China Mieville — THE CITY & THE CITY Update
Here’s a first look at Vincent Chong’s brilliant cover for the limited edition of China Mieville’s newest novel, The City & the City. If the cover seems a touch familiar, it’s heavily influenced by two of the best mystery covers of all time, those Boris Artzybasheff created for the Raymond Chandler novels The Little Sister and The Long Good-bye more than fifty years ago.
We happen to think that City will take its place in that august company. As Publishers Weekly noted in its starred review, “Better known for New Weird fantasies (Perdido Street Station, etc.), bestseller Miéville offers an outstanding take on police procedurals with this barely speculative novel… Through this exaggerated metaphor of segregation, Miéville skillfully examines the illusions people embrace to preserve their preferred social realities.”
Not to be outdone, Booklist also graced The City & the City with a starred review: “An excellent police procedural and a fascinating urban fantasy, this is essential reading for all mystery and fantasy fans.”
We’ve used two-color printing throughout City, more creatively than ever, to hightlight its tricksy, playful nature. The novel is in the final stages of proofreading, and will be headed to the printer as soon as that is finished.