From the Bookshelf of Beyond Reality…

The City & the City

China Miéville

Start date: February 1, 2018

Finish date: February 28, 2018

Discussion: Previous BotM--DISCUSSIONS

Why we're reading this: The group previously read this book in Sept. 2009.
[close] The group previously read this book in Sept. 2009.

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Previous BotM--DISCUSSIONS

Mockingbird (6/25): Finished Reading (Spoilers OK)
By Kathi , Moderator & Book Lover · 8 posts · 13 views

last updated Jun 28, 2025 02:11PM

Mockingbird (6/25): Roll Call *No Spoilers*
By Kathi , Moderator & Book Lover · 3 posts · 14 views

last updated Jun 14, 2025 05:06PM

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What Members Thought

Aug 15, 2010 Ken rated it it was amazing

This was another amazing book by the guy. The first time I tried to read it I could not get my head around it. This time out, once I figured out what was up I was able to get into it.
The book is a police procedural with a twist. A body is found in a skateboard park and a cop has to figure out what happened.
The twist, well there are two citys in one place. This is where the confusing part comes in, There are two citys, in one place. They overlap and there are rules the citizens have to live by, t ...more

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Jul 28, 2009 Shanshad Whelan added it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, postponed-reading

Couldn't get into this one at all. May try again at some point, but for now, no dice. ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Apr 10, 2017 Laure rated it it was amazing

Shelves: science-fiction-fantasy, novels-novellas, hugo-winners, owncopy

Murder mystery/police procedural set in fictional interconnected neighboring cities somewhere in Eastern Europe.

On the whole I loved this book. I've yet to read a book by Miéville that I haven't enjoyed, and this one does not disappoint. It's easy to read and engaging from page one, and I found myself immersed in the world of Besźel and Ul Qoma. Of course there are weird aspects of these fictional places that are initially confusing, but they eventually make sense. What I love most about Miévil ...more

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Aug 29, 2009 Zen rated it liked it

Shelves: scifi-fantasy, the-alternate-reality, the-thriller

I really like this book. However, after putting it down, I could never get around other books long enough to want to finish the last third. Does that make it bad? I think not. The writing is intriguing and the characters, solid. The author makes a great social commentary though the book and doesn't fall into his own habit of being too convoluted to follow. Read at your own preference. ...more

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Jun 02, 2010 Mark rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Like other Mieville books I struggled with the opening chapters waiting for the narrative to get going. I thought the idea was interesting, but the murder mystery was not compelling and I found the setting badly drawn - for instance we are told at length about a certain type of double-cafe, when it would have worked much better to illustrate the concept by having the characters visit one.

I think there were two main problems:

1. The main character was quite dull.
2. The political situation was skir ...more

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Feb 21, 2014 Armamix rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: scifi, fantasy, 2014

It's a mystery, so I was biased against it from the start, but it had enough quirks and weirdness to keep me interested all the way through. Even so it's my least favorite Miéville so far. The present-day eastern european setting brings something different to the genre and it works well for me. (Btw, is it scifi or fantasy, I'm not quite sure?) ...more

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