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As I progressed through my first China Mieville book, I kept thinking that I was reading the sequel to Embassytown: ARIEKEI ARISING, Book Two Mouths.... .... ....

Unfortunately that was not the case. In this standalone novel, the author dumped me into a poorly plotted tale with unconvincing characters...making an assumption that I should understand the significance of an isolated city in an alien world, its biologically grown infrastructure, the political machinations of its ambassadors, the travel methods of immersers, the complicated alien Ariekei Language, and the overall plotline trajectory. Assumptions can be dangerous...especially for an egghead like me.

Mieville's ideas of human interaction with aliens are thought provoking. But without proper world building and character development, EMBASSYTOWN failed to fully capture my attention. Two stars for the first two thirds. Four stars for the, although somewhat unbelievable, tragic finale.