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The Book of Elsewhere
Jan. 21st, 2026 09:17 amI heard about The Book of Elsewhere when it came out and was intrigued because it's by China Mieville, one of my favourite authors, and Keanu Reeves, one of my favourite actors. But I also heard it was terrible - and I think I tried listening to the audiobook and only got a few pages in before giving up.
But my brother gave it to me for Christmas and I decided to give it another chance!
The first 30 pages or so were almost unreadable and largely incomprehensible (though each new short section was somehow terrible in a different way, which was pretty impressive). But then, around pg 35, the first female character was introduced, along with a long scene of perfectly credible dialogue and reasonably readable prose - and I was hooked. Some of the writing was still a bit tortured in places, but either that disappeared over time, or I just got used to it - because the rest of the book was awesome!
It's possible the forces in the book invaded my brain and influenced me (in the same way they do with some of the characters), and I'll later come to my senses and decide the book was terrible after all - but just after finishing it, it's definitely my first five-star read of 2026!
It's about a man who comes back every time he dies, and the various people who either want to study him or kill him outright, as well as his own struggles with the nature of his existence. It's very violent and gory (which is not usually something I like but which didn't bother me here - more evidence of paranormal activity, I feel...) but also has a lot of depth and layers. There were multiple characters I got invested in and attached to - and the sections charting bits of Unute's history over the centuries were varied and interesting in showing his impact on the world.
It did unravel a bit towards the end, when it got rather over-complicated and a bit silly in some ways - but I was very much along for the ride by that point and just went with it.
So, a very surprising about-turn for a book I wasn't sure I'd be able to get through! But I can't think of anyone I'd be able to genuinely recommend it to...
But my brother gave it to me for Christmas and I decided to give it another chance!
The first 30 pages or so were almost unreadable and largely incomprehensible (though each new short section was somehow terrible in a different way, which was pretty impressive). But then, around pg 35, the first female character was introduced, along with a long scene of perfectly credible dialogue and reasonably readable prose - and I was hooked. Some of the writing was still a bit tortured in places, but either that disappeared over time, or I just got used to it - because the rest of the book was awesome!
It's possible the forces in the book invaded my brain and influenced me (in the same way they do with some of the characters), and I'll later come to my senses and decide the book was terrible after all - but just after finishing it, it's definitely my first five-star read of 2026!
It's about a man who comes back every time he dies, and the various people who either want to study him or kill him outright, as well as his own struggles with the nature of his existence. It's very violent and gory (which is not usually something I like but which didn't bother me here - more evidence of paranormal activity, I feel...) but also has a lot of depth and layers. There were multiple characters I got invested in and attached to - and the sections charting bits of Unute's history over the centuries were varied and interesting in showing his impact on the world.
It did unravel a bit towards the end, when it got rather over-complicated and a bit silly in some ways - but I was very much along for the ride by that point and just went with it.
So, a very surprising about-turn for a book I wasn't sure I'd be able to get through! But I can't think of anyone I'd be able to genuinely recommend it to...
