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3.39 AVERAGE
3.39 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book ended up really surprising me. China took a simple comic book and built a world, connecting mythos from around the world, diving into deep history.
This book had me in a vice from the announcement of its release. Mieville is my guy. That’s my author, my Tolkien, my Edgar Allan Poe, my Sarah J Maas. So, any material from him, his first book in 8 plus years, had me like a kid on Christmas Eve. A collaboration with Keanu? About a character from Keanu’s comic book? Im at a pause, but im intruiged.
I did minimal research on the world this book is based in, BZRKR, because I full intended, even more so now, to read the comics associated with this...stupendous work of collaboration. Stupendous should give a clue what I made of this, so let’s go.
My main hope was for compelling, brain-fuckery that had me intellectually and emotionally evoked. My hopes were not in vain.
Its Mieville. Woven Mieville, even its Reeves world. China has taken it and stamped his heavenly brain ascending cerebral sci-fi boot on this story. Its dare I say, genius level science fiction as Mieville is known for, tangled amongst the weird and wonderful story telling that clearly leaks in from Keanu’s mind.
Its so stylistically different that’s I find it almost had to review with the usual formulaic manner that all book reviews seem to have: oh plot, wow characters and gosh what a setting. This book immerses you in three storylines at once, all of which follow the same character and share similar narratives but are past, present and memoir form, each told in second, third and first person respectively. Yeh; like I said, brain fuckery.
Yet, if you are paying attention and sucked into the prose used the book is cover to cover flawless. You are neck deep in artistic delivery and deals with themes that are existential in nature and cloaked in mystery at their core. If you want to engage with the unseen mysteries of life, if you want to feel things deeply, and engage in hypotheticals that are at once deeply human but also weird and bizarre, this will be a rich and memorable ride.
This for me wasn’t a quick read, both for the fact I wanted to saviour the story but also I found myself, re reading certain sections, not through confusion but mainly to redigest the complex nature of what was unfolding on every page.
The book already has mixed reviews. That wont change, I can already tell that most 1-3 star reviewers wont have even finished the book, for the understandable reason the story jumps across three timelines. Every little detail is so imperative to the main characters development across literally thousands of years. But for those who stick it out, who knew what they signed up for, who love Keanu and China for delivering exactly what you would expect from this collaboration, will not be disappointed at all. I think it marks a successful and beautiful partnership by two experimental and creative artists, who are bravely original and show exquisite literary range.
It’s born to be a cult classic and im already finding space for my babirusa tattoo.
I did minimal research on the world this book is based in, BZRKR, because I full intended, even more so now, to read the comics associated with this...stupendous work of collaboration. Stupendous should give a clue what I made of this, so let’s go.
My main hope was for compelling, brain-fuckery that had me intellectually and emotionally evoked. My hopes were not in vain.
Its Mieville. Woven Mieville, even its Reeves world. China has taken it and stamped his heavenly brain ascending cerebral sci-fi boot on this story. Its dare I say, genius level science fiction as Mieville is known for, tangled amongst the weird and wonderful story telling that clearly leaks in from Keanu’s mind.
Its so stylistically different that’s I find it almost had to review with the usual formulaic manner that all book reviews seem to have: oh plot, wow characters and gosh what a setting. This book immerses you in three storylines at once, all of which follow the same character and share similar narratives but are past, present and memoir form, each told in second, third and first person respectively. Yeh; like I said, brain fuckery.
Yet, if you are paying attention and sucked into the prose used the book is cover to cover flawless. You are neck deep in artistic delivery and deals with themes that are existential in nature and cloaked in mystery at their core. If you want to engage with the unseen mysteries of life, if you want to feel things deeply, and engage in hypotheticals that are at once deeply human but also weird and bizarre, this will be a rich and memorable ride.
This for me wasn’t a quick read, both for the fact I wanted to saviour the story but also I found myself, re reading certain sections, not through confusion but mainly to redigest the complex nature of what was unfolding on every page.
The book already has mixed reviews. That wont change, I can already tell that most 1-3 star reviewers wont have even finished the book, for the understandable reason the story jumps across three timelines. Every little detail is so imperative to the main characters development across literally thousands of years. But for those who stick it out, who knew what they signed up for, who love Keanu and China for delivering exactly what you would expect from this collaboration, will not be disappointed at all. I think it marks a successful and beautiful partnership by two experimental and creative artists, who are bravely original and show exquisite literary range.
It’s born to be a cult classic and im already finding space for my babirusa tattoo.
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
I wanted to love this book but honestly it felt pretty pretentious and expository. It felt like it was written with a thesaurus to constantly find alternate, “clever” words.
The story itself was quite interesting. I did enjoy the newness of a story and idea like this.
The story itself was quite interesting. I did enjoy the newness of a story and idea like this.
slow-paced
I almost didn’t get past the first chapter, but I’m glad I stuck with it.