The Book of Elsewhere cover art

The Book of Elsewhere

The Sunday Times bestselling novel by Keanu Reeves and China Miéville

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The Book of Elsewhere

By: Keanu Reeves, China Miéville
Narrated by: Allan Corduner, Asia Kate Dillon, China Miéville, Edoardo Ballerini, Joshua Manning, Lily Rabe, Michiel Huisman, Keanu Reeves
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Summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

A mind-blowing epic from Keanu Reeves and China Miéville, unlike anything these two genre-bending pioneers have created before, inspired by the world of the BRZRKR comic books. The prologue is read by Keanu Reeves.

She said, We needed a tool. So I asked the gods.

There have always been whispers. Legends. The warrior who cannot be killed. Who’s seen a thousand civilizations rise and fall. He has had many names: Unute, Child of Lightning, Death himself. These days, he’s known simply as “B.”

And he wants to be able to die.

In the present day, a U.S. black-ops group has promised him they can help with that. And all he needs to do is help them in return. But when an all-too-mortal soldier comes back to life, the impossible event ultimately points toward a force even more mysterious than B himself. One at least as strong. And one with a plan all its own.

In a collaboration that combines Miéville’s singular style and creativity with Reeves’s haunting and soul-stirring narrative, these two inimitable artists have created something utterly unique, sure to delight existing fans and to create scores of new ones.


‘What an extraordinary book! China Miéville’s brilliance as a writer combined with Keanu Reeves’s quite magnificently wild imagination make for a compulsive read. Unlike anything else. Boom!’ Stephen Fry

‘A rattlingly good read . . . has much in common with Reeves' best film roles.’ Sunday Times

‘A pulpy, adrenaline-fueled thriller, but it’s also a moody, experimental novel about mortality, the slippery nature of time and what it means to be human.’ New York Times
© Keanu Reeves, China Miéville 2024 (P) Penguin Audio 2024

Editors Select Epic Fantasy Funny Mind-bending Witty Thought-Provoking Resurrection

Editorial Review

John Wick meets weird fiction
When it was announced that the universally beloved multihyphenate Keanu Reeves would be cowriting a full-length novel with acclaimed speculative fiction writer China Miéville, I was all-in immediately. I’ve been counting down the days until I can sink my teeth into The Book of Elsewhere, a cerebral, ambitious listen nestled within the inventive world of Reeves’s BRZRKR comics. The story follows the mysterious warrior now known only as “B,” an immortal figure of legend who has long grown weary of his inability to die. But to other self-interested martial parties, what B views as a burden is a massive boon. Probing big philosophical questions about war, memory, the weaponization of power, and the meaning of life in the absence of death, and buzzing with a wholly original narrative style that wanders through the story like its protagonist does through lifetimes, this listen is set up to be like nothing we’ve heard before.— Alanna M., Audible Editor

Critic reviews

Reeves and Mieville’s novel turns a (literally) comic book into a meditation on what it means to be truly alive that’s both affecting and enigmatic.
A gripping, hugely intelligent and beautifully-realised nightmare. It’s clever, brilliant and horrifying.
It’s clear that Reeves and Miéville are having fun with the tale and its often playful, even poetic language. . . a well-written treat for fans of modern mythologizing.
Stylistically daring, combining sf, fantasy, parascience, history, and action. It’s violent, propulsive, and introspective, ultimately offering a philosophical exploration of identity and the meaning of mortality, chaos, and entropy. . . whatever it is, it works.
A delight . . . let Keanu Reeves punch and shoot his way onto your summer reading list … a philosophical, violent thriller about an immortal soldier pondering the nature of existence, The Book of Elsewhere has an elegance that might surprise you for a pulp thriller.
An exceptionally innovative collaboration from two remarkable minds.
Profoundly stylish and beautiful… Miéville’s keen eye, brimful imagination and impeccable style make it a deeply pleasurable read.
A sprawling blend of hi-octane action sequences and philosophical meditations on life, death and immortality that calls to mind Roger Zelazny’s Lord of Light… An absorbing combination of sci-fi, mythology and teleology.
Bloody fun.
Exhilarating
All stars
Most relevant
The story gave me a different view of what life and death can be. And what power really isn’t! But that’s just me! 😉

Exciting and differently Fantastic

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I’m still not 100% sure I get what this was about. The core “present day” story is excellent. The chapters that intersperse this main story however are so all over the place in their tone, delivery and chronology it takes some getting used to… although not sure I ever got used to it!

B is a fascinating character and I’m keen to read the comics this book is based on.

Back and forth through time…

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Found it hard to get into. I didn't know who was speaking half the time, but then when it was a passage of dialogue there was a lot of she said/he said that was jarring and Dan Browny. They should have thought about it as an audiobook and got better narration. I had high hopes. The premise and ideas are really cool and interesting but delivery is disjointed and I just couldn't get into it. I returned it! Also, I have an English degree and found the unnecessarily exotic vocab pretentious and tedious. Maybe I'm just too pedestrian in my taste. I wanted a story and I got a fever dream. not for me. I'm sure others will love it. Nice one for the 'mochyn' reference though. Da iawn

He speaks Welsh... otherwise I couldn't engage

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an elsewords version of keanu's bzrkr comic series, this is a real melding of minds between one of hollywood's biggest action stars and one of literatures rising weird fiction stars. visceral, meditative and gripping, i thoroughly enjoyed this fresh take on the "

awesome, in every sense

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This story builds somewhat slowly for someone who had not encounter these characters before in other media but I soon became invested. Overall a very good book. The narrators do a fantastic job throughout

Slowly builds but overall a very enjoyable read

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