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What Members Thought
3.5-stars, really. But I'm scifi dumb, so that must equal at least a 7 out of 5. Yep. Imma genius.
My Miéville cherry has finally been popped! This was probably the best of his novels for me to lose it to as I didn't feel overwhelmed by fantastical-weird-steam-noire-fiction. But I also would not have been unhappy with a little more cuddling; maybe a glass of wine? Miéville has constructed an intricate yet, in some ways, simple tale. What I would really love to see is his storyboard for the novel ...more
My Miéville cherry has finally been popped! This was probably the best of his novels for me to lose it to as I didn't feel overwhelmed by fantastical-weird-steam-noire-fiction. But I also would not have been unhappy with a little more cuddling; maybe a glass of wine? Miéville has constructed an intricate yet, in some ways, simple tale. What I would really love to see is his storyboard for the novel ...more
This is mental gymnastics wrapped in a detective story or vice versa. Mieville challenges the reader and society with a murder mystery in two cities that occupy the same geography. They have special rules for “unseeing” that keep the residents apart and unwilling to admit even to themselves that they see or hear what is happening in the other city that they share space with. The reader has to accept that breach is a verb, people or a person, and maybe a place. That took work on my part but was w
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I listened to the fantastic reading of this book by John Lee. The tone for the hard-boiled murder mystery aspect of this book was pitch-perfect in the audio version. At the same time, Lee managed to read the explanations of the high concept for this book flawlessly.
The idea is fascinating: two cities (two countries even) coexisting in the same physical space. The citizens have an elaborate system of "unseeing" and "unhearing" the goings-on in the other city, as well as a system for telling who i ...more
The idea is fascinating: two cities (two countries even) coexisting in the same physical space. The citizens have an elaborate system of "unseeing" and "unhearing" the goings-on in the other city, as well as a system for telling who i ...more
A brilliant premise, but the playing out of the premise gets tiresome. There's something of Oulipo in the novel's narrative strategy: unavoidable constraint imposed by the idea that drives the plot. A bloodless police procedural. I'd be happy to never hear the word b(B)reach again.
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I didn't care for this one. I put it down quarter-read and haven't picked it up again. I found the premise hard to accept, so that's probably why, as I've read and enjoyed other novels written by China Mieville.
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Alternate reality of two cities with a space where people can slip between them and of the policeman who tries to patrol it.
Aug 30, 2009
Jessica
marked it as to-read
Feb 14, 2011
Heather (DeathByBook)
marked it as to-read
Mar 22, 2011
Kat (A Journey In Reading)
marked it as to-read
Mar 31, 2013
Sam
marked it as to-read
Jan 11, 2014
Jane
marked it as to-read
Apr 11, 2015
Lindsay
marked it as to-read
Jun 03, 2019
Dana Arbelaez
marked it as to-read
