Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

Das Buch Anderswo by China Miéville, Keanu Reeves

8 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.

---

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

hkajer's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad tense 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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Gore, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Miscarriage

Minor: Cannibalism, Car accident, and Death of parent

musebeliever's review against another edition

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

2.0

That was a lot of monologues. The book did not work for me, mainly because I don't think the adaptation to the book format actually works. The book alternates chapters following the characters with chapters of random people who met Unute during his life. These seem more like a character study of Unute, but, in my opinion, diluted the book. 

To be honest, after reading the genius Wildseed series by Octavia Butler, I feel that any book on inmortality and humanity will pale in comparison. I am very aware that both books aim for something different, but I was really bored and felt that characters and the authors were talking at each other and me rather than telling a story. I also found the domestic abuse take in this book really abhorrent. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror and War

Moderate: Domestic abuse and Rape

gkielty's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious sad tense fast-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

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Violence, and War

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. 

---

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. 

---

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

jhbandcats's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.5

This book was really dense. Sometimes I would read a sentence or a paragraph two or three times before I understood what it was saying. I think I would have liked this more had I read the BRZRKR comics. I spent a lot of time in the first half trying to figure out who was who, when was when, and what was going on. 

I wasn’t bothered that the book was told in several tenses, mostly second and third person. However, as the story takes place in different time periods, after each change it took a while till I knew where I was and who the characters were. I found the contemporary timeline more interesting, maybe because I like spy / mystery tales. 

There’s good depth of character where Unute is just tired, tired of all the death, tired of all the repetition of life. Despite his being an agent of horrific destruction, he’s actually a sympathetic character. 

Supposedly the comics are being made into a movie starring, of course, Keanu Reeves. I confess that throughout I pictured him as Unute, even hearing the dialogue in my head in Keanu’s voice. 

I’m not sure this book would appeal to a general audience. It’s pretty abstruse, and the violence might be a dealbreaker for some readers. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

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.

---

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