The Book of Elsewhere
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The Book of Elsewhere
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About this listen
Brought to you by Penguin.
THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
A mind-blowing epic from Keanu Reeves and China Miéville, unlike anything these two genre-bending pioneers have created before, inspired by the world of the BRZRKR comic books. The prologue is read by Keanu Reeves.
She said, We needed a tool. So I asked the gods.
There have always been whispers. Legends. The warrior who cannot be killed. Who’s seen a thousand civilizations rise and fall. He has had many names: Unute, Child of Lightning, Death himself. These days, he’s known simply as “B.”
And he wants to be able to die.
In the present day, a U.S. black-ops group has promised him they can help with that. And all he needs to do is help them in return. But when an all-too-mortal soldier comes back to life, the impossible event ultimately points toward a force even more mysterious than B himself. One at least as strong. And one with a plan all its own.
In a collaboration that combines Miéville’s singular style and creativity with Reeves’s haunting and soul-stirring narrative, these two inimitable artists have created something utterly unique, sure to delight existing fans and to create scores of new ones.
‘What an extraordinary book! China Miéville’s brilliance as a writer combined with Keanu Reeves’s quite magnificently wild imagination make for a compulsive read. Unlike anything else. Boom!’ Stephen Fry
‘A rattlingly good read . . . has much in common with Reeves' best film roles.’ Sunday Times
‘A pulpy, adrenaline-fueled thriller, but it’s also a moody, experimental novel about mortality, the slippery nature of time and what it means to be human.’ New York Times
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Editorial Review
What listeners say about The Book of Elsewhere
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Dela Boy
- 29-08-24
Creative use of language for drama and storytelling
Really enjoyed the unfamiliar texture of this story. Clever use of/changes in narration to enhance the tale. My one beef in a story I mainly found engaging is that it often wandered and seemed a little lost at the end. “All that wander, are not lost” but it can give the reader difficulty in relating to the story.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Tina Munch
- 03-08-24
Exciting and differently Fantastic
The story gave me a different view of what life and death can be. And what power really isn’t! But that’s just me! 😉
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Paul Riley
- 07-08-24
Comic book style
Like many of the best comic books, Book of Elsewhere intertwines a story in the present with short stories (as if alternate issues) that build the world and the characters without over reliance on awkward conversations as exposution. Mieville's prose is as poetic as ever and the acting is superb. It's a smart and enjoyable book, but it does feel a tiny bit unsatisfying, when all's said and done.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Snowball
- 29-11-24
less of a story more a regurgitation of the dictionary.
I felt that 70% of the words in the books were unnecessary. The premise was interesting and I wanted to know where the story was going to go. But I felt the language used was less about setting the scene or creating imagery and more about the author proving how smart he is. It was so bogged down in exaggerated prose that plot details were lost. It was actually hard to follow at times. I understood the words I just thought they were used in strange places and combinations.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- John
- 06-08-24
Overall a fun thrilling listen
The good: Good thriller, plenty of twists and turns. The bad: Although in interviews both authors said they didn't want it to be another one, there is a good bit of the 'tortured vampire soul' type trope in there. It doesn't get in the way of the story, but didn't particularly add anything new to the old trope / its philosophy (and can be a bit tiresome). The other bad: The readers change chapter by chapter, I'm not sure why (sometimes it was for character voices but other times seemingly random), and I found that took me a bit out of it a bit (especially because they pronounce one of the character's names differently). Also Keanu only reads the Introduction so don't get the book if you just want to hear Keanu reading to you! But overall a fun thrilling listen
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Andy W.
- 05-08-24
Back and forth through time…
I’m still not 100% sure I get what this was about. The core “present day” story is excellent. The chapters that intersperse this main story however are so all over the place in their tone, delivery and chronology it takes some getting used to… although not sure I ever got used to it!
B is a fascinating character and I’m keen to read the comics this book is based on.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- MR D P Steinhausen
- 12-11-24
Interesting. But often self indulgent story.
So it just felt a bit flawed- seesawed between fantasy and philosophy- like most of the author’s work but then historical.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Chris
- 25-07-24
Great
take a bit to get in to. the forward and back every second chapter. but if you stuck with it, it is a grade read. hoop there is a book 2
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5 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Jon Wilson
- 06-08-24
It’s terrifically pleased with itself
Perhaps I’m not the target audience for this. I couldn’t make out what I could recognise as character from this book. Given the subject matter, maybe I shouldn’t be surprised - but to me it read like the Silmarillion. Of course for some people that might mean a compliment, but I found this book, in English terms, a slog.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 02-08-24
He speaks Welsh... otherwise I couldn't engage
Found it hard to get into. I didn't know who was speaking half the time, but then when it was a passage of dialogue there was a lot of she said/he said that was jarring and Dan Browny. They should have thought about it as an audiobook and got better narration. I had high hopes. The premise and ideas are really cool and interesting but delivery is disjointed and I just couldn't get into it. I returned it! Also, I have an English degree and found the unnecessarily exotic vocab pretentious and tedious. Maybe I'm just too pedestrian in my taste. I wanted a story and I got a fever dream. not for me. I'm sure others will love it. Nice one for the 'mochyn' reference though. Da iawn
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