2010 selection · Science fiction & fantasy

The City & The City

Inspector Tyador Borlú investigates a murder spanning Besźel and Ul Qoma, two cities occupying the same physical space whose citizens are trained to ignore one another. His inquiry tests the border maintained by perception, law, and the feared authority known as Breach.

01

Why it matters

Miéville turns an impossible urban premise into both a disciplined police procedural and a study of socially enforced boundaries.

02

Read this if…

You like cerebral mysteries, uncanny cities, and politically charged speculative fiction.

03

Ideas inside

BordersPerceptionAuthorityUrban identity

Get or borrow

Continue with this book.

Affiliate disclosure: We may earn a commission when you purchase through these links, at no extra cost to you. Editorial selections are independent.

Find on Amazon (opens in a new tab)Find on Bookshop.org (opens in a new tab)Barnes & Noble ↗ (opens in a new tab)Borrow via WorldCat ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Further reading

Read the critics

Independent reviews and criticism from established publications. Links open at the original outlet.

Primary record

Verify the selection

Every inclusion traces back to the organization that made the selection.

Hugo Award for Best Novel — official winner recordOfficial record (opens in a new tab)