China Miéville is one of the most acclaimed modern fantasy writers on the market. His novel The City & the City won the Arthur C. Clarke, Hugo, and World Fantasy awards in 2010, and his novels Perdido Street Station, The Scar, and Iron Council were all nominated for both the Hugo and World Fantasy Awards. That’s a damned impressive record.

His latest book is a long novella that’s been called “A thought-provoking fairy tale for adults” (Booklist). It will be released in hardcover by Del Rey next week.

In a remote house on a hilltop, a lonely boy witnesses a profoundly 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?

Filled with beauty, terror, and strangeness, This Census-Taker is a poignant and riveting exploration of memory and identity.

This Census-Taker will be published by Del Rey on January 12, 2016. It is 224 pages, priced at $24.99 in hardcover and $11.99 for the digital edition.

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