Reviews tagging 'Medical trauma'

Das Buch Anderswo by China Miéville, Keanu Reeves

6 reviews

kelseyr713's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Absolutely loved this. The writing style drew me in, and I loved that it takes the concept of BRZRKR and expands upon it with care and even deeper thought. The flashback chapters that show the reader snippets of B’s vast life were my favorites, and I could read so many of those vignettes. There’s also quite a bit of (pitch-dark) humor.

I wouldn’t recommend this to everyone though. You definitely need to be patient, and the density of the language means you need to be willing to look words up. This isn’t a book you can breeze through.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Gore, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Emotional abuse and Toxic relationship

Minor: Child death, Infertility, Miscarriage, and Sexual content

littleclerk's review against another edition

Much more graphically violent and much less strange than other books by China Meiville.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Blood, and Medical trauma

sarahb919's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Very well written but didn’t really enjoy it. Couldn’t become invested in any of the characters. The one character I was really curious about, Vayn, barely featured. And then, in the end, everything was just a big misunderstanding, which felt unsatisfying and anticlimactic. The beginning, with its jumping around in the timeline, was difficult to understand. It took several chapters before I could get my footing and understand what was going on. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Stalking, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail

ixris's review against another edition

challenging mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

Those sure were some words put in an order. 

I love china mieville but the plot did not really show up until the last 100 pages. A thriller writer my guy is not. 

Kind of a bear for me personally to get thru but always in love w mievilles EXTREMELY SPECIFIC diction omg. Some passages were absolutely killer. 

I longed for a closer narrative voice in the third person sections to feel like these characters were people with hopes and goals. Loved all the first and second person sections. Art happened there. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Genocide, Gore, Infertility, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Mass/school shootings, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Car accident

lucywood227's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Gore, Violence, and Medical trauma

unboxedjack's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

The Book of Elsewhere is definitely a slow burn, as much of Miêville's work tends to be, but not to the point of making it difficult to stay engaged by the story. A sci-fi story combining the action of a graphic novel with the extravagance of language of the New Weird, The Book of Elsewhere surely does transport the reader elsewhere. Where that is...well...I'm not sure. There's a fair amount to chew on in this novel. It centers primarily on the relationship to death we each have as individuals and groups. Do we annihilate, accept, or acquiesce to death? What is death? And what is life, faith, and meaning? Heady questions as is Miêville's purview. While I can't speak to the BRZRKR comics' themes and narrative strategies, this felt on par for what Miêville tends to do. The first two acts seem to build up to a rather satisfying climax, but the conclusion tends to fall short with so many loose ends to tie up. It wasn't entirely disappointing, but certainly made me want more clarity.

Ultimately, this was a solid read and I would be interested to see future collaborations between these two. The combination made the subject matter and story a more accessible while still thought-provoking read. Content warnings for sure regarding death, suicide, torture, and violence as a whole. A 3.25/5 stars from me. Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Del Rey and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Murder, Toxic friendship, War, and Injury/Injury detail