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ejrathke 's review for:
The City & the City
by China Miéville
The more Mieville I read, the more I wonder if I'll enjoy anything as much as the first couple books I read by him.
The City & the City is solid, but it's not as good as BasLag or Embassytown. It has a bizarre premise, which is pretty interesting in that it takes one of the most absurd notions imaginable and takes it deadly serious. It even pushes the absurdity further and further, begging you to laugh at what's happening, but the earnestness of the narrator keeps you willing to accept this ridiculousness.
What's maybe strangest about this novel is that it's really not very funny. Like, it seems like at least some of this should be played for laughs. Really, it seems like the whole novel was meant to be a comedy just from reading the premise. But it takes itself so seriously that there's no real time for laughter, which weirdly works for it, I think.
Of course, the novel is a big one note, and so while I like how Mieville pushes the concept past the breaking point and makes you go along and follow his lead through shear willpower, it really could use some rounding out, I think.
Mieville's determined to write a novel in every genre, and I mostly think it's a terrible decision. I like the ambition of such a project, but I think a lot of his work is much weaker.
Anyrate, this is solid and I enjoyed it. I'll probably keep reading Mieville, and digging back into his catalogue. Railsea next.
The City & the City is solid, but it's not as good as BasLag or Embassytown. It has a bizarre premise, which is pretty interesting in that it takes one of the most absurd notions imaginable and takes it deadly serious. It even pushes the absurdity further and further, begging you to laugh at what's happening, but the earnestness of the narrator keeps you willing to accept this ridiculousness.
What's maybe strangest about this novel is that it's really not very funny. Like, it seems like at least some of this should be played for laughs. Really, it seems like the whole novel was meant to be a comedy just from reading the premise. But it takes itself so seriously that there's no real time for laughter, which weirdly works for it, I think.
Of course, the novel is a big one note, and so while I like how Mieville pushes the concept past the breaking point and makes you go along and follow his lead through shear willpower, it really could use some rounding out, I think.
Mieville's determined to write a novel in every genre, and I mostly think it's a terrible decision. I like the ambition of such a project, but I think a lot of his work is much weaker.
Anyrate, this is solid and I enjoyed it. I'll probably keep reading Mieville, and digging back into his catalogue. Railsea next.