History Literature / IronCouncil

*** Judah's corpse-golem also, the moreso in that [[spoiler: the corpses' relatives are right there to see it]].

* WeAREStrugglingTogether: Runagate Rampart and the other subversive groups present by the point of ''Iron Council''.

** The Flexible Puppeteers are named for Benjamin Flex, whose founding of ''Runagate Rampart'' [[spoiler: got him killed]] in the first book.

** The Flexible Puppeteers are named for Benjamin Flex, whose founding of ''Runagate Rampant'' [[spoiler: got him killed]] in the first book.

* TheWormThatWalks: A throng-bear, an unintelligent bear made out of butterflies.

** There's also the Torque, which turned a railway car full of people into a giant cell filled with blobs that make cetacean-like sounds.

Published in 2004, ''Literature/IronCouncil'' is the latest and perhaps last book of [[{{ptitlen9ir3dhv}} China Miéville's]] [[{{Literature/Bas-LagCycle}} Bas-Lag Cycle]]. ''Iron Council'' is held to be the most [[{{Anvilicious}} politically-charged]] [[AuthorTract installment]] in the series, which all things considered, is somewhat inevitable given the turbulent political climate that the book takes place in.

* HorseOfADifferentColour: The Rudewood's hotchi are oversized chickens. They also use these oversized, highly aggressive roosters in gladitorial cockfights.

* DiabolusExMachina: One of the main characters does something incomprehensibly stupid that denies the revolution against the tyrannical government of New Crobuzon much-needed reinforcements (though it's implied they wouldn't have won anyway).

* KingOfTown: The mayors of New Crobuzon who have lots of power and all fit the "President Corrupt" or "President Evil" varieties of OurPresidentsAreDifferent. One particular plot is to assassinate the mayor.

* PyrrhicVictory: It all goes to hell. Counting all the horrible betrayals, {{Senseless Sacrifice}}s, and {{Face Heel Turn}}s in the novel would take up more room than a spoiler tag could conceivably hold. Suffice it to say that by the end of the novel, [[spoiler: the Iron Council]] does not ''technically'' lose in their [[spoiler: BolivianArmyEnding]]... but they don't win either. Some readers felt that Mieville intentionally destroyed as much as possible to bring closure to the setting.
** YMMV, but a possible positive interpretation of the ending is that whilst New Crobuzon is still largely in control (with all the authoritarian crapsack implied), they now have a completely eternal monument to rebellion parked on their doorstep. And there is not a single thing they can do about it. Someone someday might try again...

* MundaneFantastic: To the point that Judah, a character who can create and control golems, disguised his craft as puppetry because golemetry is so commonplace that it got him less money panhandling.

* ShattrathCity: New Crobuzon is enormous enough to be considered its own ''state'', and is even at war with another city.

* JerkassWoobie: [[spoiler: Oh, Toro. [[ShootTheDog Toro]], [[IDidWhatIHadToDo Toro]], [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge Toro]].]]

* MagnificentBastard: [[spoiler: Spiral Jacobs]].

** Proasmae, which are flesh elementals. Think about that for a moment.

[[caption-width:121:The Iron Council is coming.]]

http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mieville_iron_council_6293.jpg

* TouchedByVorlons: Judah Low's ability to animate golems.

* AIIsACrapshoot: The main reason the government of New Crobuzon outlawed all but the most minor and supervised use of constructs. The constructs were gaining self-awareness, and were summarily destroyed once the government found out.

* BuryYourGays: Oddly averted. In books where being a named character and being sympathetic/a decent human being is usually a recipe for death, and the named-protagonist body count runs into the double digits,[[spoiler: Cutter]] manages to make it out mostly in one piece. [[HeroicBSOD Key word here being mostly]].