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Brief Description
In a remote house on a hilltop, a lonely boy witnesses a traumatic event. He tries—and fails—to flee. Left alone with his increasingly deranged parent, he dreams of safety, of joining the other children in the town below, of escape. When at last a stranger knocks...
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This Census-Taker
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A stunning, uncanny and moving novella from the award-winning master of speculative fiction, China Miéville.
A stunning, uncanny and moving novella from the award-winning master of speculative fiction, China Miéville.
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Description
In a remote house on a hilltop, a lonely boy witnesses a traumatic event. He tries—and fails—to flee. Left alone with his increasingly deranged parent, he dreams of safety, of joining the other children in the town below, of escape.
When at last a stranger knocks at his door, the boy senses that his days of isolation might be over.
But by what authority does this man keep the meticulous records he carries? What is the purpose behind his questions? Is he friend? Enemy? Or something else altogether?
A novella filled with beauty, terror and strangeness, This Census-Taker is a poignant and riveting exploration of memory and meaning.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781037406966
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 01 September 2026
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Macmillan
Illustration: none
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 12.0mm
Width: 129.0mm
Height: 199.0mm
Weight: 118g
Pages: 160
About the Author
China Mieville has lived all his life in London. His first novel, King Rat, received superb reviews and was nominated for fantasy awards, and his second, Perdido Street Station, astonished the literary world with its imaginative power and sheer inventiveness. It won the Arthur C Clarke award and the British Fantasy Award in 2001. The Scar followed that book in 2002, and in 2004, China's fourth novel, Iron Council was published. It won the Arthur C Clarke award for 2005. His most recent work is Looking for Jake.
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