On board the moletrain Medes, Sham Yes ap Soorap watches in awe as he witnesses his first moldywarpe hunt: the giant mole bursting from the earth, the harpoonists targeting their prey, the battle resulting in one�s death and the other�s glory. But no matter how spectacular it is, Sham can�t shake the sense that there is more to life than traveling the endless rails of the railsea�even if his captain can think only of the hunt for the ivory-colored mole she�s been chasing since it took her arm all those years ago. When they come across a wrecked train, at first it�s a welcome distraction. But what Sham finds in the derelict�a kind of treasure map indicating a mythical place untouched by iron rails�leads to considerably more than he�d bargained for. Soon he�s hunted on all sides, by pirates, trainsfolk, monsters, and salvage-scrabblers. And it might not be just Sham�s life that�s about to change. It could be the whole of the railsea. Here is a novel for readers of all ages, a gripping and brilliantly imagined take on Herman Melville�s Moby-Dick that confirms China Mi�ville�s status as �the most original and talented voice to appear in several years� (Science Fiction Chronicle).