Reviews with content warning for Murder - Linn ja linn

Reviews tagging 'Murder'

Linn ja linn by China Miéville

24 reviews

bergha1998's review against another edition

challenging mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.0

It wasn’t my thing. I enjoyed the idea of the plot, but the writing was cumbersome in my opinion. It took so long to get anywhere and the characters continuously rehashed information with each other. And then the end was very unsatisfying. Just not my cup of tea.

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tangerinecutie's review against another edition

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mysterious tense medium-paced

Loveable characters? Yes

4.25

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rebecca_harley's review against another edition

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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? No

3.5

This book has a really interesting premise, two cities occupying the same physical space "grosstopically" and how criminal jurisdiction is handled in these places. I've never read anything like it before and while it was confusing at first the worldbuilding was excellent.

The main drawback I would say is that none of the characters were particularly interesting or likeable, except the victim, in my opinion.

I also felt the ending was a little anti-climactic if I'm being honest.

As a bonus I liked the formatting. Each new chapter starts at the top of the next page, no wasted space!

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stgts's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.75

absolutely ripped through this, but I wasn't quite satisfied when I finished it. might benefit from a reread but ultimately I think I was most interested when there were questions left unanswered; I almost wish it hadn't wrapped so many things up neatly in the end.

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samclowe's review against another edition

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adventurous dark inspiring mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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mr_engineer's review against another edition

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mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I would have liked more character development, but this is purposefully written like a police procedural and the idea of two cities existing "gross topically" on top of each other is heady stuff.

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ixris's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense slow-paced

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

4.0

Mieville's police procedural has a spare, dry voice and a small love affair with the letter Z that made my early progress very slow. The twisting bureaucracy can lead only one place, and while the ending is satisfying, I found it ultimately very pat. An extremely imaginative pair of cityscapes, though, and definitely worth what felt like a slog in the beginning.

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sunn_bleach's review against another edition

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challenging mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

On one hand, I'm almost disappointed by the reveal of there being no fantastic elements in the cities. On the other hand, I'm almost more horrified by there being no fantastic elements in the cities. What I wouldn't give for a one-handed critic.

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balamaqab's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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sleepycaboose's review against another edition

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challenging mysterious reflective slow-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

5.0

A book I’ve been meaning to read for a long time, and it lived up to all my expectations. It’s an exploration of what a city is and can be, probing the limits of our perception and what we can be trained to see/unsee. I found it to be thoroughly thought-provoking: as another reviewer said, a realistic depiction of a surrealist setting. I liked how the places were grounded in real-life traditions and cultures, with a sprinkling of geopolitics. I usually dislike when authors coin neologisms, but it was tastefully done here. References to “grosstopic closeness,” “topolgangers,” and “insiles” make etymological sense and convey real meaning in the context of the two cities.
If you’re looking for an emotional story with a cast of fleshed-out characters with layered motivations and backstory, look elsewhere. The real stars of the book are the City and the City, not the individuals living within them.
Would recommend reading in multiple sittings. Not a breezy read, in the best way.

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