When you wrote King Rat, were you aware of the other King Rat?
I was and there was some debate over whether or not we should change the title. My feeling was that it was extremely unlikely that someone would be looking for a Japanese prisoner of war novel and end up picking mine by mistake. It was worth the risk.

You've been described as rebuilding fantasy from the sub-cellar up. What is it that makes your work so dark?
I don't know. I'm generally quite cheerful, romantic and soppy. I wouldn't hurt a fly. But, at an artistic level, I have always been fascinated by the dark, the strange and the grotesque. It's almost like a pressure valve. It gets it out that way. Even as a little kid in an art gallery, I would be off looking for the works on Medusa and gorgons and the like.

New Crobuzon is inspired by Victorian London. How much research did you do into London's heritage?
I love reading about it and I have a fascination with Victoriana - all the myths and monsters like Jack The Ripper and Varney The Vampire. I read a lot of those Victorian Penny Dreadful books and some by more modern writers, such as Ian Sinclair and Peter Ackroyd, who do a lot about London's dark side.

Was Victorian London the hellhole it's often portrayed as?
Pretty much. There are a series of books called London's Underworld by Henry Mayhew from the 19th-century that are all about criminals and beggars and stuff. If you lived uptown, in the posh areas like Mayfair, it was completely different - the centre of the universe. But the East End was a very feral place.

What was the weirdest thing you found out about that era?
I'm not sure if it was true or not but there are lots of rumours and myths about organised street gangs. The king of the beggars. My favourite London thing from the era though was Spring-heeled Jack - the Victorian super villain, not to be confused with the current drum'n'bass band. He was a figure who was supposed to appear and disappear with enormous leaps and would terrorise people.

Can fantasy writers write from experience?
Not all the time. Take the first book, King Rat; I have not been chased by a predatory Pied Piper while being helped by the King Of The Spiders. But the issues and characters can be drawn from life. Iron Council may be set in a fantasy world but in a paradoxical way you try to make it sound recognisable.

You've said you'd like to 'lance the boil of [JRR] Tolkien'. What is it that you don't like about him?
When I was younger, I made a lot of pithy, punky-style comments. I would be more polite to the old man now. I do think he had a negative impact on the field as he defined a set of clichés such as elves, dwarves and dragons. One of the things that is so cool about fantasy at the moment is that people are moving away from that.

What do you think of young adult fantasy?
I was not a great fan of the Harry Potter books, I don't really like JK Rowling's style. But I loved Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy. I also like David Almond who wrote Skellig. There is some amazing stuff being written but I am a little uncomfortable with the title 'young adult'. I have an idea that I am mulling over for a title, but it seems most writers do at the moment. There is so much stuff going on no one wants to get left behind.

What does it feel like when you get on the Tube and see someone reading one of your books?
It's never happened. I get phone calls and texts from people saying they've seen them. As far as I am concerned, it's all a big conspiracy, no one except my family actually reads my books. I did have one guy pull up on his motorbike once and say: 'I love your books.' That made my week.

How much did it make your week when you were called 'sexiest politician' at the last election?
That was funny and very nice, albeit slightly embarrassing. But the competition isn't that great. It's almost like being called the world's buffest accountant or something.


Who is the darkest force in politics today?
Choosing which politician to hate the most is one of my favourite parlour games. At the moment it is like being faced with an amazing box of chocolates. They are all so egregious. I have a real loathing for Home Secretary David Blunkett now. He is out-Righting the Right. But next week it will be someone else.


Where do you hang out after dark in London?
I very much like staring at the Mecca Bingo Hall on Kilburn High Road.

Where did your name come from?
The Miéville is French Swiss, the China is from cockney rhyming slang. My parents were hippies and they called me it. It comes from 'me old China plate' for 'mate'.


Did you not get teased at school?
Hell, yeah. But I love it now.


China Mieville will be appearing at
Waterstones,153-157 Sauchiehall Street, GlasgowG2 3EWon Tuesday 19th October at 6.30pm, Borders, 94-96 Briggate, Leeds LS1 on Wednesday 20th October at 7pm, Waterstones 24-26 High Street, BirminghamB4 on Thursday 21st October at 6.30pm

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