Good, although falls short of China Miéville’s best. The biggest shortcomings – uninteresting characters, and the plot quickly became boring after the initial stages. I know, that doesn’t sound like a good book. The thing is the setting! The paired cities of Beszel and Ul Qoma are one of the most interesting backdrops for a story that I’ve encountered in years. Really, it’s more than that – they are the story and the characters. Miéville’s done an unbelievable job crafting these locales, their shared history, and the laws governing their co-existence, and it’s a joy to read about, so much so that the veneer of characters and plot laid overtop fade to unimportance.
Read this book just to meet the cities, and it’ll be time well spent.
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