Talk:The City & the City

Alter/Total/Crosshatch
I've just finished reading the book, and I was under the impression that Total is entirely in your current city, and Alter is entirely in the other city. The article describes Alter areas as having buildings "alternating" on a particular street, but from my reading that's not he case. Did a quick google of reviews and they don't seem to be clear on the subject either. Gymnophoria (talk) 12:46, 22 June 2010 (UTC)


 * I just finished the book as well, and I agree with your interpretation. What is alter in one city would be considered total in the other. It is in the crosshatched areas where you could have alternating buildings. Thalidar (talk) 04:42, 26 June 2010 (UTC)


 * Ok - corrected and removed the dispute tag.Gymnophoria (talk) 10:18, 3 July 2010 (UTC)

This is a noir, not a fantasy novel
[beware, spoilers] Even though Miéville plays upon a fantastic atmosphere, there is nothing surnatural or unearthly to this novel's universe set in Europe today. The apparent surnatural aspect totally and rationally explains itself after a while, and apart from the fact Beszel and Ul Qoma are invented and their citizens ignore Breach and the other city, this is a typically mimetic crime fiction/noir novel. I see no reason to ascribe it to the a fantasy category -- even though the tag "weird fiction" does apply.

=> I'd change the category to "noir crime fiction novel" and write "a noir / crime fiction novel with a weird fiction treatment" or something to that effect.


 * Agreed. Miéville is known primarily as a fantasy author, but this is clearly crime fiction. The category in the infobox should be Crime, Weird Fiction. I will change it.Yunshui (talk) 08:15, 5 July 2011 (UTC)


 * Perhaps it would help to focus on what reliable independent sources say about it? Old Crobuzon (talk) 21:31, 16 July 2011 (UTC)

Too spoilery
I'm new to editing anything on Wikipedia, but I feel that this page gives too much about the book away, including much that should be mysterious for a first time reader. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.104.146.202 (talk) 17:04, 25 April 2024 (UTC)
 * Please see WP:SPOILERS.  Esowteric +  Talk  +  Breadcrumbs   17:29, 25 April 2024 (UTC)
 * yes, spoilers are ALLOWED, but it is still a strange choice and not exactly common to describe a novel not by summarizing the plot but by including a "SETTING" section which immediately starts by giving away what is a big reveal in the novel, and not really bothering to actually explain that there even is an actual plot. 2A02:2454:9976:7200:880D:4E87:735F:BEDF (talk) 15:33, 4 July 2024 (UTC)