I knew this was going to be on the weird side, so I wasn't as put off by the beginning of this book the way I imagine others might be. The change in narrative perspectives is jarring. I generally hate when books do this, but for some reason, my brain gave this one a pass.

I think if I had known anything about the comics before reading this, I might have better understood what was happening. But as it was, it took time to understand who the major players were and what type of story it was. Once it clicked, I was hooked, but that took a long time considering the length of this book. I never found myself impatient with my lack of knowledge, but I think that was because I expected it. I knew Mieville wasn't a traditional writer. I had heard that he was quite surreal and used unique language. I think knowing that helped me let go and just experience it.

On the surface, you could categorize this as a simple, reluctant superhero story. However, I found a quest for insight that permeated every facet of this strange story. It made me think, infer, and read between the lines, probably to unnecessary excess. I had my husband read it, and he didn’t see the depth I did, to the point where I question my own experience of it, which honestly just made me like this book even more. It demands a reread in the future, and I hope more readers will give it a chance.