Recent read #2

The City & The City by China Mieville

I was first attracted to this novel by one reviewer drawing a parallel to Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere.  Neil Gaiman is one of my favourite authors but I'll save that for another post.  In order to realize the genius of China Mieville independently, one needs to realize the breadth of his writing style.  This is the second China Mieville book I've read (the first being Kraken) and his style is fluid to fit the story he is telling.  His particular genius in this novel is the setting of both cities - even though plot and character development are a bit weak, the cities shine through as the main focus of the novel (hence the title) and are what really caught me.  If you are an aspiring writer or enjoy getting wrapped up in someone else's imagination, read through this novel and try and pinpoint how he easily introduces the reader to a world that is slightly familiar yet fantastical.  Although I can see how one may relate this novel to Neverwhere through the duality of a city, that's really where the similarity ends.  Except the ending, but endings to these stories can only be as they are.

Next up: Parrot & Olivier and We, The Drowned