The Scar is my favorite of Miéville's books, a tour de force journey through a very weird world. Bellis Coldwine is a translator, exiled from the cruel metropolis of New Crobuzon and captured by the pirates of the floating city of Armada. There's she a witness and participants in a grand magico-scientific scheme to catch an immense undersea beast, journey to the edge of the world, and unlock incredible powers.

As always, Miéville excels in bringing across the New Weird. The people of Bas Lag are delighfully strange and diverse, the sea grand and threatening in it's immensity, the occult sciences of the world fitting together like a mosaic. The words and discoveries of the setting are simply a delight, with the standout being Uther Doul, a man from the city of the dead, who has unlocked a sword of possibilities. There are battles, betrayals, grand plots and failures.

Of course there are also flaws. Bellis isn't much of a protagonist. A translator, she's on the fringes of important events. Her choices are manipulated by more politically adroit allies. She's a cold and distant figure, a harsh woman who refuses to connect with anyone, even herself. But she's authentically herself, even if she's outmatched by the forces at play, and the setting is as good as it gets.