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tfisher21 's review for:
The Book of Elsewhere
by China Miéville, Keanu Reeves
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I'm a big fan of Miéville, and was looking forward to this novel. Unfortunately, I found it a struggle to get through, with the second half being better than the first half. I grew to enjoy the alternating perspectives that developed throughout the novel between the primary story line and the vignettes telling previouse lives of Beserker, but therein lies some of the difficulty; this is a story composed of an original work of Keanu Reeves, and not of China Miéville.
The book ultimately feels weighed down by the existing canon of Beserker (who's name I only know because of external research, but maybe I just missed that in the story itself). I think there is something interesting in the core of the story, and I can see some thematic linings throughout, but they didn't feel fully composed. The book felt challenging to read, and I'm left wondering how this book contributes to the story of Beserker, but not interested enough to explore anymore of this universe.
The book ultimately feels weighed down by the existing canon of Beserker (who's name I only know because of external research, but maybe I just missed that in the story itself). I think there is something interesting in the core of the story, and I can see some thematic linings throughout, but they didn't feel fully composed. The book felt challenging to read, and I'm left wondering how this book contributes to the story of Beserker, but not interested enough to explore anymore of this universe.