Line #173 Characters/PerdidoStreetStation


1	The characters in China Mieville's fantasy novel Perdido Street Station.
2
3	!!Isaac Dan der Grimnebulin
4
5	The main protagonist of the novel. He is a well known rogue scientist who specializes in "crisis theory", a field in radical physics.
6
7	* TheAce: He is a genius scientist who manages to defeat all of the slake-moths, the militia, and Mr. Motley using his wits.
8	* TheAtoner: Becomes this after he [[spoiler:accidentally unleashes the slake-moths on New Crobuzon.]]
9	* BadassBookworm: He is a genius scientist, and manages to take on the slake-moths, Mr. Motley, the corrupt government, and The Construct Council all at once.
10	* CrazyEnoughToWork: The Crisis Theory engine plan that he puts in motion is audacious, and could get him and all of his friends killed if it fails. But, despite all the odds, it works.
11	* FatalFlaw: He often rushes into things without considering the consequences of going through with said actions. This is often due to his curiosity getting the better of him and, being a scientist, he ''has'' to know all the things he can. [[spoiler: It bites him in the ass hard when one of the specimens that he keeps gets loose, causing a city wide crisis, his girlfriend gets kidnapped, tortured, and eventually left a vegetable.]]
12	* FireForgedFriends: With Yagharek, though tragically subverted when [[spoiler: Isaac eventually discovers Yagharek’s crime.]] Played straight with Derkhan and Lemuel.
13	* FreakinessShame: Isaac is totally hot for his girlfriend, who has a scarab for a head. He reflects at length about how his revulsion turns him on.
14	* GeniusBruiser: Isaac, in spite of being a scientist, is a mountain of a man who holds his own against the city's militia with some well-lobbed chemicals, not to mention taking on monsters that Hell itself was too scared to fight.
15	* TheHero: Probably the closest thing the novel has to one. Without hesitation, he risks his life and nearly getting his consciousness sucked out so he can stop the slake-moths, and succeeds [[PyrrhicVictory at great cost to himself]].
16	* InsufferableGenius: He has [[DownplayedTrope shades of this]], as he often likes to go on long diatribes about his scientific theories, much to the chagrin of his friends. But he is a genuinely NiceGuy who proves to be a hero as the novel moves along.
17	* MadScientist: A heroic version. He is called a rogue scientist for his pursuit of Crisis Theory and he has a lot of tension with the scientific elite of New Crobuzon.
18	* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: His reaction once he realizes what he's released out into New Crobuzon.
19	* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Of all the specimens that Isaac releases when declaring his research into flight having dead-ended, the single one that he elected to keep sets the plot in motion.
20	* NightmareFetishist: How else to describe Isaac Grimnebulin? He's in love with a woman whose head is a giant beetle, a bird-person turning up on his doorstep asking for a new set of wings all but causes him to squee, and he is cheerfully enchanted with one particularly weird grub netted by his black-market attempts to find flight specimens. [[spoiler: Until that grub grows up]]. You know when Isaac is freaked out, shit got real. [[spoiler: He can hold a conversation, an intelligible and productive conversation, with The Weaver.]]
21	* PyrrhicVictory: [[spoiler: Isaac has saved New Crobuzon, defeated the Slake Moths, proved his crisis engine will work (and more importantly, kept it out of the hands of the corrupt government & the Mecha-Mooks), and hardest of all, survived. On the other hand, Lin is lobotomized, Yagharek is revealed as a rapist, Isaac refuses to help Yagharek, and the Constructs are headed for destruction. Not to mention Isaac and Derkhan have to flee New Crobuzon with the lobotomized Lin in tow, as the government is understandably not interested in giving them credit for having saved the city and has left them at the top of the Most Wanted list.]]
22	* RenaissanceMan: Isaac dabbles in virtually every science under the sun, often exploring new, underresearched areas just due to his obsession of the month. (And he manages simultaneously to not be an OmnidisciplinaryScientist; he doesn't know everything, so when someone comes to him with a new problem he has to spend weeks researching it and sometimes consults with experts in the fields he's not so good at.)
23	* ScaryBlackMan: Played with. Isaac is described as having skin the color of smouldering wood, he's very fat (meaning he possesses StoutStrength, which is described below) and knows how to use his not inconsiderable bulk to intimidate (see an amusing scene where he drives off a [[MachineWorship Godmech Cog]] and uses his bulk for this purpose.) and has [[NightmareFetishist a couple disturbing interests]].
24	* ScienceHero: He solves most of the issues of the novel with pure guile...and science!!
25	* StoutStrength: Isaac vomits after [[LeParkour enough rooftop-hopping]] and gets winded after climbing up a flight of stairs, but he is very capable of punching Lucky Gazid across a room.
26	* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: He finds a small grub which he takes on for study. Then, whoops: [[spoiler:turns out the grub was of an extremely dangerous AnimalisticAbomination that comes to threaten the whole city.]]
27	* XanatosSpeedChess: He does this by the end of the book. And he's playing against four different opponents simultaneously.
28
29	!!Lin
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31	A khepri artist and Isaac's love interest. She is kidnapped by the ruthless crime boss Mr. Motley to create a unique art piece.
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33	* ButtMonkey: Poor Lin gets a rough go at it through the novel. [[spoiler: She gets captured and tortured by Mr. Motley due to her association with Isaac, and when she's freed she looks at the slake moth, which leaves her as a vegetable.]]
34	* FatalFlaw: Curiosity, which leads her to [[spoiler:look at the slake-moth and cause her to become permanently brain damaged.]]
35	* TooDumbToLive: Despite getting ''explicit orders'' from her boyfriend to not look at the slake-moths, [[spoiler: she looks at it anyway, and it ends predictably.]]
36	* TraumaCongaLine: Not a lot goes right for our poor friend Lin. She gets kidnapped, beaten, has her wings and one of her eyes gouged out, and [[spoiler:becomes a borderline vegetable by the end of the novel.]]
37	* YankTheDogsChain: When she’s kidnapped by Motley, she’s assumed dead. But it turns out she’s alive! Only to [[spoiler:get attacked by a slake moth and be rendered a vegetable.]]
38
39	!!Yagharek
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41	An exiled member of the garuda people. He has lost his wings after committing the crime of "second degree choice-theft", and wants Isaac's help to restore his powers of flight.
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43	* AmbiguousSituation: Yagharek's crime is danced around throughout the novel, only to be revealed [[spoiler:by the victim of his crime to be rape. But due to [[BlueAndOrangeMorality the nature of their rules and philosophy]], it is left unknown if what Yagherek committed was actually rape, or something akin to rape.]]
44	* TheAtoner: He grows into this as the novel moves along, becoming more heroic as a way to possibly make up for his crime.
45	* BrokenAngel: Yagharek's quest to fly again kickstarts the main plot. [[spoiler: The ending breaks him even further.]]
46	* ByronicHero: He checks most of the marks. He's highly intelligent, introspective, brooding, and is deeply flawed. But he steps up as the book moves along and becomes one of the most heroic characters of the novel.
47	* FireForgedFriends: With Isaac, but ultimately subverted once [[spoiler:Isaac finds out what his crime was.]]
48	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: {{Downplayed}}, as Yagharek is generally amiable. But he proves to be a heroic character and a loyal friend to Isaac, until [[spoiler: Isaac finds out what he did.]]
49	* KarmicNod: After [[spoiler: Isaac and his friends find out what he did and abandon him]]. A devastated Yagharek accepts his punishment, rips out all of his feathers, and chooses to live the remainder of his life as a man.
50	* NobleSavage: Initially played straight but ultimately [[SubvertedTrope subverted]], as it's revealed that Yagharek's crime was [[spoiler: rape...or something akin to rape.]]
51	* ProudWarriorRaceGuy: a more articulate and melancholy version of the trope.
52	* ReformedButRejected: He becomes a more heroic character as the novel moves along, and even manages to become one of the most steadfast and loyal friends to Isaac. But then [[spoiler: Isaac and his crew find out what Yagharek did and abandon him. He is left to make a new life for himself, alone.]]
53	* WarriorPoet: Yagherek can handle himself in a fight, usually relying on his trusty whip. But we see through his monologues that he's also a deeply introspective and philosophical fellow.
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55
56	!!Derkhan Blueday
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58	* IntrepidReporter: She is a dogged reporter who seeks to expose Rudgutter and his government's corruption, and will stop at nothing to do so.
59	* SheWhoFightsMonsters: Becomes much more jaded and more willing to take life as the story moves along, she even considers this very point when [[spoiler:looking for someone to sacrifice to Isaac's Crisis Engine.]]
60	* StraightGay: Played with. It's never outright said, although it may be a case of HideYourLesbians. She has a good reason: New Crobuzon is not, to put it mildly, rainbow-friendly.
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62
63	!!Lamuel Pigeon
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65	* CrazyPrepared: He brings along mercenaries to help them [[spoiler:take out the slake-moths.]] Not that it does much good, but it's the thought that counts.
66	* CruelAndUnusualDeath: He gets shot by the Cactacae with their crossbow in a case of mistaken identity, which leaves him in physical agony before he is brutally hacked to death, much to Isaac's horror.
67	* FriendInTheBlackMarket: Initially downplayed, but ultimately played straight once he is strung along on Isaac's quest to [[spoiler:destroy the slake-moths.]]
68	* KnowsAGuyWhoKnowsAGuy: Due to his status in the underworld, he has a lot of contacts within it.
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70
71	!!David Serachin
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73	* DirtyCoward: A more sympathetic portrayal of this trope. He considers himself one, though his [[spoiler:ratting Isaac out]] has more to due with his concern over the [[spoiler: slake-moths]]
74	* FreakinessShame: He is completely disgusted with himself for his [[spoiler: fetish for the Remade.]]
75	* LovableTraitor: [[DownplayedTrope Lovable is too strong a word]], but his betrayal is played sympathetically, as he doesn't really want to [[spoiler: betray Isaac to the government]], but he is forced to because of the blackmail.
76	* MadScientist: One of the rogue scientists alongside Isaac, and one of his friends.
77	* NightmareFetishist: He was [[spoiler: caught in an illegal Remade brothel getting a blowjob from a Remade prostitute.]]
78	* SexIsEvilAndIAmHorny: He feels tremendous angst because of his [[spoiler: Remade fetish]].
79	* TheStoolPigeon: He ends up [[spoiler: ratting out Isaac and his friends to the government.]]
80	* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: After [[spoiler: David is revealed to be a traitor]], he just disappears from the book and never mentioned again.
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82
83	!!Lublamai Dadscatt
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85	* AFateWorseThanDeath: He is left a vegetable after Isaac’s slug is [[spoiler: revealed to be a slake-moth, which sucks out his consciousness.]]
86	* MadScientist: One of Isaac's rogue scientist friends.
87	* NiceGuy: A generally amiable guy, and a good friend to Isaac, which makes his ultimate fate all the more tragic.
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89
90	!!Lucky Gazid
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92	* AddledAddict: He's described as constantly being high or trashed out of his mind off of dreamshit.
93	* ButtMonkey: He gets the brunt end of the punishment asides from [[TheWoobie Lin]] throughout the novel. He gets beaten, kidnapped, and eventually [[spoiler: killed by Motley]].
94	* TheFriendNobodyLikes: Not many of the people who he hangs out with seems to think much of him, Isaac outright detests him because of his flakiness and drug addiction. That doesn't stop him from [[spoiler: being horrified by his death and for his part in causing it.]]
95	* KilledOffscreen: [[spoiler: He is killed by Motley's goons once they learn from him Isaac was the one who sprung the slake-moths loose.]]
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97
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99	!!BenjaminFlex
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101	* ArchEnemy: To Rudgutter and the other corrupt New Crobuzon officials. They [[spoiler: eventually have him tortured and killed]] for the trouble he's caused.
102	* DeadpanSnarker: He's a rather sarcastic and playful fellow, all things considered.
103	* CruelAndUnusualDeath: He is brutally tortured by the government, then [[spoiler: gets his eyes removed for his hated enemy's use]], and is dumped unceremoniously in a river.
104	* InspirationalMartyr: He becomes one to rebels across New Crobuzon, who even name a movement after him by the time of Iron Council.
105	* IntrepidReporter: He is dogged in his pursuit of the truth, much like his friend and underling Derkhan. [[spoiler: He gets tortured, his eyes taken out, and killed for his efforts.]]
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108
109	!!Mr. Motley
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111	* BadBoss: Downplayed, but he is shown to not value their lives and he isn't very nice to them.
112	* BreakTheHaughty: {{Downplayed}}, but Mr. Motley's [[spoiler: income for dreamshit is destroyed by Isaac]], and he is left with his sculpture being unfinished, much to his rage.
113	* TheDon: He is the biggest crime lord in New Crobuzon, and is in bed with the New Crobuzon government.
114	* TheDreaded: Everyone in New Crobuzon is afraid of him, and for good reason.
115	* EvilCannotComprehendGood: Motley automatically assumes Issac is studying the moths to start his own dreamshit enterprise.
116	* FauxAffablyEvil: Despite his…[[HumanoidAbomination appearance]] and reputation, he seems like a nice enough guy. But it’s an act to hide what he truly is: a vicious, cold blooded monster who would happily risk the city’s safety to make a buck.
117	* HateSink: Behind his gentleman facade, he's a vicious monster who delights in hurting others, and making money in the process.
118	* HumanoidAbomination: He has voluntarily been Remade so many times, that he now looks like a gigantic blob of different species.
119	* ItsAllAboutMe: He's self-absorbed enough to want a statue be made by Lin in his image.
120	* LaserGuidedKarma: Downplayed. But [[spoiler: one of the slake-moths he purchased from the government lobotomised Lin and facilitated her escape. Even if he found her again, his statue can never be finished. The epilogue describes him ranting at the incomplete statue]].
121	* NightmareFetishist: Motley has undergone this process of being ReMade voluntarily, hundreds of times, and now not only looks like a rolling mass of disjointed features but has hired the main character's girlfriend to create a sculpture to his "glory."
122	* TheSociopath: He cares not an ounce for human life, and would carelessly allow dozens of people to die or be lobotomized so he can make money.
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125
126	!!Mayor Bentham Rudgutter
127
128	* ArchEnemy: To Benjamin Flex, Derkhan Blueday, and the Runagate Rampant newspaper.
129	* BadBoss: He has [[spoiler: his right hand man Montjohn become the puppet of the headlinger because he was going to turn on him.]]
130	* CorruptPolitician: And boy is he!
131	* DeadpanSnarker: He's quite the sarcastic fellow, despite his vicious nature.
132	* DealWithTheDevil: Subverted, as even the demons of Hell are afraid of the slake moths. Rudgutter doesn't blame them.
133	* EyeScream: He has a strange disease where he eyes rot out of their sockets, so he [[spoiler: gets new ones by killing his political opponents and taking their eyes for his own.]]
134	* HateSink: He's a slimy, sociopathic weasel who will do anything to keep his hands on power, and is one of the novel's most deplorable characters.
135	* MayorPain: He is New Crobuzon's crooked and cruel mayor.
136	* OhCrap: Basically his reaction throughout the entire second half of the novel once [[spoiler: the slake-moths are released.]]
137	* SerialKiller: It's revealed that [[spoiler: he is the EyeSpy Killer]]. He has a strange eye condition which causes his eyes to rot and [[BodyHorror fall out of his sockets]]. So he [[spoiler: has political rivals murdered, and takes out their eyes to use, before dumping them.]]
138	* SleazyPolitician: He certainly plays the part, but he proves to be far more ruthless and conniving than the common version of this trope.
139	* TheSociopath: He's a truly heartless individual who doesn't care who he hurts as long as he keeps his power. Even him trying to deal with the slake-moth situation is an attempt by him to cover his own ass after he carelessly allowed the slake-moths into the city.
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142
143	!!Montjohn Rescue
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145	* AffablyEvil: Despite being a crony of Rudgutter and [[spoiler: being the puppet of a parasite]], he's a personable fellow.
146	* AFateWorseThanDeath: The original Montjohn Rescue was [[spoiler: infected with a headlinger after Rudgutter found out he was plotting against him]], leaving him a husk of a man.
147	* ParasitesAreEvil: The [[spoiler: headlingers]] are known associates and operatives of the corrupt Rudgutter government.
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149
150	!!Vermishank
151
152	* BadBoss: While he acts nice towards Isaac, he’s truly a nasty bastard to his subordinates. Isaac hates his guts.
153	* BearerOfBadNews: He tells Isaac and his friends about the [[spoiler: slake-moths and their abilities]] before telling him that the effects are irreversible.
154	* BoomHeadshot: [[spoiler: How he ends up going out courtesy of David.]]
155	* BreakTheHaughty: Courtesy of Isaac when he [[spoiler: kidnaps, tortures, and interrogates him over his role in the slake-moth crisis.]]
156	* EvilOldFolks: He's described as an older man, but he's undoubtedly a smug, unpleasant JerkAss whose irresponsibility in [[spoiler:selling the slake-moths to Motley]] sets off the second half of the plot.
157	* LaserGuidedKarma: For his part in [[spoiler: helping to create the slake-moth problem]], he gets kidnapped, tortured, and eventually [[spoiler: shot and killed by David.]]
158	* MadScientist: He gleefully helps with the cruel Remaking process, and also was [[spoiler: the head of the slake-moth government project.]]
159	* {{Sadist}}: He is the head honcho of the ReMaking process, and he's said to ''really enjoy'' his role.
160	* SmugSnake: He is an arrogant, disagreeable man and is a brilliant scientist, yet he didn't anticipate Isaac getting the better of him, which [[spoiler: leads to his eventual demise.]]
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162
163	!!The Construct Council
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165	* AIIsACrapshoot: Played with. Isaac realizes by the end of the novel that the Council is a machine wholly based on logic, and doesn't consider emotion, particularly that of compassion or mercy. So Isaac decides that the Council is unworthy of trust.
166	* AGodAmI: His followers certainly think so.
167	* AmbiguousSituation: Is the [[AIIsACrapshoot AI A Crapshoot?]] Is it a [[TheSpock Spock]] who operates entirely on logic and let Isaac [[spoiler:cut off its control of the slake moth trap]] because it knew it needed his help still? Is it [[NotSoStoic more attached to New Crobuzon and information collecting than it lets on]]? Since it factors into the ending of the story only indirectly, the answer is left to the reader's imagination.
168	* BlueAndOrangeMorality: The Construct Council has no concept of emotions, which gives it a very different world-view from other sentient beings.
169	* BodyHorror: A rather grisly example, as a corpse is plugged into his systems, making him seem like a zombie.
170	* TheSpock: Deconstructed. Isaac realizes that he can't fully trust The Construct Council, as it is a machine that operates completely on logic and the objective, and thus it can't feel emotion and will have a radically different world-view than organic beings. Isaac decides to not take the risk of allowing it to betray him if it feels it is necessary for its objective.
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172
173	!!The Weaver
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175	* BlueAndOrangeMorality: The morality of The Weaver is a strange thing, as it is based on aesthetic taste and what it views as 'beauty.'
176	* TheBusCameBack: The Weaver (or another weaver) makes a brief appearance in the third Bas-Lag novel Iron Council.
177	* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: The Weaver is a strange and alien being that is at best eccentric and at worst psychotic.
178	* EldritchAbomination: It takes the form of a gigantic spider, but most people are unable to understand it or fully comprehend what it is or what it wants.
179	* GiantSpider: Its most common form.
180	* LightningBruiser: It can shift through time and space to deliver crushing attacks. It is more than capable of fighting multiple slake-moths at once.

Context Characters / PerdidoStreetStation