ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

I’m a little backlogged with my ARCs but working diligently to get caught up. This book was confusing at the best of times! I felt like I got the gist of it but there was so much detail and so many characters and settings it all felt very scrambled to me. It was still a very beautifully written book, I just wish it was pieced together more coherently. I would recommend if you like science fiction with very different narratives and characters!

I'll be honest, Keanu Reeves as an author is what drew me to this book initially. I'm familiar enough with the "BRZRKR" universe (courtesy of my husband) that I could appreciate the alternate universe in which this book was set. However, it just wasn't my best cup of tea. It wasn't horrible, written terribly, or anything of the sorts. It just wasn't appealing for me enough to rave about. This is definitely a book that has an acquired taste.

*The Book of Elsewhere* by Keanu Reeves and China Miéville, released in July 2024, is a unique and thought-provoking addition to the realm of speculative fiction. Set in an alternate universe to the *BRZRKR* comic series, the novel follows an immortal warrior on a centuries-spanning journey to understand the curse of his immortality, the violent cycles of his existence, and the broader meaning of life itself. The collaboration between Reeves, known for his action-packed film roles, and Miéville, a celebrated author of speculative fiction, creates a fusion of philosophical depth and gritty action.

The novel’s exploration of immortality is one of its strongest elements. The protagonist's journey is not just one of survival, but of grappling with the existential questions that come with living through countless lifetimes. This theme is delved into with a mix of philosophical introspection and action-driven scenes, which could feel jarring to some readers but adds a layer of complexity to the narrative. The authors weave together the brutality of violence with the search for meaning, examining how repeated conflict and endless existence affect both the soul and mind.

Miéville’s signature world-building is evident, creating a detailed, immersive universe where supernatural and speculative elements take center stage. His writing style brings the settings to life with vivid, often disturbing imagery, allowing readers to feel the weight of the protagonist's struggles. Meanwhile, Reeves' influence is clear in the action-packed sequences, which offer plenty of high-stakes moments. This combination of introspection and action delivers a fascinating balance of philosophy and chaos, though the shift between the two can occasionally feel abrupt for some readers.

The pacing is where *The Book of Elsewhere* might lose some readers. The action scenes are fast and exhilarating, but the moments of deep reflection can slow down the momentum, making the book feel like a slow burn at times. However, these slower sections are not without merit, as they offer rich philosophical insights into topics like the nature of violence, immortality, and the cost of existence. The question of whether the protagonist can ever truly break free from the curse of immortality adds a layer of suspense that drives the narrative forward.


Overall, *The Book of Elsewhere* is a compelling, if challenging, read. The partnership between Reeves and Miéville brings an interesting combination of action and philosophical exploration, appealing to fans of both high-stakes adventure and deeper, more existential themes. It’s a book that asks big questions, offers memorable action sequences, and leaves readers thinking long after they’ve turned the last page. For fans of speculative fiction looking for something both cerebral and thrilling, *The Book of Elsewhere* is definitely worth picking up.

I have to admit, this book was a challenge for me. I tried, but the book just wasn’t the right fit for me. I know reviews have been mixed, so there are definitely readers who will love. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, I got an advanced copy.

A disappointingly tough start, but I did end up really enjoying it.

The story, based on the graphic novel, BRZRKR, follows a man who cannot die. As a consequence, he's lived eons and is now being utilized by the military as something of a killing machine, and in return he's working with a doctor to try and discover more about who/what/WHY he is.

I enjoyed the book much more that I thought I would, and especially liked the interlude stories, of characters such as the Stowaway or the Doctor or the Wife, people with whom B had come into contact with and change the story's perspective in small or large ways.

Overall, this is a win for me

I appreciate the world-building for sure, as I wasn't at all familiar with the graphic novel. And I'm a huge fan of Mieville.The suspense in the beginning was particularly strong, but I will say this got a bit too macho and muddled for me. I did love the cover and the charming virtual event with Reeves, but am really looking forward to Mieville's next fantasy solo work.

This was not good. I know others here enjoyed it but the way it was written made it a slog to get through. If I hadn't already read the not good comics as well as the fact that I really like Keanu Reeves, I wouldn't have kept at this like a scab that you feel you need to rip off again and again, always too soon.

To be honest, I don't remember if this dovetails with the comics or this is the same story in a new medium. I can tell you the comics did not have an 80,000 year old boar in them that continuously sought out B for no good reason other than "There can be only one!". That was SO dumb. Because I'm a sucker for punishment, I know I'll wind up reading those stupid comics again just to put together how they connect even though it ultimately doesn't matter. Chances are the Netflix show will change up B's story again anyway other than he's an immortal John Wick who goes into BRZRKR rages.

The chapters are broken up into 3 separate areas told in first, second and third person to differentiate them. This infuriated me to no end. Sections often did strange grammatical things like combining words and abandoning punctuation completely that drove me batty. Sorry, I must have been a proof reader in a past life. The current story and the only one that matters is told in third person. B in the past was told in second person while stories in the past from random people who knew B / Unute were in first person. The latter two were all pretty much pointless and I guess added to get to 300 pages. That's the only reason I can see they exist.

The story is mainly about how some people see B as a god while others see him as a devil or death versus life if you will. This entire book inspired a lot of eyerolling from me as I was constantly counting pages until the end of each chapter so I could force myself to finish this in chunks because I certainly wasn't digging it.

The story was good but the writing style and overall the end result was a little bit less than what I wanted out of it.

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine - Del Rey and Netgalley for the digital ARC. This was given to me for an honest review.

I've never read the comics but couldn't resist getting this book seeing Keanu listed as co-author. There's a great story and fascinating characters in here that I would love to follow on further adventures. As a realtor might say, it's got "good bones". Unfortunately, the prose is often too purple. It made the reading experience very stop-start. I'd still recommend it and look forward to future stories set in this world. Hopefully better written

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a free e-book of The Book of Elsewhere by Keanu Reeves and China Mieville. Considering the powerful author combo, I couldn't resist reading this one. I recommend this book for fans of weird fiction (and I use the word weird in a positive connotation here), as a combination of fantasy and science-fiction concepts. The authors took a lot of risks, jumping around in time and relying on the reader to make some cerebral links of their own, but I felt it worked for me; I'm willing to allow for some confusion and mystery while I'm reading, as long as I'm enjoying the ride. I can only assume, had I read the comic series BZRKR, I might not have felt as lost at times. If you're looking for an intense, action-packed, heroic story, don't skip this one.

This genre bending book is based off of BRZRKR comic books! I love when I read something completely brand new to me and this was that!

Thank you #randomhouse and #NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This one has been sitting on my shelf for a while. I really wanted to like it. I did. But it was super hard to get into and I kept putting it down for me interesting titles.
It honestly felt like it was trying too hard to be deep and intellectual. And it fell flat.
This book would appeal to those who annotate, and ponder, and philosophise over deep meanings, it just wasn't for me.

I could not get through this book I am so sorry. To me it was boring and I struggled to push through

Not for me. Definitely a specific type of book and would take a specific type of reader. I couldn’t really get in to the story but also the writing style was confusing and hard to follow. Love Keanu Reeves but this one was too heady for me.

Excellent descriptions and world building. The plot was engaging and the character development was great.

Unute, Child of Lightning, Death himself, known simply as “B” these days, wants to die. But he's an immortal being that's been roaming the world for millennia with no answers as to who or what he is. He's currently working with the military with a very secret U.S. black-ops group in a compound that hides more secrets than even B could ever guess.

It was a very pleasant surprise that I could jump into the story without any prior knowledge of the BRZRKR comics. All the pertinent information is very clearly explained over the course of the novel as things come up and the story feels complete without it. I don't know if it would have been more enjoyable knowing more about it, but It's a fascinating story if you're interested in taking it in as a stand-alone.

The story jumps from the present-day situation within the black ops and the experiments/studies they are performing and relevant moments from Unute's past. In between, we get something like confessionals from people who shared moments with Unute during his long existence that give readers a wider image of what he is truly like. It makes getting to know a character that we don't see much on the page a lot easier and infinitely fascinating.

I had the same problem with this one as I often do with Miéville. He obviously loves language and crafting a beautiful sentence, but this results in him taking an entire paragraph to say something that could have just as easily been said in one sentence. It's lovely in moderation, but exhausting when it's a massive and complex novel. Some things can and should be expressed simply.

Happy thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey for the interesting read!

I absolutely love Keanu Reeves and so I was all over this one into the world of BRZRKR unfortunately it’s a bit flat and doesn’t translate as well as the comics. Couldn’t finish unfortunately.

I picked this book up based on the authors alone. I was aware of Reeves' BRZRKR comics and have been a fan of China Mievelle and the new weird genre for a while, so this was in intriguing combination for me. Even though I have not read the BRZRKR comics, I was able to follow along with the story without feeling like I was missing anything. The story took a some time to really pick up, but once it did I was fully pulled into the main character's quest to understand his existence.

When I first saw that Keanu Reeves wrote a book, I was like ”Cool. Let’s see what’s it’s about.” After reading the premise, I thought “Sure, let’s try it.” After reading the first 7% or so, I realized “Nope. This is actually kind of complicated to read and I’m not really into it.” My vocabulary is actually pretty good but even I had to stop and think about what was actually being said sometimes. This book reminded me of a sci fi story told in poetry form.
That being said, I saw it was available as an audiobook through my library and put it in hold. This story is so much better in audiobook. In the story, you’re not always sure who is speaking and with the narration, that becomes easier to understand. There is still the flowery language, but as you get through it, the writing style becomes clearer.
The book is quite interesting once you get about halfway through it. Things start making sense and while it is still very much sci-fi in the concepts, it starts becoming a mystery novel and then kind of deep. Touching on mortality and morality. Self help and healing. I’m glad I finished it, but there was a lot of brain power involved. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC and for the frying of my brain.

I could see attributes of the main character in this book being a combination of Reeves’ character in the John Wick and Matrix movies. I tried hard to read to the end but I’m so spoiled by being spoonfed the actions, thoughts, and persona in the action movies themselves. I couldn’t create the vision in my mind and follow the plot. This type of novel is much better suited for faster-paced minds accustomed to video games, graphic novels, and possibly science fiction. Kudos to Keanu for having the patience and imagination to crank out these books. They all have good reviews, just not my style. Thanks so much to Random House Publishing Group, Ballantine for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. The publishing date is July 23, 2024.