This has elements of Science Fiction, or at least Fantasy, but it feels like these are just decoration around an otherwise straightforward detective/chase story. This is set in roughly the current day, but in an alternate England in which DIY genetic
engineering allows amateurs to revive the Dodo, and prosthetic arms are almost undetectable, but computers are room sized collections of relays and valves. Wales is an independent Socialist Republic, and the Crimean War is still flaring up from time to
time (dating the book, it is Russia vs England, and the politically progressive view is that Russia is in the right).

I bought this book after visiting the wonderfully surreal web site "The Seven Wonders of Swindon". In the real world, Swindon is one of a number of UK towns that are dominated by recent planned development, and are generally regarded as boring, so the
surrealism is especially obvious. The book shares a good deal of this sense of humour, and also has a great many literary references, but I don't find that there is much left if you strip away the jokes.

The author has also written some sort of political fable which was well enough thought of to win awards - "The Constant Rabbit"

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