Step into a London ravaged by unearthly creatures at once utterly alien and chillingly familiar. In China Mieville`s award-winning novella `The Tain`, we learn the reason for the invaders` terrible revenge. One survivor must trek through the ruins of the city with a desperate plan to stand against their assault. In addition to `The Tain`, this superb collection contains thirteen short stories, of visionary cityscapes and urban paranoia, ghosts, monsters and impossible diseases. Several of the stories are published here for the first time: these include one set in New Crobuzon, the location of the award-winning series of novels that began with Perdido Street Station; and one in comic-strip form, illustrated by top graphic artist Liam Sharp. This collection displays the sheer imaginative scope of China Mieville`s work.