ROMANCE

This Census-Taker

by China Miéville
Del Rey: Ballantine. Jan. 2016. 208p. ISBN 9781101967324. $24.99; ebk. ISBN 9781101967331. FANTASY
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In an isolated community situated between two hills and a valley, an unnamed boy lives a meager existence "up-hill." He leads a lonely life—his parents are uncommunicative, he has no siblings and no close neighbors. His only contact with other people is the company of orphaned, self-sufficient village urchins while his mother does her shopping. The boy spends most of his time roaming the bleak landscape surrounding his family's dilapidated house. It is during one of these outings that he sees his father pointlessly kill a stray dog and then toss the animal down a rubbish pit. This senseless act and the arrival of a mysterious records keeper throw an ominous shadow over the boy's existence.
VERDICT The always imaginative Hugo Award-winning Miéville (The City & the City) melds elements drawn from fantasy, fairy tales, and alternative universe tropes into an original and distinctive mix that is almost a new genre. Using his inimitable style to create distinctive, sympathetic characters, he has written a haunting novella that is bound to stay with readers.
Reviewed by Deb West, Gannon Univ. Lib., Erie, PA , Jan 29, 2016
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