Another cool one from Mr. Miéville.
Spoilers \/
King Rat is, well, king of the rats. But in history rat kings are tangles of rats, their tails tied together somehow. Some say they're frauds, some say they occur naturally. The pictures are intriguing.
In this book, however, King Rat is the king of the rats. He's human, but rat-capable. Very much like a superhero. Who smells of the sewer and has bad manners. And who rapes young women.
Saul is a college student who is unsure how he feels about his father. Doesn't mean he killed him. (Doesn't mean that guy was his father, either.) The police, however, are pretty sure Saul is the murderer. No worries, King Rat is here to help Saul escape.
Along the way we meet Loplop, king of the birds, and Anansi, king of the spiders, with capabilities to match their kingdom.
The real problem though, is Pete. Known to history as the Pied Piper. Yep, that guy. He's out to kill the kings. And he's quite good, not just with a flute. Although he's really, really good with his flute.
Saul's friend Kay doesn't make it, and dies horribly. Natasha and Fabian are possibly next, but are saved in the end. Not without lots of injuries. And in the end, not even Saul remains as King Rat.
Spoilers complete. ^
An interesting read from China Miéville, his first? (1998.)
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