Strange, so so strange. I think what I can say with absolute certainty is, this will definitely not be for everyone. Probably won't even be for most, and I'm saying that fully aware this truly wasn't for me.

I'll start by saying I had no idea this was based on Keanu's comic series and I think I'd enjoy this story told in that format so much more.

The plot itself is really interesting; an 80,000 year old man who can't die, is haunted by a man-pig, and eventually works for a secret military. The way the plot meanders though is incredibly odd at times. It almost feels like a stream of consciousness type of voice, which makes the way I read it on my head feel rushed and quick, if that makes any sense. I was too intrigued to NOT finish, but over all I think I'm not the target audience here.

This was definitely not for me. I had no idea who the characters were or what they were doing or why I should care. I could not follow the story at all. I feel like this was not designed for me. To be fair I never read any of the associated comic books or any previous books by China Mieville so maybe I am missing out on the plot. I am sure this is better suited for someone else.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing-Ballantine as well as the authors for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
#NetGalley #RandomHousePublishingGroupBallantine #TheBookofElsewhere #KeanuReeves #ChinaMieville

Title: The Book of Elsewhere
Authors: Keanu Reeves and China Mieville
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine.
Publication Date: July 23, 2024

I tried. I really did. This one was difficult for me though.

“B” is the tool of the Gods. He’s a warrior who can’t be killed. He’s thousands of years old. He’s not happy. Now, in the present day, a US black-ops group is willing to try to grant B’s wish to end his immortality. B has to help them in return. When a mortal soldier comes back to life, everyone, including B, is shocked. Is this a good thing?

Keanu Reeves is a fine actor and a great person. I was excited to read his debut novel along with China Mieville, even though I’m not a big fan of the fantasy or the sci fi genres. The writing wasn’t bad at all! It was very unique. The characters were extremely interesting and well established. When “B” dies, he’s hatched from an egg in order to be reborn. That was very imaginative. Also, the authors are clearly genius level smart. I wish I had liked it more. Maybe I’m just not well read enough.

It just didn’t work for me. The general voice felt choppy and very uneven for me. I also felt there were too many characters. The whole thing felt very convoluted. I feel bad but I just couldn’t finish this one.

All in all, this book definitely has its audience. It’s not an easy or a quick read.
It’s super creative and highly intelligent. It just wasn’t for me.

Ok, just so this is upfront.... I have been a Keanu fan for a VERY long time. There, I said it. Let it shade my review as you want. This is a very odd book, you know, like the authors. "B" is supposed to have lived for thousands of years. Now, all he wants to do is die. He has tried himself, but he always comes back. Now, a U.S. black-ops team has promised to help him. Will B & the black-ops team be able to finish their joint mission?

An ancient warrior. 80,000 years old. Countless cycles of death and rebirth. He's tired, and searches for mortality. A U.S. Black-Ops team promises they can help each other, but when mortals begin impossibly coming back to life, things quickly get out of hand.

Upon starting this book, I didn't realize how heavily it was based on the comics, so it took me a while to get into the story and understand what was happening. I also didn't realize that Keanu Reeves didn't actually write any of it, though it's based on his ideas. At times this was obvious, feeling like someone telling someone else's story. At other times, the writing was brilliant, poetic, propulsive. The chapters written in 2nd person as well as those from other perspectives throughout B's past were the most beautifully written in my opinion. However, at some points it seemed like the book was written with a thesaurus in hand. I remember having to look up the definition of seven words in one of the sentences, which is a lot! The story kept me reading and intrigued, even though it was a little difficult to read at times. I think I'm just not the target audience!

A man who can’t die, but would like the option. A top secret military group who is determined to use and abuse his abilities. An organization obsessed with life. And a pig who is out for vengeance.

This was such an interesting ride, I couldn’t put it down. I put off work and everything to read this. I will admit that it’s not perfect. The prologue is a slog to get through. The interlude chapters were sometimes abrupt and long winded. I’ve never read from China Miéville, so I don’t know if their writing is always so wordy and stilted, but it took a bit to get used to it; also you will need a dictionary because some of these words…whew.. But, if you can get through all of that, what you have left is a story about a lonely man who is trying to discover if there is any humanity in him. I picked this up because I’m a Keanu Reeves fan, and this same theme winds its way through a lot of his films, so I feel like it makes sense that this is something that he would create.

I’ve read a lot of books that were written because they have a message to impart to the reader, they have something important they desperately want to say. Those books are full of these beautiful lines that are meant to mean something, and it just seems so obvious and smug. This book has a message to impart, but it feels like it’s talking to its main character instead of the reader if that makes sense. The reader is just watching from the sidelines, watching this guy come to grips with the fact that he is who he is, he has a purpose, and it may not be what he wants, but it is what it is.

It will take some time to get to the heart of this story. This is definitely not a pick up on Saturday afternoon to relax type of story. The wordiness and style will confuse you, oftentimes you won’t understand what you’re reading and your eyes will glaze over because of the super long paragraphs. But it’s worth sticking through it. The subtext gets clearer, the plot gets tighter and more action packed, all of the threads come together.

I loved it, I can’t wait to read it again.


Thank you to Netgalley for the digital ARC.

This is sci fi for those readers who can visualize the characters and the communities they inhabit while following their actions and consequences. It is not light reading, nor is it the layered buildup of the first book in a series that most of us are used to. Many readers will be drawn to the title by Keanu Reeves name on the cover but more importantly, China Mieville has added to his library of weird fiction. His writing style includes elements of every genre, which is evident in THE BOOK OF ELSEWHERE. The main character in Elsewhere is B, a man unable to remain dead. His life lacks emotion because he has no fear of dying. Take that premise and expand it to outliving everyone you could ever know and you'll better understand this story.

Now, back to Keanu. I've read many of his Bzkr titles and this book fits alongside them. In the interviews I have seen in which he talks about his stories, Reeves has the world and characters fully developed, he just has to translate them to the printed page. The man is an artist in so many differing media, it's astounding that he's know best as a pretty face. As a well known celebrity, it's clear he's not limited by our perception of him. Give him credit for teaming up with the brilliant China Mieville.

I really tried to get through this book but it was overwritten and almost impossible to get through. I switched from the ebook to audiobook as the writing was connecting to read. I hoped the full cast narration would make the experience more accessible. Unfortunately, that was not the case. I’m sure that those of us who read this book because it was written by Keanu pushed through more than most. It’s hard to tell where the disconnect happened between the two authors, but it isn’t a combination that should be repeated!

There were whispers about the soldier who couldn't die, and he's very much real. B would love to be able to die, and a US black ops group promises they can help him do that. When a mortal soldier comes back to life, it's soon clear that there are more powerful forces at work in the world, and it has a plan of its own.

Yes, you read that right. Actor and singer Keanu Reeves is also a writer. The style of writing here is very similar to China Miéville's other work, with shifting viewpoints and timelines. B was once Unute, a tribal child who was the warrior their peaceful people needed. We are introduced first to the warriors that he fights with now, as well as the disaster of a suicide mission that everyone is too reluctant to discuss. The remnants of the team were commissioned to work elsewhere and had been deemed expendable, but one comes back after being dead. On top of this, B isn't the only creature coming back from the dead.

It was a little difficult for me to get into the text of the story at first, as there are varied viewpoints. The switch from third to second and back to third point of view takes a little getting used to, but it's easier if you're paying closer attention, especially in the beginning. The world is familiar yet not, so these early chapters have to do a lot of heavy lifting to really get you into it. Once you're used to the style of writing, the story flows more easily.

B is distant, likely from emotional necessity, and doesn't easily discuss problems or issues that he might have. There's a lot of history for him to sift through, complicating things for those who want to understand him. On top of that are other forces that followed him for centuries, trying to put an end to death, taking out any potential allies he has in order to stop him for good. This creates an almost cultlike status for the opposition and difficulties for the military personnel tasked with working with him and understanding him. Amidst the violence is a philosophical question about death, life, change and family. As B tries to find meaning and purpose, hopefully, you will, too.

An intriguing new read about a warrior who is unable to die but has come to the point where he would like to. He has lived through countless civilizations and dealt with more types of people the you can count. He is now in present day and has been offered the prize of death if he will just help out with one mission. During the mission one of the humans comes back to life and now he needs to figure out how this happened and who or shat caused it. Death is no longer the option until the mystery is solved. Dive into this intriguing read and be thrilled by what it has.to offer.

More compelling in theory than execution, but never altogether boring, thankfully. Miéville writing new fiction is a must-read event every single time, and this is no exception - a story that's characteristically convoluted and chock full of genre-fuckery that has the good sense to get in and get out while the getting is good. It's not entirely clear to me what Keanu's contribution to this was without further context, but this is a decent new China Miéville novel, and it's very hard to complain about that - the floor on something like this is quite high. Excellent prose, good story, could probably use fleshing out a bit but I'm glad it doesn't overstay its welcome.

B or Unute is a semi-immortal. He can receive grave wounds and even die, but never for long. Expanding into full print from the comic series BRZRKR, Keanu Reeves and China Miéville present an adventure where Unute searches for a way out of his eternal life, while a secretive governmental organization learns all it can from him on their quest to create the perfect soldier while other parties and factions circle, looking for their own gains. Like in the comic series, the main character fights in a blue lighting hazed fugue state where he remembers nothing of what occurred but frequently comes back to himself surrounded with gore and death.

The Book of Elsewhere begins in violence as on of B's teammates attempts to assassinate him. From their the book looks to solve what motivated the assassin and why a recent mission that resulted in casualties seems to suddenly have a survivor.

It's a decent adventure that centers its momentum on the question of how would one 'blessed' with immortal life function? The narrative blocks exploring the present day mystery alternate with periods from Unute's past, often narrator by other witnesses. There is a lot of teasing with the bits and pieces Unute mentions in passing conversation presenting a far different past than what has been revealed by the scraps that survivor time, but aside from the tantalizing alternate history, much more is focused on finding out who's after Unute this time.

Recommended for fans of gore filled horror, gods versus mortals or heroes journeys.

Set in the new Brzrkkr universe, The Book of Elsewhere takes you through an exciting journey across time and space about a character with complex dilemmas as a man unable to die. While the prose may take some time to get used to, it’s a book that merits slow and meticulous reading to truly appreciate the paragraphs and dialogue.

The Book of Elsewhere by Keanu Reeves; China Miéville was obtained directly from the publisher and I chose to review it. I had never read the comics this book was kind of based on but hopefully they were easier to read than this. At first I thought I was the only one lost, but I see other reviewers were also, with the big words and overly pretentiousness (is that a real big word)? The storyline was good enough but just the writing was hard for me.

Reading this is like watching an action film. Stylistically, this is so different from other books I typically read, so it definitely took me a little while to figure out what was going one, but I did ultimately enjoy it. Especially if you're a Keanu Reeves fan, you should check this out!

The Book of Elsewhere is a collaborative science fiction adventure by China Miéville and Keanu Reeves. Released 23rd July 2024 by Penguin Random House on their Ballantine imprint, it's 352 pages and is available in hardcover, paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.

This is a trippy, cerebral, often very -odd- SF/fantasy/mystery mashup and feels very experimental both thematically and stylistically. Miéville has the chops to pull it off, but readers who are coming to the read because Keanu wrote it, and have zero prior familiarity with Miéville's often bizarre and (possibly overly) cerebral style will probably be stymied. It's emphatically NOT an easy comfort read.

In a way, it's a sandbox collaboration and ties into the BRZRKR comics world. B is a universal soldier, undying, and deeply tired and wants to be able to die. Black Ops government agents promise to help, but he has to help them first. There are layers upon layers of story, and it's not easy to try to read this book without any familiarity with the tie-ins, background, and without some willingness to dig deeper into the underlying philosophy.

Four stars. Definitely not an easy weekend read, but deep and rewarding of the considerable effort required. Whether the effort is worth the reward will vary a lot individually.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

I have to say I was not familiar with Reeves’s BRZRKR comic book series about an immortal warrior that was the inspiration for this book, but after reading The Book of Elsewhere I may have to check it out. Now lets get this out of the way right from the start. I have no doubt that a lot of people are going to want to check this book out simply because they’ll see the name Keanu Reeves on the cover. And I’ll admit that most definitely got my attention. But people should also pay attention to the other name on there cover: China Mieville. Because make no mistake this is every bit a Mieville novel as anything else I’ve ever read from him. And this is where I think some that check out The Book of Elsewhere will run into trouble, or perhaps disappointment. Not because there isn’t a good, thought provoking story here, because there definitely is, but rather because of China’s unique writing style. Even though I’d read several of China’s books in the past, it had been a while and I had forgotten how jarring his style can be. I’m honestly not even sure how to describe it, though I had a friend who had bored one of my books and she put it this way. ‘I can’t read this. I feel like I’m back in school being forced to read Shakespeare.’ She meant it as a joke of course, but I knew what she meant. This is not relaxed, easy reading, not a beach read, or something you can read as you drift off the sleep. (At least I can’t.) No, when you read one of China’s books, you need to focus, pay attention or you might find yourself lost and confused, rereading the same paragraph multiple times in a row without even realizing it, lol. That’s just my longwinded way of saying, China makes you work for it, and for some that may well be a turn off. 3.5 stars I’d like to thank Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Del Rey, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of The Book of Elsewhere.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R3J99R8ASK8PSH/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_SRTC0204BT_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

A dark and beautiful tale of Death and Life, an amalgamation of the world’s belief systems and histories with military sci-fantasy and horror sensibilities. Action packed and smart, this gory exploration of divinity and mortality is a real trip. I think you’ll love the sweeping timeframe, the philosophical musings, and the bloody machinations.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy. These opinions are my own.

High level science fiction. Somewhat dense at points. Found it hard to want to go back and finish the book at times.

Very horror mystery centered and plot heavy. Not something I'd recommend to a casual reader.

What made me want to finish was the point that I love Keanu Reeves.

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and Netgalley for the ARC!!!

When one of your favorite actors and authors collaborate on a book together- YOU READ IT!! Keanu Reeves and China Miéville take you a cerebral roller coaster in “The Book of Elsewhere.”

The story is about a character known as Unute, or "B" to the people closest to him in the present day.
“B” is 80,000 years old and he cannot die! To be exact, he dies many times but can come back to life.. He agrees to work with a covert U.S. military unit, but when a mortal soldier is brought back from the dead, Unute is plunged into a mystery involving his very long past, a death-defying cult, an immortal deer-pig, and the secret at the very core of his power.

This book was all over the place and I loved every minute of it!! I didn’t grasp everything that was going on but I believe it was meant to be that way! Reeves and Miéville give you a lot of gut-punching “whoa” moments that mess with your head! The story felt like an adult comic book! I thought it had a unique view of immortality and a complex slow burn.. If you’re into weird fiction, then this book is for you!! This book certainly won’t be for everyone, but give it a shot!

Big thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Del Rey for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!!