Publisher: Del Rey

Publication Date: July 23, 2024

Do you believe in immortality? Could there be an individual or entity that never dies? If so, would this person stop aging, or would they just look very old?

In the book of elsewhere, immortality and aging, god or gods, hero or villain, and life or death are all concepts explored in this one-of-a-kind story. A man with inhuman battle skills and immortality is rumored to exist. State-of-the-art technology has provided the ability to do amazing work genetically. Are we able to crack the code of immortality? The U.S. government has convinced the immortal one, Unute, to be studied. In exchange for this, he asks that they find a way to finally kill him. What would you ask of someone who truly has seen it all? What events in history do we have wrong? Our military doesn’t have this person locked away in a study, they are taking him in on top-secret military operations and studying his response to battle. If he is wounded, does he heal? Can he adapt to modern warfare and tactics?

The immortal individual Unute, aka “B” has agreed to work with a special black ops group. He travels and fights with the group. Without his help, these high-risk operations would fail. He provides an advantage that no mortal can. Unute is a fascinating character. He has seen so much you wonder whether anything seems new or if it is merely a reiteration of something earlier in his experience. He has his origin story from his mother, but he wonders if there are others like him. The development of this character by the authors is well-planned and has amazing depth. It feels like this story only scratches the surface of Unute and I can certainly see this evolve into a series.

Mr. Reeves and Mr. Miéville’s collaboration blends ethics, morality, and warfare in a new, thought-provoking manner. Exactly what you would expect from these two authors. The topics of this book are vast and could cause sleepless nights of consideration and self-examination. The book of elsewhere is complicated and time-consuming. No beach read here. This is a book to savor slowly. There are many threads to this story and the patient reader will be rewarded with a conclusion that stays with you and leaves you with many questions. These two immensely talented authors deliver a story that redefines the meaning of epic.

Thank you to Sabrina Shen, Penguin Random House, NetGalley, and of course Keanu Reeves and China Miéville for the advanced reader copy.

My Rating: 🌻🌻🌻🌻/5