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3.39 AVERAGE
3.39 AVERAGE
Thank you to NetGalley, the authors, and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Impossible to truly describe, cerebral, dense, morose, meditative, and dark, The Book of Elsewhere almost requires a second, or even a third read to really "get it." It's very intelligent, deep sci-fi for a reflective audience. It's absolutely not for everyone, it's never going to be a crowd pleaser. Elsewhere is too surreal and weird to have broad appeal. It's a masterwork in literary devices; flashbacks, changes in POV and voice, nonlinear storytelling, foreshadowing, you name it it's here. B/Unute has been alive more or less as long as humanoids have existed, and rather than be an Anne Rice diary of immortals, its much more common to see the story through the eyes of people that have the (mis)fortune of interacting with B. Calling it "enjoyable" completely misses the point of this novel. It's a dreamy nightmare journal meditation on the nature of life and death with American military paint slapped over it. I can't talk about it enough, and I can't find the words to talk about it either. It's a fever dream about the history of the world and what it means to be a living thing. In the hands of the right reader, it's a dream come true.
Impossible to truly describe, cerebral, dense, morose, meditative, and dark, The Book of Elsewhere almost requires a second, or even a third read to really "get it." It's very intelligent, deep sci-fi for a reflective audience. It's absolutely not for everyone, it's never going to be a crowd pleaser. Elsewhere is too surreal and weird to have broad appeal. It's a masterwork in literary devices; flashbacks, changes in POV and voice, nonlinear storytelling, foreshadowing, you name it it's here. B/Unute has been alive more or less as long as humanoids have existed, and rather than be an Anne Rice diary of immortals, its much more common to see the story through the eyes of people that have the (mis)fortune of interacting with B. Calling it "enjoyable" completely misses the point of this novel. It's a dreamy nightmare journal meditation on the nature of life and death with American military paint slapped over it. I can't talk about it enough, and I can't find the words to talk about it either. It's a fever dream about the history of the world and what it means to be a living thing. In the hands of the right reader, it's a dream come true.
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Unute or B is immortal and has been around for over 80000 years. He has seen some things, done some things, is currently part of a military outfit and a research subject. B when it comes to violence goes into a berserker rage and destroys all with little or no empathy. Obviously, the research people want to tap into B's immortality and berserk rage to create the ultimate soldier. Swirling all around this is mysticism, cults who want to balance things in their favour. Whilst B does not want to die but would like to be mortal.
The book was patchy for me, parts I really enjoyed, which was mainly the present time stories. The going back in time, worked every now and then. I found some of the narrative convoluted and taking a long time to get to the hub of the matter. There are plenty of interested parties all trying to gain either a direct or indirect benefit from B's unique abilities. I just felt it was a long development to fully comprehend what the end game was. It is an interesting concept, but it did not click for me.
The book was patchy for me, parts I really enjoyed, which was mainly the present time stories. The going back in time, worked every now and then. I found some of the narrative convoluted and taking a long time to get to the hub of the matter. There are plenty of interested parties all trying to gain either a direct or indirect benefit from B's unique abilities. I just felt it was a long development to fully comprehend what the end game was. It is an interesting concept, but it did not click for me.
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes