The Inverted World

E864174

The Inverted World is a 1974 science fiction novel by Christopher Priest, renowned for its mind-bending depiction of a city that must constantly move along tracks to survive in a bizarrely distorted world.

Jump to: Statements Referenced by

Statements (45)

Predicate Object
instanceOf novel
science fiction novel
author Christopher Priest NERFINISHED
centralConflict need to keep the city moving to survive
tension between truth and official doctrine
countryOfOrigin United Kingdom
criticalReception acclaimed for originality and conceptual rigor
genre science fiction
speculative fiction
hasAlternateTitle Inverted World NERFINISHED
hasCoverArtist various artists for different editions
hasEdition Gollancz SF Masterworks edition NERFINISHED
hasISBN varies by edition
hasMotif distorted landscape
moving city
surveying and measurement
hasOrganization the Guilds that run the city
hasStructure divided into multiple parts following protagonist’s training and discoveries
hasSubject cartography and mapping
city as organism
coming‑of‑age of protagonist
epistemology
hasTechnology rail‑based traction system for city movement
hasTwist revelation about the true nature of the world’s geometry
influenced later works on mobile cities and moving habitats
language English
literaryStyle concept‑driven, precise prose
mainCharacter Helward Mann NERFINISHED
narrativePerspective first person
notableFor depiction of a city that must constantly move along tracks
exploration of perception and reality
mind‑bending treatment of space and geometry
originalMedium print
pageCountApproximate 250
partOfSeries SF Masterworks (reprint series) NERFINISHED
publicationYear 1974
publisher Faber and Faber NERFINISHED
setting a distorted world with non‑Euclidean geography
a mobile city moving on rails
targetAudience adult readers
theme dystopian society
relativity of perception
scientific exploration and its limits
social control and secrecy
timePeriodOfSetting far future or alternate reality

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Christopher Priest notableWork The Inverted World