This Census-Taker is a fantasy novella by China Miéville, published by MacMillan in 2016.
Plot Summary[]
A boy lives with his parents in a tense household where his father, a key-maker, may be murdering people and disposing of their bodies in a cave. After witnessing a violent event, the boy first claims his mother killed his father but then reverses his story. Officials investigate but find no evidence, returning him to his father, whom he fears.
The boy tries to escape but is caught. Later, a census-taker arrives, claiming to be from the father's city. He investigates the cave and secretly disposes of something before offering the boy a chance to leave with him. The boy agrees.
In the future, the boy is imprisoned, recording his experiences. He learns his predecessor worked with the census-taker, who was actually rogue.
| China Miéville's novels and other works |
|---|
| The Bas-Lag Cycle |
Perdido Street Station · The Scar · Iron council · "Jack" | |
|---|---|---|
| Other novels |
The Book of Elsewhere · The City & the City · Embassytown · King Rat · Kraken · Railsea · Un Lun Dun | |
| Novellas |
The Last Days of New Paris · This Census-Taker · The Tain | |
| Short story collections |
The Apology Chapbook · Looking for Jake · Three Moments of an Explosion: Stories | |
| Nonfiction |
October: The Story of the Russian Revolution
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