The Book of Elsewhere is a novel based on the BRZRKR comics by Keanu Reeves, written by Reeves together with China Miéville.
Finished on: 27.8.2024

Plot:
Immortal warrior Unute has been working with the military for a while now, hoping that their collaboration would bring him closer to unraveling the mysteries surrounding his own existence, and maybe finding a possibility for him to learn to die. When an old adversary of Unute turns up, it might be another piece in the puzzle. But many people’s interests are tethered to Unute, and they all intertwine, making things complicated.

The Book of Elsewhere is probably among the more accessible of Miéville’s books, although it still covers some very big philosophical concepts, making it an engaging mix and a good read, albeit not being up my alley that much.

I haven’t read the BRZRKR comics, and I probably won’t. It’s not really a story that I find all that interesting, though I do like the central idea of an immortal character wanting to be able to die, not wanting to die. But a book written by Miéville is a must-read for me, and Reeves involvement also had me curious, so off I went.

I definitely don’t regret reading it, though there remains a certain sense of detachment from the story because it just isn’t that much of my thing. But the book is really good – apart from the first scene which was so confusing, I feared the worst for the rest of the book. (Bold move to have the start be the weakest part of the book.) Fortunately, the style calms down somewhat after that and things become much clearer. In fact, given that Miéville’s book are usually very dense reads, packed tight with high concepts that makes reading them slow-going and a bit of work (worth it), The Book of Elsewhere is almost easy reading after that first scene.

The main story follows Unute, but there are quite a few point of view characters. There are a lot of flashbacks though that explore moments of Unute’s life leading up to present day. The switching perspectives neatly show off Miéville’s skills in switching styles – every perspective has its own distinct tone and wording. Generally, the writing is really excellent.

I was also intrigued by Unute’s characterization. The authors aren’t afraid to show his cruelty, the disdain for the people around him that catches up with him at times, and is further away at others. The way he kills so casually. Or the fact that he doesn’t care what happens with the research about him, how it may be weaponized to kill even more. He also doesn’t care that the research leads to outright torture of the barbirusa, arguably his family and the one creature almost as old as him. And yet, we can not only maintain our interest in him, but also root for him at least in some things.

I was pleasantly surprised that the book is not necessarily set up for any sequels (though it would be possible to have more novels). It pretty much answers all the questions it raises and that can be answered. I don’t know if I would be all that excited about a sequel anyway. I am much more excited about Miéville announcing a new novel (on his own) for next year.

Summarizing: definitely interesting and very well written.