In Iron Council, Miéville defines fantasy

Reese Issacson Guest Writer

There’s a growing trend among fantastic fiction writers to move away from the archetype created by J.R.R. Tolkien over 50 years ago in his books, the most famous of which is the Lord of the Rings series. Instead, authors are beginning to exploit the limitless potential of the genre. At the forefront of this movement is England’s China Miéville, who returns with his fourth novel, Iron Council, the third in a series set in the world of Bas-Lag.

Iron Council returns to the city-state of New Crobuzon that was first introduced in 2000’s Perdido Street Station. The mythos and atmosphere, created in that novel and expanded upon in 2002’s The Scar, are still present, although Iron Council assumes a basic understanding of the world, whereas the other two do not.

The story in Iron Council revolves around the “perpetual train,” an attempt by the imperialistic New Crobuzon to build a cross continental railroad. This tale of the perpetual train, a revolt by the workers, retreat to a place far away, and the formation of the iron council is told in the book’s weakest section, a roughly 100-page flashback narrated by golemist Judah Low.
The majority of the story takes place in the present, a generation after the events in Miéville’s first two Bas-Lag stories. New Crobuzon is now embroiled in war with the mysterious city-state of Tesh, militia roam the streets, and attempts at social reform are brutally beaten down by the city’s corrupt politicians.

Ori, a revolutionary on the streets of New Crobuzon, joins up with the gang of the militant folk hero Toro in order to overthrow the current regime, while, on the other side of the continent, Cutter, follower and lover of Judah Low, tracks Low in order to bring the iron council in to the brewing revolution. These plot lines come together to an understated ending typical of Miéville.

All of the elements that made Miéville’s previous novels so successful are on full display in Iron Council. Social commentary is prevalent in the war with Tesh, the greedy and imperialistic leaders of New Crobuzon, and the Marxist-themed proletariat revolution. Miéville lets his imagination run wild with things like the Cacotopic stain, an area that warps everything in its proximity, and the monks of the moment, monks who can learn things from their deity in return for knowledge about themselves.

Iron Council does not reach the fantasy height of Perdido Street Station or The Scar, but that statement is somewhat meaningless due to the brilliance of Miéville’s first two in the series. However, Iron Council does take a fair bit of time before it takes flight and tends to meander. That being said, Iron Council is another impressive literary work by Miéville and solidifies his reputation as one of today’s leading fantasy writers.