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Londoner Zanna finds herself inextricably drawn into a parallel city called ''Un-Lun-Dun.'' With her reluctant friend Deeba also along for the ride, Zanna discovers a city that is as different from her own as anything she could imagine. In Un Lun Dun the garbage is alive, ghosts exist and the government consists of an 'all-knowing' band of Propheseers. However, all is not well in this weird ''ab-city''. An evil force known as Smog is threatening to destroy and devour Un Lun Dun and has ambitious plans to move into Zanna and Deeba's own city. In world that is in desperate need of a hero, can two girls stop the Smog with the help of a half-ghost, a pint of milk and a strangely powerful man who controls broken umbrellas?
''Un Lun Dun'' is one of the strangest novels this fantasy reader has encountered, and who usually has his own monopoly on strange! The author, China Mievelle, blends fantasy, thriller and horror to stunning effect in what can only be described as a masterpiece of a story. Mievelle cites authors such as Lewis Carroll, Neil Gaiman and Clive Barker as his inspiration for his novel and it is easy to see where these influences have been drawn upon - elements of Barker's [[Abarat]] and Carroll's [[Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (150th Anniversary Edition) by Lewis Carroll and Anthony Browne|Alice's Adventures in Wonderland]] are obvious. However, what Un Lun Dun really reminds me of is [[The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L Frank Baum, Michel Laporte, Olivier Latyk and Vanessa Mieville (translator)|The Wizard of Oz]]. I am certain Mievelle has attempted to update the classic tale for a modern audience.
If this was Mievelle's intention then, wittingly or not, this is a hugely successful and entertaining update. '' Un Lun Dun'' is a much darker, atmospheric city than Oz but the sense of wonder at the imagination of the writer in creating such a fantastic setting remains. This author's powers of description are second to none and I found myself fully immersed in Un Lun Dun and its wacky inhabitants. The characters are truly ridiculous and at times you cannot help but laugh at an elite security force in the shape of dustbins called "The Binja" or a man with a birdcage for a head. Yet, somehow, Un Lun Dun is not a particularly humorous novel.
