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katieinca's review against another edition
4.0
I do recommend this book. What I don't recommend is reading 80% of it, then having the ebook you checked out from the library expire, and then not getting ahold of another copy to finish it until months later. So. Yeah. Good book. More realism than I expected from my prior Mieville experience. I think the review I read that said "shades of Kafka and Philip K. Dick" sums it up nicely.
rumblybug's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
4.25
A real joy to read. Once you become accustomed to the complexities of the setting, the pace of the plot begins to compound, drawing you into its complexities. A take on the dystopian genre which delves into a whole range of current peculiarities of modern society. In moments I found the writing was over stylised, but it never was completely perfunctory. A fantastic book to casually read at bedtime until you become invested and have to read it asap.
albauve's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
awwcripes's review against another edition
5.0
I give it five stars. not because it was the best book I've ever read. but the central tenet of the story, that two cities could co-exist in such a bizarre fashion...kind of blew my mind. Only Mieville could have written this in a way that didn't self destruct half way through.
dgrstory's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
kurosucks's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
zhusl33's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
malenfant's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.75
avmire's review against another edition
Not the writing style for me. Feels blunt, very short sentences.
bubblesuns's review against another edition
4.0
Re-read for a book club. Vastly different experience on a second reading; coming into the world with an understanding of its rules totally re-contextualises the setting. Like the Gearys, my first entry into the world of Beszel and Ul Qoma was overwhelming and confusing. The intricacies were lost on me and I couldn't quite grasp what I was meant to be seeing and why I shouldn't see the other. On my return to the two Cities, I felt like a local. Terms like cross-hatched and disensi were in my vocabulary already, and the political factions and rivalries were grating in the way only local politics can be.
My interpretation of the boundaries between the two cities also changed. While previously there was an air of mysticism around them, now only a physical understanding that two cities existed in one place.
A credit to Miéville and the world he has created. I'm a big fan of when a City itself is a character, and the two Cities in The City and the City are right up there with the best of them.
My interpretation of the boundaries between the two cities also changed. While previously there was an air of mysticism around them, now only a physical understanding that two cities existed in one place.
A credit to Miéville and the world he has created. I'm a big fan of when a City itself is a character, and the two Cities in The City and the City are right up there with the best of them.