. They felt like they aged on the inside. For me Across the Dark Metropolis was worth the read as the weaker book in great series.
November 16, 2013
I read the Borribles (books 1 and 2) as a child at primary school. I absolutely loved them. The whole idea of these children who aren't children anymore but still look like them, in a secret war with their enemies, and going on grand adventures to win a name ... it probably took me 20 years to find the book, but one day I walked into a bookshop and there was the trilogy! It was purchased immediately, and every bit as good as I remember. Also the first time I'd read the third book. That one packs a punch and goes darker ... but every bit as good as the other two. Although, to be fair, the first isn't that bright and supposedly child friendly .. definitely darker than HP.
July 15, 2012
Unfortunately I was unable to get my hands on the second book, so I read this conclusion without it. I really feel the Borribles series got stronger in this final addition. The characters are developed, the plot line is intense, and I just feel it was a step up.
I think the ending is a satisfying one. Not the one I'd have liked, but it was satisfying. Unexpected, but I think it fits the book.
I think the ending is a satisfying one. Not the one I'd have liked, but it was satisfying. Unexpected, but I think it fits the book.
May 28, 2025
Finally finished the trilogy after 35 years. Longer than the first two and at first felt it was a bit of a drag. As it went it became more of an interesting Adventure, but it gets pretty dark and contains quite a few sad moments. Plus it becomes more evident how truly filthy everything is and makes you wonder whose life is truly better.
April 24, 2016
I've finished my re-read of these favourite childhood books. Not quite as good as my personal favourite (Go for broke), but a fitting conclusion to the Borribles trilogy.
I look forward to hopefully giving these to my nephews and niece when they're old enough for them.
I look forward to hopefully giving these to my nephews and niece when they're old enough for them.
January 9, 2012
http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/1832610...
In the The Borribles: Across the Dark Metropolis, they fight an epic battle with the Special Borrible Group and its hired auxiliary force of dwarves.
In the The Borribles: Across the Dark Metropolis, they fight an epic battle with the Special Borrible Group and its hired auxiliary force of dwarves.
March 3, 2015
Re reading this book for the countless time. I love these books and this is the grand finale. Characters that you grow to love, adventure that keeps you turning page after page.
May 6, 2009
A heartbreaking end to the series, very dark and upsetting.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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