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The City & The City

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The City & The City

Written by: China Miéville
Narrated by: John Lee
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About this listen

 New York Times bestselling author China Miéville delivers his most accomplished novel yet, an existential thriller set in a city unlike any other–real or imagined.

When a murdered woman is found in the city of Beszel, somewhere at the edge of Europe, it looks to be a routine case for Inspector Tyador Borlú of the Extreme Crime Squad. But as he investigates, the evidence points to conspiracies far stranger and more deadly than anything he could have imagined.

Borlú must travel from the decaying Beszel to the only metropolis on Earth as strange as his own. This is a border crossing like no other, a journey as psychic as it is physical, a shift in perception, a seeing of the unseen. His destination is Beszel’s equal, rival, and intimate neighbor, the rich and vibrant city of Ul Qoma. With Ul Qoman detective Qussim Dhatt, and struggling with his own transition, Borlú is enmeshed in a sordid underworld of rabid nationalists intent on destroying their neighboring city, and unificationists who dream of dissolving the two into one. As the detectives uncover the dead woman’s secrets, they begin to suspect a truth that could cost them and those they care about more than their lives.

What stands against them are murderous powers in Beszel and in Ul Qoma: and, most terrifying of all, that which lies between these two cities.

Casting shades of Kafka and Philip K. Dick, Raymond Chandler and 1984, The City & the City is a murder mystery taken to dazzling metaphysical and artistic heights.©2009 China Mieville; (P)2009 Random House Action & Adventure Classics Fantasy Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Mystery Traditional Detectives Fiction Crime Exciting Science Fiction Detective

What the critics say

“Daring and disturbing . . . Miéville illuminates fundamental and unsettling questions about culture, governance and the shadowy differences that keep us apart.”—Walter Mosley, author of Devil in a Blue Dress

"Lots of books dabble in several genres but few manage to weld them together as seamlessly and as originally as The City and The City. In a tale set in a series of cities vertiginously layered in the same space, Miéville offers the detective novel re-envisioned through the prism of the fantastic. The result is a stunning piece of artistry that has both all the satisfactions of a good mystery and all the delight and wonder of the best fantasy.”—Brian Evenson, author of Last Days

“If Philip K. Dick and Raymond Chandler's love child were raised by Franz Kafka, the writing that emerged might resemble China Mieville's new novel, The City & the City." —Los Angeles Times

“China Mieville has made his name via award-winning, genre-bending titles such as King Rat, Perdido Street Station, The Scar and Iron Council. Now, in The City & the City, he sets out to bend yet another genre, that of the police procedural, and he succeeds brilliantly…. [An] extraordinary, wholly engaging read.” — St. Petersburg Times

“An eye-opening genre-buster. The names of Kafka and Orwell tend to be invoked too easily for anything a bit out of the ordinary, but in this case they are worthy comparisons.” — The Times, London

“Evoking such writers as Franz Kafka and Mikhail Bulgakov, Mr. Miéville asks readers to make conceptual leaps and not to simply take flights of fancy.”—Wall Street Journal

“An outstanding take on police procedurals…. Through this exaggerated metaphor of segregation, Miéville skillfully examines the illusions people embrace to preserve their preferred social realities.” — Publishers Weekly, starred review

“An excellent police procedural and a fascinating urban fantasy, this is essential reading for all mystery and fantasy fans.”—Booklist, starred review

“This spectacularly, intricately paranoid yarn is worth the effort.” — Kirkus, starred review
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Most Relevant
I love this book with all my heart and soul. It is a piece of fantastic weird fiction that is so close to home yet so far. AND it’s a detective story! What more could I ask for. And the narrator’s voice fits so perfectly with the tone of the novel.

Absolutely unique

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Really good police procedural that kept reminding me of a 60s folk song - blowing in the wind; especially the line "how many times can a man turn his head /And pretend that he just doesn't see". Imagine if a whole city - a whole country - worked that way. Imagine.

The Balkan Falcon

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John Lee is my favourite narrator - voice, pitch, tone, timing and delivery are all exceptional.

Loved the concept of this detective fantasy noir. Well structured, dialogue, action, intrigue and tone are very well woven.

Imaginative Fantasy Noir

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one of the most creative portrayals of a border I have ever read about. 10.

enjoyable and imaginative dystopian environments

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Starts as a slow burn but soon picks and becomes very interesting. Bizzare and intriguing concept forming the backdrop to a pretty good detective story. The narrator's performance takes a bit to get used to but fits extremely well.

Great

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