Drum'n'bass (Jungle) music (Score 3, Interesting)

I adore China Mieville's work. I had the pleasure of meeting him at a convention last year. He's a brilliant, interesting guy who writes brilliant, interesting novels.

I'm a bit disappointed that the reviewer downplayed the drum'n'bass aspects of King Rat. It's part of why I love the novel. It's rare that an author can so strongly render a subculture that revolves so much around music. The musical fusion that is drum'n'bass is fascinating, both from a dancing point-of-view and from a headphone music point-of-view. When I read King Rat, I found it exciting that the novel ended up hinging on the interplay between rhythm and melody, and that the importance of rhythm - so often under-appreciated in Western music - was essential to the plot.

I've read all three of Mieville's published novels. I prefer Bas-Lag (the world of Perdido Street Station and The Scar. I believe the forthcoming Iron Council also takes place in Bas-Lag) to the London of King Rat. But I enjoyed the time I spent there in reading the novel and would highly recommend it. And if people who read King Rat take the time to discover drum'n'bass, especially the best stuff from the 90s, then even better.