A review by traitorjoe
The City & the City by China Miéville

adventurous funny mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I read some conflicting reports on whether or not Disco Elysiuim was partly inspired by China Miéville's The City & The City, so I took it upon myself to see if I could connect the dots and solve this particular mystery. 

My conclusion? This book kicks ass. 

This was my first foray into weird fiction and Miéville’s settings, and I have to say the cities of Besźel and Ul Qoma are nearly unbelievably captivating. I loved the feeling of walking down these streets, and the perpetual glimpse in the corner of your eye of a citizen in a different city that you should not, nay cannot perceive. The premise alone of these cities with crosshatches and hyper-specific intricacies is intriguing, but it’s bolstered by the grounding plot in solving a murder.

Couldn’t be simpler. Solve the murder, while navigating the political trappings of cities in overlapped existence. Oh, and make sure not to Breach. But if you do happen to, it might make solving this intercity crime solvable. 

As far as inspiration to Disco Elysium, sure there are some similarities. But perhaps their relationship is not unlike Besźel and Ul Qoma. They are separate, and both are well worth visiting.

In short, I can’t believe they made A Tale of Two Cities real.