The Book of Elsewhere by Keanu Reeves and China Mieville
I admit to a bit of jealousy reading this one, working with Neo on SF looks like a blast, and the two authors are all smiles everytime they do press. China Mieville is an author whose work I have been hit or miss on. Don’t get me wrong, he is an amazing writer, his style and my taste have been hit or miss. I loved City and the City, Embassytown and in theory, all the books sound great. The execution of a few seemed a little too overwritten. I think the man is a genius. It is the second piece of evidence that I would like this is that Keanu Reeves has good literary taste. The first proof came when He was doing press for A Scanner Darkly and told the press his favorite PKD novel (and mine) was The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch. (Keanu - my screenwriting partner and I have totally have a script for Three Stigmata hit me up)
The set-up for the immortal warrior is introduced with style.
"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.”
Book of Elsewhere is an interesting piece of science fiction, on the surface China Mieville doesn’t seem like the writer for this project, it felt more like an action-adventure set-up. I think of CM as a new weird, with monsters and intense fantastic set-ups mixed with deep philosophical and political themes. Where is this concept felt like it needed a writer known for action. There are times when CM feels almost too smart, too intellectual for the material, but of course that means the book about the immortal warrior who can punch through skulls has more philosophical nuance than expected and that is a good thing.
My favorite moment in the book is an excellent example of how the novel explores a deep understanding of B’s dilemma.
“Did you have thoughts of suicide today?”
Diana remembered when she last asked B that. Not even long ago. After a particularly intense mission, replayed in the glowing lights of B’s readouts, of his various bodily and mental responses, in a strange and fabulous display. New synapses, new thoughts. The question had been a provocation. It always was.
“I told you,” he had said. “I don't want to die. What I want is mortality, and that's not the same thing.”
Sure the novel is loaded with ideas. You can feel the energy of the conversations back and forth between Reeves and Mieville. We know it was China mostly getting these down on paper, but a unique once-in-a-million thing about this book is you see B, hear his voice because there is a good chance one of the names on the spine will play him in a project for Netflix.
Now I have not read the comics, yet, but the authors were clear that this book stands alone which is good. This is a cool science fiction novel, I almost feel that the novel could’ve sold the concept with a simpler more pulpy prose style, but I suppose the comics exist for that.
The Book of Elsewhere is fine piece of science fiction. There was a time in the 90s when most of the Star Trek actors were writing or co-writing their own novels. Shatner and Levar Burton were doing more than adding their names. Keanu Reeves feels very invested in developing B as a character and this novel is a fascinating ride. I hope this universe grows.
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