For a couple of years in the late nineties, drum and bass was the soundtrack of London. It combined stylistic influences of reggae and hip hop with a rougher and more aggressive digital beat. It was easy to make and easy to dance to.

Since then, purer rap music and more ambient electronica have supplanted it in the urban music scene. But this book, published in 1998, has drum and bass at its core, and its rhythms are at the centre of the brilliant climax.

China Mieville is one of the youngest (about 28) and most exciting alternative novelists in England today. I've already reviewed on Epinions his second book, Perdido Street Station, which I gave five stars. That one is an original hybrid of steampunk and fantasy, while this one combines fantasy with the urban thriller and elements of horror.

I don't want to reveal too much about the plot of King Rat, because much of the narrative is about discovery. But I'll explain some of it to give you an idea of the book.

We find out very little about Saul Garamond, the focus of the novel. It starts with his return from a camping trip, and immediately we see that Mieville's story is inextricable from its London setting. He describes Saul's journey on the Tube (London's metro system) and then the walk to his home. The detail isn't great enough to be boring, but the setting is very exact, and the atmosphere specific. If you live in London, and you recognise the decaying landmarks and scenes that form the background of the book, it adds a exciting feeling of authenticity. If you don't live there, it could be an interesting portrait of the city.

He goes to sleep without talking to his father, from whom he's estranged. But he's woken early the next morning by the police, who think he killed his Dad...

A mysterious figure called King Rat gets him out of prison with inexplicable ease, and explains that Saul isn't all human. As the book goes on, Saul finds out King Rat's real motivations, the truth about his origins, and the bizarre, hidden conflicts that go on in London. He also learns how to exploit his mixed nature.

The book's villain is the Piper, the same one that drowned the rats of Hamelyn. But how does his simple flute relate to the modern electronic musical techniques of recording, distorting, combining, and transmitting?

Other important characters include Saul's friends, King Rat's companions, and the police detective investigating his father's death.

The plot is interesting throughout, but it's not rapid enough to be truly gripping. The antagonism between Saul and the Piper escalates slowly, but there are occasional major revelations which make it interesting.

But the best part by a long way is the last fifty pages. The climax, the culmination in a drum and bass club of the Piper's plans, is one of the most thrilling and brilliant I've ever read. I read it in one go, and it would be impossible to read any other way. The whole book is improved by the stunning excitement of the end.

The writing is elegant and flowing. There isn't the same kind of imagination in the imagery, vocabulary and structure that many of my favourite authors possess, but he's already starting to show signs of this in Perdido Street Station, so you can forgive it in his first book. Anyway, most authors don't get close to that in their entire career.

There's not much wrong with this book, except that, as with Perdido Street Station, I felt the characters were not as complex as a writer of Mieville's standards should manage. Also, it relies too much on a specific era and a specific city, which contradicts his intention to create a colourful modern myth. Myths have to be outside time and location to be effective.

I liked this book a lot, although it's not quite as innovative and clever as Perdido Street Station. His second novel transcends the sword and sorcery genre, but if you don't like conventional fantasy you probably won't like it, so try this one instead.

Recommended: Yes