Scott Rhee's Reviews > The Book of Elsewhere

Words I didn't think I'd use in this review of "The Book of Elsewhere" by Keanu Reeves and China Mieville:

1) "Profound"--- Strangely enough, a book based on a graphic novel series about an immortal warrior who spends centuries violently killing hordes of people is actually far less violent than one would expect, and it is far more deep than it should be. I suppose a warrior that can't die and has 8,000 + years to contemplate his existence has lots of time to dive deep into his inner self.

2) "Spiritual"---When death is unattainable, and when everyone that one becomes attached to and loves dies at some point, one can't help wondering what life is even about. This entire book is a contemplation of life and death, what awaits us in an afterlife, and what any of this really means. In that sense, it may be one of the most spiritual books I've read in a while.

3) "Beautiful"---Having never read a book by Mieville, I don't know if it's just his prose stylings, but I found this book to have some of the most beautiful writing I've encountered in a science fiction/fantasy novel. Much of it may be Reeves's contribution as well. Regardless, this book is absolutely lyrical at times. Of course, if one does not like stream-of-consciousness free verse, this may not be your cup of tea.