Railsea by China Mieville

French philosopher Paul Valery once said “The future is not what it used to be,” and he died in 1945, before the introduction of such world-changing inventions as the atomic bomb and the electric toothbrush. To judge from the pulp magazines of the Eisenhower era, the 21st century would be an era of hot-rod spacecraft, ray guns and Art Deco cities on other planets. But, in a sentiment expressed by the name of the Scottish rock band We Were Promised Jetpacks, the actual 21st century bears little resemblance to those shiny sci-fi visions. Most of our most impressive innovations are...  read more