A review by lizshayne
The City Inside by Samit Basu

adventurous challenging dark hopeful fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

It's been a while since I got hit straight with a "WTF did I just read?" but Basu absolutely manages. Every scene in this book is gloriously drawn from the big analysis of how normal life would look on a overheated planet under constant surveillance to the ways that people just...peop.
It never quite came together for me the way I wished it would and I think some of that is that I want my stories to feel more like endings than beginnings and some of that is the absolute Snow Crash of an ending (I nearly called it a Diamond Age, but it's not THAT bad).