I haven't read any of the BRZRKR comic books (or any summaries), so I don't know how much of the lore in The Book of Elsewhere is directly from those comics, and how much came from Mieville. But I didn't understand (or care for) the immortal berserker's goal (or that he's mostly called "B."), and didn't understand why he didn't strongly strongly fear possible betrayal by his allies (a key aspect of the book). The military base that's the setting for much of the action is incredibly forgettable (why was Crichton so good at establishing locations?), and I also found it impossible to remember the characters' names, so was constantly confused as to who was speaking. There's also barely a plot for the first 40% of the book. However, the middle third of the book feels much more like Mieville's other fantasy novels, including what amounts to a standalone short story featuring an entirely different protagonist. That part I enjoyed enough to keep reading and ultimately finish the novel. Also, I'm not sure if it was a clever trick of the writing, but somehow, every time the berserker spoke, I genuinely heard it very clearly in Keanu's voice. (Amazon.)
A few other books and comics I finished recently:
These Burning Stars by Bethany Jacob: Almost a parody of scifi competence porn--every character moves with the balance of a dancer and thinks three moves ahead ... unless the plot of the novel requires otherwise. (But I do like scifi political thrillers with super-competent protagonists.) (Amazon.)
The Talon of Horus by Aaron Dembski-Bowden: I enjoyed following along as a group of diverse weirdos formed a found family (committed to wearing all black) (and sworn to the destruction of humanity). (Amazon.)
Indiana Jones and The Ape Slaves of Howling Island: a Find Your Fate book by RL Stine: Pretty dull, actually. (Amazon.)
Ultimate X-Men Volume 1 by Peach Momoko: Like the Legion tv series (which I loved), it's a dramatic departure from any X-Men continuity I'm aware of, and a great reimagining of the X-Men as young, cool, powerful freaks facing a monstrous villain with apparent mind-control powers. (Far and away the best of the new Ultimate series.) (Amazon.)
Shaxs' Best Day by Derek Charm and Ryan North: A ludicrously bloodthirsty single issue adventure as the Bajoran beefcake from Star Trek: Lower Decks carves his way through an entire army of Klingons, cracking jokes along the way. I seek out everything Charm illustrates. (Amazon.)
Speaking of:
Last year we created SHAXS' BEST DAY - a one-shot comic where Shaxs went ham on fascist Klingons in a fight scene that lasted for the whole issue - and it was nominated for an Eisner award! So now we're back, with an all-new one shot... SHAXS' WORST DAY!! comicbook.com/comics/news/...
— Ryan North (@ryannorth.ca) February 18, 2025 at 2:56 PM
[image or embed]