From the Bookshelf of Book Lust Reading Guild…

The City & the City

China Miéville

Start date: March 1, 2022

Finish date: March 31, 2022

Discussion: BOTM Lengthy Discussion Space

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Showing 2 of 9 topics — 24 comments total

BOTM Lengthy Discussion Space

October 2018 - Frankenstein: Prodigal Son
By Sarah · 5 posts · 28 views

last updated Nov 01, 2018 08:22AM

September 2018 - Whose Body
By Sarah · 1 post · 10 views

last updated Oct 10, 2018 08:51AM

What Members Thought

Jul 11, 2018 Megan L. rated it liked it · review of another edition

From what I understand the author came up with the setting first and then wanted to put a story in it. That’s pretty obvious, because most of the book reads like a lightly plotted technical manual. Even with the cool idea, and it really is, the first 200 (!) pages were excruciating — cardboard characters pantomiming plot in a bald attempt at explaining the rules of How This Whole Double-City Thing Works. I nearly abandoned the book several times.

Buuuut, after page 200 (Jesus, yes really) the pl ...more

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Jul 20, 2015 Jae rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: owned-ebook, fantasy-modern, 2015-read

Sometimes, Miéville's work veers perilously close to the too weird. This was easier to read than Perdido Street Station but not quite as engrossing. His universes are just as compelling as his characters, but in this one, I was way more interested in the mechanics of the cities than in the people or the mystery. (Admittedly, I'm not what one would call a fan of procedurals.) It starts well enough even if I wasn't 100% into it, but as the weirdness of the cities unfolded, I found myself less wan ...more

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Mar 24, 2025 Beth rated it liked it

Shelves: sf, fantasy, sword-and-laser, hugo, mystery

I thought it was a fascinating premise, both in its execution and how it makes the reader think about perception and seeing things and not seeing things. The characters seemed rather flat; I didn’t buy the insta-bro relationship with the foreign detective and the whole foreign agent stuff fell kinda flat.

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