Sophie Sampson

Managing exposition of a world you’ve created can be hard, especially in science fiction. Some writers are able to manage this process beautifully. When it’s done well, and the reader understands the right thing about the world at the right time, you can produce an escalating sense of wonder as the reader puts two and two and two together and it opens up a palace. William Gibson has got really good at this, and this short story by China Miéville is an intricate example of how to do it well. I won’t say what the revelations are, but they come in a bright cascade. It’s well worth a read.