From the bestselling, award-winning master of uncanny fiction comes a defining work, twenty years in the making – a deeply moving, decade and continent-spanning epic of grief, global tumult, and grim conspiracy.

Shortlisted for the Goldsmiths Prize 2026

'Miéville’s command of his prose is phenomenal . . . This is a world that you can truly swim in, and few authors can achieve that' – The Times
‘Affecting, intelligent and, in more than one place, very, very frightening. This is a novel destined for a rich afterlife' – The Guardian
'An extraordinary tour de force' – Adrian Tchaikovsky
'I felt it in my bones, the undeniable power of a jagged masterpiece' – The New York Times
'A landmark work . . . the genius that is China Miéville' – Daily Mail

Maur’s life has been shaped by an unbearable loss. But in the aftermath of what is an apparently ordinary tragedy, deeper, stranger questions arise . . . Their answers may lie within the dark heart and darker history of an old soldier who shares Maur’s obsessions – and is violently pursued by the same unknown, unquiet forces.

So begins The Rouse, a masterpiece unlike any other: at once a sprawling saga of the bloody twentieth century, and the intimate story of two lives, their loves, regrets and secrets – and a terrifying journey into infinite mystery.

Praise for China Miéville, The Rouse:

'Completely without parallel' Michael Moorcock
'A magisterial wonder' Paul Tremblay
'Every page feels alive' Xiaolu Guo