The Gutter Prayer by Gareth Hanrahan

If you were captivated by the baroque, eerie worldbuilding of The Gutter Prayer—where monstrous gods and alchemical horrors shape every street—then Perdido Street Station will sweep you away with its sprawling, grotesque city of New Crobuzon. Miéville’s vision is teeming with bizarre creatures, intricate politics, and a living, breathing sense of place that echoes the dark urban magic Hanrahan conjures.

If you enjoyed following Carillon, Spar, and Rat as they navigated Guerdon’s underworld, often making questionable choices and walking the line between hero and villain, The Lies of Locke Lamora will hook you with its charmingly amoral thieves, elaborate heists, and a cast whose motives are as complex and shifting as the city they inhabit.

If the shadowy machinations, secret societies, and city-altering conspiracies of The Gutter Prayer kept you turning the pages, you’ll be drawn into The City & The City. Detective Tyador Borlú’s investigation uncovers layers of hidden power and societal manipulation, set against the backdrop of two cities occupying the same space—an ingenious, unsettling twist on urban intrigue.

If you were fascinated by the detailed alchemical arts, saints, and forbidden magics that shape Guerdon, Foundryside will delight you with its meticulously constructed system of 'scriving'—a form of magical coding that alters reality. Sancia’s journey through Tevanne’s industrial districts delivers the same blend of urban fantasy, arcane secrets, and clever magical logic.

If the bleak, violent streets of The Gutter Prayer, with their monstrous threats and pervasive sense of doom, drew you in, then Blackwing’s post-apocalyptic wastelands and grim cityscapes—where Galharrow hunts monsters and betrayers alike—will immerse you in a similarly harrowing, atmospheric fantasy world.