Miévillians discussion

Chapter 23 starts with tragedy. This is the point where the book really starts to take a turn for the darker.

Poor Lublamai.

We see a bit about the dark underside of the city's government, the use of covert militia.

We see Mayor Rudgutter (what do you think of the name!?) doing his dark dealings.

More and more people are found in strange comas. The government is now officially worried about it.

Chapter 24:
Motley is suspected of foul play.

The Hellkin (ha ha ha) are contacted, and Rudgutter's pleas are rejected by them.

Well, well- if even the Hellkin are afraid, there must really be a big game afoot, eh?

I can't help wondering what the object of the Hellkin/daemon interlude in the whole story was.

Traveller wrote: "I can't help wondering what the object of the Hellkin/daemon interlude in the whole story was."

You mean, besides emphasizing how overwhelmingly terrifying Mievile likes making his arthropods? Because I thought that was a pretty good reason for it.

I actually found their communications with Hell and even the way the contact with the devil (the ambassador of Hell) is achieved, rather hilarious. Mieville does a lot of tongue-in-cheek writing, i think.

Note how we now don't have to do some kind of sacrifice in a demonic ritual in order to contact the devil, anymore, no, science and technology has now enabled us to do the ritual sacrifice in a "victimless" way, ha ha ha.

Maybe he just inserted the contact with Hell for humor, and to show that Rudgtter has connections with Old Nick, (AKA Its Diabolic Majesty, the Czar of Hell,) heh.

..and that whole repartee between Rudgutter and the devil, who asks: “Still trying to find out if you’ll be joining us when you pass on?” --pretty hilarious.
LOL, and then ; “You’re such a modernist, Mayor Rudgutter,”

Traveller wrote: "Poor Lublamai."
I was completely surprised by what happened when Isaac returned to their lab and found Lub, though with hindsight, I shouldn't have been.

Traveller wrote: "We see Mayor Rudgutter (what do you think of the name!?)"
In the acknowledgements at the front, Mieville mentions Peake, and many aspects of this book, including many of the names, are very Peakish (more that than Dickens, imo). So naturally, I love them!

Isaac and Lin: their relationship has always felt central to the story, yet how committed are they to each other in comparison to the risks of their relationship being more widely known? Chapter 23 refers to their "deep affection" for one another, which sounds rather half-hearted; don't they love each other?

Food again. I'm sticking with my earlier assertion that this is a recurring theme (repeated mention of the differences in what and how species eat, gland art, the halal/kosher style slaughtering, Isaac testing crisis energy on cheese), and now it's taken as nastier turn, with apparently the whole population of NC being potential food for the moths that have "no natural predators".