Kraken

China Mieville – Kraken

A birthday present book. Just over halfway through. It started simply enough. Giant squid goes missing from the Natural History Museum pickling jar wing. An impossible theft. Squidnapping headlines. Since then, things have become increasingly complex and otherworldly. These include a working phaser bought from a high end Star Trek memorabilia auction, a London populated with all sorts of bizarre and dangerous sects, and a bloke in a preserving jar with a neck too narrow for him to have fit through. All written in a wry, driving, deadpan style that makes the funny lines all the funnier.

The London Stone

The book talks about the London Stone. There's not much fanfare about this legendary lump of rock. Oolitic limestone, to be precise. Not a native London stone, your oolitic limestone. Had to be imported. Probably from Kent. I walked past it on a daily basis when commuting into Cannon Street station. It sits behind an ironwork grille like some sort of prisoner, at pavement level. Between the entrances to the goth pub:

and the now closed basement discount sports shop:

Pretty unheralded, eh?

Theories include:

That is was used to mark a central point from which all distances were measured. In Roman times. That's a long time ago, you know.

That it is the stone from which King Arthur pulled Excalibur.

That as long as it is safe (and the ravens remain at the Tower) London is safe too, and will prosper.

It is mentioned in writing as far back as the early 10^th century.

There it sits, no plaque, no illuminated signs, behind bars, among the dirt and debris littering the busy Cannon Street pavement. Pointing the way to the goth pub basement and the closed down chav gear and dirt cheap umbrella and socks outlet.