Railsea

On board the moletrain Medes, Sham Yes ap Soorap watches inawe as he witnesses his first moldywarpe hunt: the giant mole bursting from theearth, the harpoonists targeting their prey, the battle resulting in one'sdeath and the other's glory. But no matter how spectacular it is, Sham can'tshake the sense that there is more to life than traveling the endless rails ofthe railsea-even if his captain can think only of the hunt for theivory-coloured mole she's been chasing since it took her arm all those yearsago. When they come across a wrecked train, at first it's a welcomedistraction. But what Sham finds in the derelict-a series of pictures hintingat something, somewhere, that should be impossible-leads to considerably morethan he'd bargained for. Soon he's hunted on all sides, by pirates, trainsfolk,monsters and salvage-scrabblers. And it might not be just Sham's life that'sabout to change. It could be the whole of the railsea.

From China Miéville comes a novel for readers of all ages, a gripping andbrilliantly imagined take on Herman Melville's Moby-Dick that confirms his status as "the most originaland talented voice to appear in several years." (Science Fiction Chronicle)

China Miéville is the author of King Rat; Perdido Street Station, winner of the Arthur C. Clarke Award andthe British Fantasy Award; The Scar, winner of the Locus Award and theBritish Fantasy Award; Iron Council,winner of the Locus Award and the Arthur C. Clarke Award; Looking for Jake, a collection ofshort stories; and Un Lun Dun,his New York Times bestselling book for younger readers. He lives and works inLondon.

For hi-res covers and author photos, please visit: http://smartpublic.randomhouse.com/teams/