Reviews

I am in awe of [a:China Mielville|5601972|China Mielville|http://www.goodreads.com/assets/nophoto/nophoto-U-50x66-251a730d696018971ef4a443cdeaae05.jpg]'s abilities as an author: his world-building and use of language ("Language") and the bizarre creatures that spring from his imagination. My three rating is based entirely on my own limitations-- this is a novel I really had to work at understanding, and honestly, I don't like to work quite that hard. Enjoyable? Absolutely. Mind-bending? A little too much for my personal tastes. Did I love it? No. Would science fiction fans (especially those with a penchant for playing with language) love it? Oh yes.

eli_abroad's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

mikenyby's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

krisheiney's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

My second read of this and it blew me away even more than the first time. The Hosts are some of the most alien aliens I’ve ever read, particularly in their alienating, and fascinating, Language. What inhabits the gap between signifier and signified, and how does communication pass through it? Mieville’s brilliant wordplay throughout is icing on the cake, and I’m sure I’ll notice more gems each time I read.

redolentsap's review against another edition

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medium-paced

4.5

emibutton's review

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

averypleasantpineapple's review against another edition

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2.0

It’s full of big ideas and sometimes this is enough for me, but this time even the most imaginative concepts could not save this mess of a book. It’s the narration that I just couldn’t stand and it wouldn’t let me feel engaged in the story. I liked the parts that talked about the mechanics of Language but for most of it I felt like I had a stroke. (And I don’t mean the sci-fi vocabulary – I can deal with that! It’s the style of prose I had a problem with.) I’ve loved “The City & the City” and am seriously disappointed by what I’ve read this time.

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