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spoopy_moose01's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
I really, really liked the book. It is a very fun read, a rollercoaster ride that starts off a bit slow but gets quicker once you reached part three and towards part four. Mieville is a master at writing engaging characters who speaks in an engaging way. Issac, even being the boring male protagonist, feels interesting because man I love the way he speaks, I could almost hear it in my head. Lemeul, Derkhan, Lin, birdman are all similarly compelling characters who have their own motives and thoughts. However, I do have my gripes with the book. Mieville I feel could really use a Dune-style dictionary, because half the time I have no clue what they are referencing, especially in terms of the species and the different races that exist. Also, even in the fifth and sixth parts, it feels like he is constantly introducing new elements to the story, oh, it's another secret faction with immense power. was the handslingers or whatever they were really necessary? I feel like they were forgotten so quickly that it was so unnecessary to include them at all, maybe just to provide something that weakens the moths? I don't know, it feels super shoehorned in like his editor had reminded him that the book has to be 800 plus or he's not paying or something and he just threw something in All in all, though I have my issues with the book, I loved it regardless and overall just such a fun book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Kidnapping, Violence, Torture, Child abuse, Drug use, Sexual content, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Xenophobia, Physical abuse, and Classism
Moderate: Rape
vanessav's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-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? Yes
5.0
I can only describe the writing as delicious.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Rape, Violence, Sexual violence, Drug abuse, Torture, Death, Sexual assault, and Murder
unboxedjack's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Murder, Body horror, Death, and Grief
Minor: Rape
noel_b's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
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? Yes
4.5
If I had to describe this book in one word, it would be "weird". The world is constantly surprising you with new and weirder elements and I was just so intrigued by it all.
The writing style is on the literary side and the prose does draw attention to itself. It stops to describe the scenery or certain areas of the city every once in a while, and the author is not shy about using "challenging" or "big" words (to give you an idea, the word "palimpsest" shows up weirdly often). I thoroughly enjoyed it, but if you are looking for straightforward prose that keeps the plot moving nonstop, this may not be for you.
I would say that this book is more about the journey (the weird, weird journey) than the destination. Personally, I loved it, but if you want a fast paced, tightly written mystery/thriller, you may want to look elsewhere.
The pacing is not particularly fast, mostly because the book takes the time to explore different neighborhoods and aspects of life in that city. Everything is in service of investigating the main mystery or following a side plot, but we do spend a lot of time discovering new bizarre elements of this world.
if nothing else, the city of New Crobuzon is constantly surprising. Sometimes wonderful, many times grotesque. Always surprising
The writing style is on the literary side and the prose does draw attention to itself. It stops to describe the scenery or certain areas of the city every once in a while, and the author is not shy about using "challenging" or "big" words (to give you an idea, the word "palimpsest" shows up weirdly often). I thoroughly enjoyed it, but if you are looking for straightforward prose that keeps the plot moving nonstop, this may not be for you.
I would say that this book is more about the journey (the weird, weird journey) than the destination. Personally, I loved it, but if you want a fast paced, tightly written mystery/thriller, you may want to look elsewhere.
The pacing is not particularly fast, mostly because the book takes the time to explore different neighborhoods and aspects of life in that city. Everything is in service of investigating the main mystery or following a side plot, but we do spend a lot of time discovering new bizarre elements of this world.
if nothing else, the city of New Crobuzon is constantly surprising. Sometimes wonderful, many times grotesque. Always surprising
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Death, Drug use, Excrement, Mental illness, Rape, and Sexual assault
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