Un Lun Dun | 
| Author: China Mieville
Publisher: Del Rey
Category: Book
List Price: $9.00
Buy New: $5.05
You Save: $3.95 (44%)
New (39) Used (16) from $4.98
Avg. Customer Rating:  40 reviews
Sales Rank: 37379
Media: Paperback
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 496
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 8.1 x 5.6 x 1
ISBN: 0345458443
EAN: 9780345458445
ASIN: 0345458443
Publication Date: January 29, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand New, Perfect Condition, Please allow 4-14 business days for delivery. 100% Money Back Guarantee, Over 1,000,000 customers served.
|
| Also Available In:
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
What is Un Lun Dun?
It is London through the looking glass, an urban Wonderland of strange delights where all the lost and broken things of London end up . . . and some of its lost and broken people, too–including Brokkenbroll, boss of the broken umbrellas; Obaday Fing, a tailor whose head is an enormous pin-cushion, and an empty milk carton called Curdle. Un Lun Dun is a place where words are alive, a jungle lurks behind the door of an ordinary house, carnivorous giraffes stalk the streets, and a dark cloud dreams of burning the world. It is a city awaiting its hero, whose coming was prophesied long ago, set down for all time in the pages of a talking book.
When twelve-year-old Zanna and her friend Deeba find a secret entrance leading out of London and into this strange city, it seems that the ancient prophecy is coming true at last. But then things begin to go shockingly wrong.
From the Hardcover edition.
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 35 more reviews...
 Would have given only one or two stars, but... July 20, 2008
I didn't finish it. While part of me thinks it's unfair to give a negative opinion of a book that I have only read 1/4 of, the truth is, I've been trying to read the book for 2 months now, and have purchased and finished several other novels in this time, and every time I pick this up, I just can't get into it because it's so flat, and so derivative!
I haven't read anything else by China Mieville, so maybe this is a fluke (but given that fans seem to love this book, maybe not), but if you also haven't read anything by this author, I recommend not starting here unless you are a child.
THE BAD:
1.) This kind of wacky alternate/underground London thing has already been done to death by other authors, most notably Neil Gaiman (and done quite well in Neverwhere). And this book offers nothing new to the formula.
2.) The characters are flat. They are physical descriptions which perform actions and have no depth. This applies even to the two main characters. (In fact, the only character with any "character" that I've seen so far is a milk carton).
3.) The zaniness that makes up UnLondon comes off as forced, intentionally weird but somehow lacking real excitement or imagination or depth.
4.) The "wordplay"... ugh... not clever.
THE GOOD:
Well... I don't think there is any, but maybe if you've never read any other books like this and/or you are actually a young reader (aged 10-14 maybe), I am willing to accept that this could be a good read.
It is also partly for this reason that I gave this book more stars than I feel it deserves -as I'm in my late twenties, so I'm not the best judge of what constitutes good fiction for young adults. Though I must say that I have thoroughly enjoyed several books by Philip Pullman, Garth Nix, Lemony Snickett and (yes) J.K. Rowling.
 Delightfully dark and whimsical -- a very clever and fun fantasy July 1, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Zanna has something that other girls like. She's unique, pretty and confident without being cocky at an age when insecurity combines with the desperate need to conform. It's no wonder that other girls find her intriguing, especially Deeba who is shy and insecure, intelligent but average. What is surprising is that animals and strange people around the city seem also to find her fascinating, and call her "Schwazzy." When a broken umbrella appears to be surveilling her house she drags the reluctant Deeba along to investigate and they find themselves in what appears to be an utterly different but strangely familiar alternate London, where all that is abandoned in London has a new life below. There are a number of twists in the story and part of the excitement is how it all unravels so I won't say more.
The basic concept of an upside-down mixed up alternate reality is not entirely novel -- it is similar in some ways to Wonderland (where Alice goes) or to the strange world of the Phantom Tollbooth, and even more so to Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere -- but China Mieville gives this idea new life in this remarkable and exciting novel. Unlike Neverwhere, this one is pitched at a younger crowd -- my 12 year old daughter loved it, though I wouldn't recommend it for most children younger than 10 -- but is fascinating and clever and even scary enough to keep happy the same kind of adults who read Harry Potter to their children because they can't get enough. I enjoyed the novel quite a bit -- was taken by the story, and delighted by the endless cleverness of the creatures and places that inhabited Mieville's alternate London (Un Lun Dun). Highly recommended for readers of Harry Potter, Diana Wynne Jones, Neil Gaiman's YA fiction (Coraline), and other mind-bending fantasy for young readers.
 New Classic YA Masterpiece June 26, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
In modern London strange things start happening in young Zanna's and her schoolfriend Deeba's whereabouts. Animals stop and stare, strange messages appear on the walls and improbable visitors watch over her in the dark. As they follow the trails of one such unexpected apparition, they find themselves in the middle of a distorted image of the city named UnLondon, which finds itself in war. There seem to be a number of profecies about the outcome of the war and everybody welcomes Zanna as the expected Chosen one, come to lead to the final resolution of the situation and things should take their way as expected in the way of the most typical of fantasy works...
But what if the Chosen one isn't the one expected, and what if a local hero comes forth to lead a Resistance against the most feared enemy UnLondon has ever been called to face?
And what if even then things are not as they actually seem?
China Mieville has put together an amazing book with deep ecological messages, both educational and fun, where you can lose yourself in a fast paced read and on each turning page enter a new facet of this caleidoscope of unleashed, wild imagination.
Un Lun Dun is presented as a story for YA that is certain to thrill readers of all ages still young at heart.
I am certain that very soon it will find it's place on a self between Alice in Wonderland and the Wizard of Oz.
I loved it.
Great storytell,ing, excellent read-aloud novel for middle school June 9, 2008
This is a wonderful story -- the fantasy elements are fresh and original, the turns of the plot are surprising but well-justified, and the central character is believable. This would be an excellent choice for a group of 5th - 8th grade students to read in chunks and discuss. The author's narrative style also works well for reading aloud. Although a few British-isms may need a little explanation for kids in other countries, it's not a problem. This is a real winner!
Inventive and Bookish June 2, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Un Lun Dun by China Mieville is a thick tome that should find a home in the hands of rabid fantasy fans. Two girls from London find themselves in UnLondon, a land packed with peril, prophecies, and puns (the eight-legged framed Black Window lives in Webminster Abbey; trash bins with martial arts skills are binjas). When the prophecy-picked girl ends up unable to help, it's up to her sidekick, the unchosen girl, to save the day.
I love wordplay, so I was tickled by the names of the other cities, like Parisn't, Lost Angeles, Sans Francisco, and No York. Other reviewers have said that fans of The Phantom Tollbooth and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland will like this, and I agree. Though I prefer those two classics to this newer story, I did enjoy Un Lun Dun and recommend it to young readers who like fantastical adventures.
|
|
|
