Un Lun Dun

By: China Miéville

Narrated by: Karen Cass

Length: 13 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's summary

New York Times Best Seller • “Endlessly inventive...[a] hybrid of Alice in Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz, and The Phantom Tollbooth.” (Salon)

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 12-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.

Praise for Un Lun Dun

“Miéville fills his enthralling fantasy with enough plot twists and wordplay for an entire trilogy, and that is a good thing. A-.” (Entertainment Weekly)

“For style and inventiveness, turn to Un Lun Dun, by China Miéville, who throws off more imaginative sparks per chapter than most authors can manufacture in a whole book. Mieville sits at the table with Lewis Carroll, and Deeba cavorts with another young explorer of topsy-turvy worlds.” (The Washington Post Book World)

“Delicious, twisty, ferocious fun...so crammed with inventions, delights, and unexpected turns that you will want to start reading it over again as soon as you’ve reached the end.” (Kelly Link, author of Magic for Beginners)

“[A] wondrous thrill ride.... Like the best fantasy authors, [Miéville] fully realizes his imaginary city.” (The A.V. Club)

“Mieville's compelling heroine and her fantastical journey through the labyrinth of a strange London forms that rare book that feels instantly like a classic and yet is thoroughly modern.” (Holly Black, best-selling author of The Spiderwick Chronicles)

©2007 China Miéville (P)2021 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“A book which shows the world as it truly is: full of marvels and monsters and unexpected opportunities for heroism and magic. Un Lun Dun is delicious, twisty, ferocious fun, a book so crammed with inventions, delights, and unexpected turns that you will want to start reading it over again as soon as you've reached the end.” (Kelly Link, author of Stranger Things Happen and Magic for Beginners)

“Give [Un Lun Dun] to a kid (and borrow it when they’re done). It just might help them grow up into the kind of nerd we need a lot more of - one who thinks they can save the world with sheer ingenuity.” (Wired magazine)

“[Miéville] relies on his formidable storytelling skill for this lengthy yet swift moving tale that, with a wink and a nod, cuts through archetypal notions of fate and prophecy. Highly recommended for Neil Gaiman and Clive Barker fans especially.” (Publishers Weekly, starred review)

Um Lu Dun

Hell yeah, I knew it! Those other cities that exist right beside us, under us, around us! Thank you, China, for this marvelous adventure!

a story that defeats boring tropes.

looking for a unique fantasy story that takes a playful stab at story tropes? check this one out. it's Alice in wonderland, but the lead characters have common sense. also don't call someone a sidekick, that's just rude.

Great read for all ages

I loved this book when I was 12 and it was a trip to read again 15 years later. A wonderland story that doesn’t feel like a drug trip. Excellent narration. Miss the pictures, but they came flooding back from memory. Highly recommend!

Creative and adventuresome

Such a fun world. A great hero. Excellent friends. Courageous loyal young girl. Enjoy. It stutters a bit at the beginning and could probably been edited down to 300 pages instead of 500. But worth your time.