The City & The City: A Novel (Random House Reader's Circle)
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE LOS ANGELES TIMES, THE SEATTLE TIMES, AND PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
When a murdered woman is found in the city of Beszel, somewhere at the edge of Europe, it looks to be a routine case for Inspector Tyador Borlú of the Extreme Crime Squad. To investigate, Borlú must travel from the decaying Beszel to its equal, rival, and intimate neighbor, the vibrant city of Ul Qoma. But this is a border crossing like no other, a journey as psychic as it is physical, a seeing of the unseen. With Ul Qoman detective Qussim Dhatt, Borlú is enmeshed in a sordid underworld of nationalists intent on destroying their neighboring city, and unificationists who dream of dissolving the two into one. As the detectives uncover the dead woman’s secrets, they begin to suspect a truth that could cost them more than their lives. What stands against them are murderous powers in Beszel and in Ul Qoma: and, most terrifying of all, that which lies between these two cities.
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Community Reviews
Really interesting idea and beautifully executed. While I often love not fully knowing what’s going on in a world (and trying to figure it out), I found myself struggling with the confusion in this book. So while I was very into this story and its writing, it felt like a lot of work. In retrospect, it’s clear the author is very deliberately making these choices so if I re-read it I may take more delight in the speedbumps
This was a little bit of a different path for Mr Miéville. First, I should confess I'm a big fan. If China Miéville bound the notes he took during a comparative study of growing grass and drying paint and sold them as a novel, I'd pre-order.
That being said, I'd recommend this book to pretty much anyone.
The premise is just so unique. How often does a truly unique idea like this come along? And what I loved was that this unique concept was wrapped up in such a literary cliche. The gumshoe, the murder mystery, the hard headed detective who stumbles onto a case that is so much bigger than anyone thought it was. We've all read that book, right? But when played out against the back drop of Beszel and Ul Qoma, you end up with something truly original, truly compelling, and truly memorable.
The only warning I would give with this book is that it will exercise your imagination. There were times where I would read a passage, and I'd have to just stop and mull it over a bit. Letting my imagination piece together that narrative in that (those) city (cities). In the end, after you're done with the book, that might be one of it's greatest strengths. I found myself thinking "how would this play out in Beszel/Ul Quoma" as i went about my day.
That being said, I'd recommend this book to pretty much anyone.
The premise is just so unique. How often does a truly unique idea like this come along? And what I loved was that this unique concept was wrapped up in such a literary cliche. The gumshoe, the murder mystery, the hard headed detective who stumbles onto a case that is so much bigger than anyone thought it was. We've all read that book, right? But when played out against the back drop of Beszel and Ul Qoma, you end up with something truly original, truly compelling, and truly memorable.
The only warning I would give with this book is that it will exercise your imagination. There were times where I would read a passage, and I'd have to just stop and mull it over a bit. Letting my imagination piece together that narrative in that (those) city (cities). In the end, after you're done with the book, that might be one of it's greatest strengths. I found myself thinking "how would this play out in Beszel/Ul Quoma" as i went about my day.
I understand strange fiction is intended to build a unique world that doesn't need to make sense in a realistic way. That's fine. This book did so and did so well in many ways. What was frustrating was that there was essentially no story at all until 1/3 of the way through due to the constant and repetitive (re.pe.ti.tive) description. When it finally picked up, the story was immensely better...before it ended in a very lackluster way. If I could go back in time, I would have spent my days reading a much more fulfilling book. The author also sounds like he sits with an open thesaurus next to him without any real purpose. I worried it was possibly just me and I seriously needed to broaden my vocabulary, but no...everyone I've spoken to has mentioned the same.
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