What’s the difference between a Bolshevik and a Menshevik? And why, 100 years on from the Russian Revolution, should any of us care? If you’re wondering, then China Miéville has written this book for you.

October is an exhilarating retelling of the events of 1917. Throughout the book, the complex and often conflicting aims of the revolutionaries and their adversaries are deftly explained. Political debates and machinations are punctuated by stories from the streets of Petrograd: desperate peasants, dissenting soldiers, fiery activists, and pompous militants all find their way into these pages without becoming clichés. This is the people’s history of the Revolution.

This account is neither dispassionate nor particularly objective – Miéville has always worn his Marxist politics on his sleeve, and is refreshingly upfront about having ‘picked a side’ in this story. Lenin emerges as the inspired and frustrated protagonist, alongside Trotsky and other less well-known figures. Nevertheless, the author is critical of his own heroes when their actions warrant it, and he provides deep insight into the decisions made by those he admires less: the portrayal of Alexander Kerensky’s hubristic attempt to reconcile opposing factions is compelling and tragic. The book builds to a blazing conclusion, and the epilogue dazzles as Miéville seamlessly draws the threads of literature and history together.

You don’t need to have any familiarity with Miéville’s broad body of work to enjoy this book, but October will prove especially intriguing to fans of his fictional works. His emphasis on the revolutionary role of trains begs comparison with the drama of Iron Council, and I find myself eager to revisit his other books to spot more inspirations and parallels. But before that, perhaps I’ll seek out some more Russian history!

Ele Jenkins works as a bookseller at Readings Carlton.