Keanu Reeves & China Miéville: The Book Of Elsewhere

I bought "The Book of Elsewhere" on a whim. My family was on vacation in northern Washington State, and I came across it in a tiny bookstore. I might not have given it much attention in a different setting: I'd never heard of China Miéville before, and while I enjoy Keanu Reeves' acting, I never would have sought out any original fiction from him.

But as I mentioned: the bookstore was tiny, well-curated, and if this was one of only ~100 books they had space to display, it must have made an impact on the owner. That was reason enough to take the leap, and I'm glad that I did.

I would call it a slow start: for the first couple of chapters, I wasn't entirely sure what was going on. It felt like it could have been a vibes-only experience. But after a chance to become acquainted with the story and the characters, I became incredibly entranced. I don't want to spoil much of the story, but I can say that it involves a man who is essentially immortal. It borrows from something like "Interview with the Vampire," where the modern-day plot is almost secondary to the vignettes told of his life throughout history and the impact that he left on various people in that time.

The prose was engaging; the authors did an incredible job embodying an almost inhuman experience and humanizing it. The same questions of life, change, and mortality that haunt us all are present in the story. I think it is one of my favorite books of the year, and I'd recommend it to anyone who's open to dabbling in the realms of fantasy and sci-fi.