Yeah, I felt Un Lun Dun was weaker Miéville. Kraken is better (by which I mean I remember some of it rather than none of it), but still relies overmuch on a lazy, conventional kind of magic. The works of his that I'd really recommend are The City & The City (shorter, clever, and in some sense not even sci-fi) and the Bas-Lag series (Perdido Street Station et al) (long, high but non-tolkien fantasy, plot that was clever enough (at least for me). Mostly I love the worldbuilding so maybe not for people who don't value that as much as me).
This is the monthly thread for posting media of various types that you've found that you enjoy. Post what you're reading, listening to, watching, and your opinion of it. Post recommendations to blogs. Post whatever media you feel like discussing! To see previous recommendations, check out the older threads.
Rules: