The Borribles: Across the Dark Metropolis

Michael De Larrabeiti

Apr 2014 · The Borribles Book 3 · Tor UK

About this ebook

The third book in this rebellious adventure for readers of all ages, set in a shadowy, alternate London. This edition contains a heartfelt introduction by author China Miéville, who says 'the Borribles were, and are, my heroes'.
Being a Borrible is far from easy, but it's full of bravery, treachery and excitement. They are outcasts and like it that way. But, to any vigilant policemen, their pointed ears prove that they aren't in fact runaway children. Then it's time for quick wits and the Borrible motto 'Don't get caught!'

In the last instalment of this great adventure, Battersea is no longer safe for Borribles. The London Police are closing in, using their Special Borrible Group - a secret unit dedicated to finding Borribles and clipping their ears. Driven on by the fanatical Inspector Sussworth, the SBG is determined to wipe out Borribles once and for all. It's now time to break away, escort their old friend Sam to safety in Neasden, then return to the old Borrible life of independence and freedom. So begins a perilous trek across the dark metropolis - a journey that will test the courage and cunning of the adventurers to the very limits.

About the author

Michael de Larrabeiti was one of five children, the son of an absentee Basque father and a South London mother. He was brought up on her home turf, in Battersea, and left school at sixteen to try his hand at a variety of different jobs. His love of travel led him to find work abroad as a travel guide in France and Morocco. He also herded sheep in the Alps and taught English in Casablanca. He found employment as a Cameraman on documentaries and, in 1961, de Larrabeiti enlisted as official photographer on Oxford University's Marco Polo Expedition. This involved travelling for four months on a motorcycle, passing through Afghanistan and India. He later read French and English at Trinity College Dublin, won a scholarship to the École Normale Supérieure in Paris, and began a DPhil at Oxford University which he later left to take up full-time writing. He settled in Oxfordshire with his wife Celia and their three children. The Borrible trilogy, subversive urban adventures, caused a sensation when first published and maintain a powerful relevance today. Michael de Larrabeiti passed away in 2008.