Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

To Change the World in the City in the Middle of the Night

Charlie Jane Anders has returned with a new novel, City in the Middle of the Night. This time, she’s taking a more science-fiction approach, bringing us to a new world, one full of plenty of dangers and dilemmas.

January is a planet divided. Divided by politics, belief, and even climates. Half the planet is stuck in eternal daylight, while the other will only ever see the night. Neither of these are as wonderful as you might imagine. The result is a small stripe in which humanity can exist – a band of twilight, so to speak.

City in the Middle of the Night is probably the biggest bit of speculative fiction I’ve seen from Charlie Jane Anders so far. It’s also delightfully LGBT+ friendly and carries countless messages and points to be found.

Writing

The City in the Middle of the Night is a dense novel. And no, I don’t just mean page count (366 pages, for those curious). There are several heavy messages that Charlie Jane Anders wove into her narrative. They’re beautiful and thought-provoking.

Arguably, that means that this novel is anything but a light read. That isn’t a bad thing. I consider it to be a highlight of the novel. There’s so much subtlety to be found, both in how the characters were designed and how the planet runs.

What I loved the most about this novel is that it left me lost in thought. So many parts of this book will make you stop and think. It isn’t every day you can come across a book that does that, so treasure it when you can.

There are a lot of details I love about this world. Such as the fact that it’s tidally locked. Or the struggles and history between the two cities. It presented a world I was desperate to know more about.

Development

Sophie’s journey is emotionally harrowing in The City in the Middle of the Night. That might be surprising to hear, but it had so much impact. That being said, the journey itself is not one that you can predict.

It starts off leaving you with an impression of one type of tale and then rapidly progresses to something else, only to change directions once again. It was thrilling. At times it was confusing, while at other times, it was empowering.

On the whole, it made for a roller-coaster of a read. One that I thoroughly enjoyed. I can’t seem to get Sophie’s tale out of my head, and I hope to see more novels set in this world. If only to get another chance to see more of its politics and development.

Conclusion

City in the Middle of the Night is an intense and complex read, one well worth the time if you’re willing to dedicate to it. Charlie Jane Anders manages to keep surprising her readers in all the best ways.

It’s been a year since City in the Middle of the Night came out, and I’m happy to report that there is now one addition to the world. There is now a short story to be found (If You Take My Meaning) directly following the events of this novel. It should go without saying that you have to read them in order. If we’re lucky, maybe more will come out with time.

This review was originally written for Word of the Nerd, but has been ported over to Quirky Cat’s Fat Stacks now that the site has shut down.

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