This is the first time I have read anything by Mieville. Having read excellent reviews of his work I have high expectations. A short scan through his Wikipedia profile provides an insight into his Marxist political ideals, particularly as it relates to international law and relations. In brief, Mieville considers international law in capitalism as a sham and a cover for the ‘real’ international law – the law of the jungle. Armed with this knowledge, I picked up a copy of China Mieville's collection of short sci fi stories, Three Moments of an Explosion, last night. Instead of reviewing the whole collection, I thought I would instead review a few of the stories contained in the collection in a little more depth. I will choose stories that I, subjectively, think best highlight what I believe the author is trying to achieve with his work. The first story I will review is the first and eponymous ‘ Three Moments of an Explosion’. In Three Moments of an Explosion’, t