The iron wheel began to spin, slowly at first, then faster and faster. The room grew darker. As the light lessened, so did the sound. Deeba and Zanna stared at each other in wonder. The noise of the cars and vans and motorbikes outside grew tinny . . . The wheel turned off all the cars and turned off all the lamps. It was turning off London. Zanna and Deeba are two girls leading ordinary lives, until they stumble into the world of UnLondon, an urban Wonderland where all the lost and broken things of London end up . . . and ...
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The iron wheel began to spin, slowly at first, then faster and faster. The room grew darker. As the light lessened, so did the sound. Deeba and Zanna stared at each other in wonder. The noise of the cars and vans and motorbikes outside grew tinny . . . The wheel turned off all the cars and turned off all the lamps. It was turning off London. Zanna and Deeba are two girls leading ordinary lives, until they stumble into the world of UnLondon, an urban Wonderland where all the lost and broken things of London end up . . . and some of its lost and broken people too. Here discarded umbrellas stalk with spidery menace, carnivorous giraffes roam the streets, and a jungle sprawls beyond the door of an ordinary house. UnLondon is under siege by the sinister Smog and its stink-junkie slaves; it is a city awaiting its hero. Guided by a magic book that can't quite get its facts straight, and pursued by Hemi the half-ghost boy, the girls set out to stop the poisonous cloud before it burns everything in its path. They are joined in their quest by a motley band of UnLondon locals, including Brokkenbroll, boss of the broken umbrellas, Obaday Fing, a couturier whose head is an enormous pincushion, and an empty milk carton called Curdle. Winner of the Locus Award for Best Young Adult Book, China Mi???ville's Un Lun Dun is an extraordinary vivid creation;is populated by astonishing frights and delights that will thrill the imagination.
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Add this copy of Un Lun Dun to cart. $1.26, good condition, Sold by More Than Words rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Waltham, MA, UNITED STATES, published 2008 by Del Rey Books.
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Add this copy of Un Lun Dun to cart. $1.57, good condition, Sold by Valleys Books & More rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Roanoke, VA, UNITED STATES, published 2008 by Del Rey Books.
Add this copy of Un Lun Dun to cart. $1.75, very good condition, Sold by The Maryland Book Bank rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from baltimore, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2008 by Del Rey Books.
Add this copy of Un Lun Dun to cart. $2.14, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Atlanta rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Brownstown, MI, UNITED STATES, published 2008 by Del Rey Books.
Add this copy of Un Lun Dun to cart. $2.16, fair condition, Sold by Blue Vase Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Interlochen, MI, UNITED STATES, published 2008 by Del Rey Books.
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Fair. The item is very worn but continues to work perfectly. Signs of wear can include aesthetic issues such as scratches, dents, worn and creased covers, folded page corners and minor liquid stains. All pages and the cover are intact, but the dust cover may be missing. Pages may include moderate to heavy amount of notes and highlighting, but the text is not obscured or unreadable. Page edges may have foxing (age related spots and browning). May NOT include discs, access code or other supplemental materials.
Add this copy of Un Lun Dun to cart. $2.92, good condition, Sold by HPB Inc. rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2008 by Del Rey.
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Add this copy of Un Lun Dun to cart. $3.40, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Atlanta rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Brownstown, MI, UNITED STATES, published 2007 by Del Rey Books.
Add this copy of Un Lun Dun to cart. $3.40, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Dallas rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2007 by Del Rey Books.
Add this copy of Un Lun Dun to cart. $3.40, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Baltimore rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Halethorpe, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2007 by Del Rey Books.
Add this copy of Un Lun Dun to cart. $3.40, fair condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 2007 by Del Rey Books.
A viciously brilliant take on the accepted tropes of Children's Fantasy and Heroic Fiction, which nevertheless stands on its own as magnificent Bedtime Story fare that won't bore the adult.
Being the Chosen One is all well and good, but the world is never that simple. Miéville's contempt for "Destiny" and "Fate" is as evident as his love for the City.
cadyem
May 28, 2009
visually brilliant with surprising depth
This is a wonderfully imagined "parallel universe" older child/young adult story, perfectly paced with short chapters for reading aloud at bedtime to younger kids but has plenty for the older child and adults as well. I don't want to try to summarize the plot because you can find that elsewhere, but I do want to say that there is plenty to keep you thinking about the issues, settings, characters and interactions in this book. Unlike Mieville's other works, this has a bouncy whimsy where ninja garbage cans and sentient umbrellas abound and the plucky heroine brings things to a satisfying conclusion. While not an epic like The Golden Compass, it still has some serious things to say underneath the manic action and cinematic visuals. Would make a great movie.
