From the Bookshelf of Sci-fi and Heroic Fantasy…

The City & the City

China Miéville

Start date: February 21, 2015

Finish date: March 17, 2015

Discussion: Book Discussions

Discussion leader: Mike Wilson

Why we're reading this: Hugo Award Winner 2010 (tie)
Group Contemporary Novel Discussion February 2015
[close] Hugo Award Winner 2010 (tie)
Group Contemporary Novel Discussion February 2015

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What Members Thought

May 01, 2012 Lamora rated it really liked it

Shelves: mystery-crime

The City and the City is a book that, to be sure, needs quite a lot of patience to keep on reading. The premise might seem confusing at times and it does require sheer endurance to read through the first 70 pages. Past that point, you find an utterly fantastic novel.

At first, the novel starts like typical detective fiction. The plot is engaging, but on the whole it seems like a pretext to write about the surroundings in which it happens. In fact, the murder mystery almost completely fades to the ...more

10 likes · Like · see review

Oct 27, 2013 Alicja rated it it was amazing

Shelves: male-author, science-fiction, crime-fiction, speculative-fiction, mystery, sci-fi-fantasy-challenge, noir, arec-for-t, sff

rating: 5/5 (more like 4.75)

I loved it!. This is the story of the two cities. Both existing in parts in a shared space, the people of one city unseeing those of the other. The greatest crime is interaction, seeing without legally crossing the border. Wow, such a mindblowing concept.

The mystery was interesting and brought the very existence of the status quo into question (history, law, morality).

However, in the end I was left feeling emotionally detached from the main character, Detective Borl ...more

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Jun 05, 2011 Miss rated it did not like it

Shelves: reviewed, hugo-novels

This novel is recognizable as noir fiction There’s the main male detective character, a female victim who made bad choices that resulted in her murder, an overarching government conspiracy to keep the truth hidden that might or might not be working with the criminal conspiracy who actually offed the victim with the magnificient reveal of the red herrings and the real murderer at the end. There’s even a little tintillation of sex.

Of course, Mr. Mieville is not interested in simply working within ...more

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Nov 14, 2011 James rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: hugo

The City & the City by China Miéville is great. It is a murder mystery, but contains a conceit that is brilliant and changes the way you look at the world. I will not reveal what that is, but I loved the fact that it was only revealed as the story unfolded, not explained to the user at the beginning. The story expands to explore this strange new world, and we ride along happily as the plot is not to lengthy, ending before it outstays its welcome. Visionary, clever and challenging, an excellent e ...more

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