From the Bookshelf of Chaos Reading…

The City & the City

China Miéville

Start date: August 9, 2012

Finish date: September 1, 2012

Discussion: Chaos Reading Bookclub

Discussion leader: Ruby Tombstone Lives!

Why we're reading this: Rated 3 Stars By Chaos Reading

Group Discussion starts 1 September for "Places As Personalities".…more
[close] Rated 3 Stars By Chaos Reading

Group Discussion starts 1 September for "Places As Personalities".

Find A Copy At

Libraries

Group Discussions About This Book

Showing 2 of 59 topics — 2,708 comments total

Chaos Reading Bookclub

* DISCUSSION OPEN - 2024 - POSITIONS WITH WHITE ROSES
By Marc · 11 posts · 23 views

last updated Oct 22, 2024 10:17AM

* DISCUSSION OPEN -- 2024 -- SOUNDS OF A DRUNKEN SUMMER
By Marc · 30 posts · 34 views

last updated May 29, 2024 09:50PM

showing 5 of 5 topics view all »

What Members Thought

Mar 27, 2011 Jason rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-2011, e-books

4 stars

China Mieville is one of my very favorite current authors, and I always am eagerly waiting for more. If you have not been exposed to the "new weird" or Mieville than you should be sure to add him to your reading queue. I would recommend Perdido Street Station first, as I consider it to be a near masterpiece.

City & the City is about two cities that occupy the same space, not time, straight out of your favorite science fiction. Take this deep and complex setting and tell it with Mieville's ...more

6 likes · Like · see review

Aug 04, 2011 Kevin Xu rated it liked it

I first discovered him through looking up James Clavell's book, King Rat, discovering his book at the same time. I love that every book that he writes is so different from each other, while still writing fantasy and science. This book was not really for me. ...more

5 likes · Like · see review

Nov 11, 2016 Damon rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy

A story about two places that occupy the same place. The occupiers of each place cannot see into the other place. They must 'unsee' whatever they see. And unsmell what they smell. To notice the other city is to breach and no one wants that. ...more

4 likes · Like · see review

Mar 26, 2009 Gregor Xane rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2009

Although I had a few minor quibbles, this book was excellent. Don't read reviews of this book. Don't read the dust jacket. Just read the book. It's truly fantastic. ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

May 22, 2013 Gertie rated it liked it

I heard a story recently regarding the fact that many old writings have no reference to the color blue. Now when I say old, I mean ancient Greek and Japanese, in the New Testament, etc. Instances of blue are frequently referred to in other ways, a popular example being "wine" as in "the wine dark sea". Before this becomes too much of a tangent, my point is that one of the popular theories behind this is that it was a matter of perception (see link below for details). Blue existed, but people som I heard a story recently regarding the fact that many old writings have no reference to the color blue. Now when I say old, I mean ancient Greek and Japanese, in the New Testament, etc. Instances of blue are frequently referred to in other ways, a popular example being "wine" as in "the wine dark sea". Before this becomes too much of a tangent, my point is that one of the popular theories behind this is that it was a matter of perception (see link below for details). Blue existed, but people somehow didn't see it. It's really kind of fucked up and hard to understand — I mean blue is blue right? It's BLUE. Well, to us now, maybe.

The world in The City and the City is similar. There are things, people, places... all which exist, but only if you are allowed to see them. These people have trained themselves to only see what they are allowed to see, until it becomes second nature. It's really kind of a cool concept, if you can buy into it.

Therein lies the problem. I am sure my Mievellian friends will disagree or have reasons to explain why it does or should succeed regardless, but I think that unless the reader can accept that one aspect, the rest of the story doesn't really hold together. To a reader like me, who does enjoy a bit of weirdness in her books, this was just too much. Living in a world with such a high level of... well, BULLSHIT, just is too alien for my mind to comprehend.

What it comes down to is not that Mieville failed in writing this book, but that my mind just doesn't... "see" his writing properly. :-P Coupled with the fact that I found the characters to be wooden and uncompelling, and I was simply not engaged, and found myself looking forward to the ending.

Now, I must note, I do have respect for China Mieville's talent, he is clearly a skilled writer who can crank out original ideas in a fluid, clear, and not overly dumbed-down manner. Still, it's just not for me. Can't connect with every reader, right?

Memorability Factor: 7/10 (I will remember the general concept, but none of the details.)
Follow this author: I've read 2 books now, and am ready to call it quits.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Now, about the color blue...
http://clarkesworldmagazine.com/hoffm... ...more

Like · see review

Aug 15, 2012 Barrita rated it really liked it

Shelves: favorites, urban-fantasy, mystery-puzzles, speculative-fiction, fantasy, reviewed, 4-star, male-authors, barrilibros, weird

Debo reconocer que tengo varios problemas con este libro. Siempre sabes lo que va a pasar y cuando no lo sabes es porque no estás entendiendo nada. Pero es obvio que Miéville usa clichés y voltea el género de cabeza completamente a propósito.

Al final, no puedo dudar que me atrapó y me entretuvo mucho. Buscaba justificar ante mi misma porqué ciertas cosas funcionaban y tuve que rendirme y decidir que simplemente me gustó mucho el libro, que es bueno y que el autor sabe lo que hace.

Like · see review