I wanted to impulse give this three stars. I think because I like both authors - or rather, China Mieville, who wrote it, and Keanu Reeves, who created the character.

But at the end of this book, I realized I didn't have an emotion during this entire book besides boredom and occasional annoyance. Not deep annoyance, just like....the kind of annoyance when you get when you're talking to someone you find mildly pretentious. You don't hate them, you just mostly want them to stop talking about James Joyce or whatever.

And unfortunately so much of this book is just heaps and heaps of dialogue where one or both parties are being pretentious, taking themselves and this story very seriously. And the story is inherently silly, and maybe China has a sense of humor about it, but I didn't get much of that in the book itself. There's a pig that has been chasing this immortal dude for like 80,000 years. Sometimes it kills him, sometimes he kills it, but then they are both reborn, and the cycle repeats.

Also there's Sigmund Freud and some other random stuff.

I have been a fan of China Miéville's books for many years, and I think this project with Keanu Reeves really blended together well, making use of the strengths of each writer.

This pairing was definitely not on my 2024 bingo card, but so glad it happened and would love to read more from them both!

I loved the graphic novel of BRZKR. The art and paneling brought forward a lot of context and emotions without them needing to be written down. I made it to 20% of the book, but it's still so closely aligned to the original story and plot points that I felt bored, like re-reading the same story. I was hoping this would be an alternate reality or break off a little sooner from the original story line for people like me who already know the plot/characters. China's writing is gorgeous and people who don't like graphic novels or read this story first will probably love this. I prefer the graphic novel.

3.5, rounding up. This is one of my most anticipated releases of 2024, and seeing + reading the interviews with Reeves & Miéville together has only added to my excitement (their dynamic is great – do check out an interview if you’re a fan of either of them, whether you plan to read this or not).

The Book of Elsewhere follows Unute, also known as B., an 80,000 year old man who cannot die (or, perhaps, who can die repeatedly while returning with memories perfectly intact). Throughout his existence, he has been subject to curiosity that has manifested in cults, underground societies, and, of course, experimentation to attempt to replicate his longevity. The main timeline of this novel is contemporary and focused on a special unit dedicated to researching Unute with the goal of creating super-resilient soldiers (of course), while some chapters jump back to different points in Unute’s life.

I feel like it’s important to note that I read this having read almost all of the fiction China Miéville has published, but with very very little familiarity with Reeves’ comic series which introduces this book’s main character. I can see how a negative review seems to be the result for some readers coming from the opposite direction: Miéville definitely has his own style, and not having any familiarity with that I think would really skew expectations on what this book would be like. A lot of the things that reviews are mentioning as ‘negatives’ – big vocabulary, somewhat experimental style/format, a non-linear structure – are to be expected with Miéville’s work. For me, these are strengths. I would not say that this book is Miéville’s best by any stretch – and some of his other novels are favourites for me – but I do think that fans of his work will enjoy it. Just don’t expect for everything to be clear and comprehensible from page one.

Content warnings: violence, gun violence, blood, gore, body horror, death, murder, torture, confinement, animal death, animal cruelty (experimentation), war, suicide / suicide attempt (very graphic and on-page)

Thank you to the authors and to Penguin Random House Canada for an e-ARC in exchange for a review. Note: for formatting reasons, I ended up buying a hardcover to read instead, so my review is based on the final published version.

Woof. This is overwritten and flat. I’m not sure if it’s actually ‘cerebral’ as some reviewers say, or if it’s more likely just try hard and pretentious. But I’ll never know for sure because I DNF at 10%.

Reading shouldn’t be an effort in proving how much smarter you are than your reader. It should be an invitation to share an experience and immerse the reader within it. Using odd descriptors and third person present tense pov makes me think I’m reading a movie script or a story outline. I was detached, confused and also bored.

My Rating: 4 stars

The Book of Elsewhere is an expansion of Keanu Reeves' BRZRKR universe. Originated in comics, the character of B is an immortal being with bloodlust he can't control. When one of his non-immortal squad members is found alive with injuries he couldn't have survived, B investigates who from his past could have caused this to happen. The Book of Elsewhere explores the loneliness, isolation, and exhaustion that comes from living forever.

The strength of the novel is China Miéville's writing. The book focuses mainly on a current day timeline where B is trying to track down who is sabotaging his work with "the Unit", but also features chapters sent through history as different people reflect on how they knew B. These historical sections helped build the world and set a very interesting atmosphere. The introduced plot of the Unit sabotage was intriguing, but more interesting were the discussions between characters on how immortality impacts one's view of life, the search for family and connection, and the different ways grief can impact people.

If you are picking this book up hoping for John Wick-style action as B rips through his enemies, you'll be disappointed. The book is much slower paced and it did take me a while to figure out which of the introduced concepts and characters comprised of the main plot line and which were introduced to support the philosophical musings of the characters.

Overall, if you want an exquisitely written book that will prompt you to ponder life's heavier topics, I would recommend the Book of Elsewhere.

I saw who is going to be on the audiobook and holy heck that is going to be an incredible production!!!

The writing was something to get used to, as we switched between flashbacks to present with multiple povs HOWEVER I think after a little you get used to it and it helps with the flow of the story and the intense curiosity you feel as you see the history of Berzerker and the organization.

I highly recommend reading some of the graphic novels BRZRKR or getting the point notes of that series, as it will help with some confusion you may have while reading 'The Book of Elsewhere'.

This is a great bit of speculative fiction. It starts with a horrific in media res scene as a soldier appears to go rogue and kill his comrads. Or tries to kill one specific comrad. Only the intended isn't the one who dies.

B, or Unute, is death itself. He shouldn't make a great main character as most of us really would prefer death didn't exist. That we didn't lose our loved ones, or have to deal with the aftermath of atrocity. But B is relatable, even if he is a bit of an anit-hero.

This book is a bit horror, a bit speculative fiction, and a great read for those who like a bit of crossover in their fantasy genre. I'm hoping that there is a sequel!

4.5 out of 5 stars. I'd rate it 5, but would have preferred if internal dialogue was italicized. A small thing, but it was a bit detracting at times.

I received this arc from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

Take Mieville’s cryptic prose and add the occasional punch of a Keanu Reeves film, and you have The Book of Elsewhere. This is one of those books where you’re given a puzzle with no box, so you’re making a lot of educational guesses about what’s going on, given you don’t have the whole picture, but at the end, when it’s all done, you realize how everything fits.

Apparently, this is set in the same world as Keanu’s BRZRKR graphic novels but you don't need knowledge of that to understand the story.

This book has a premise that, when you reach the end, is actually quite simple, but the route it takes to get there is full of twists and turns, pulling over at overlooks, and, sometimes, changing lanes. The novel, if you catch what I’m throwing down, plays loosey-goosey with straightforwardness and is more about concept than characterization.

Yet, you do feel for the main character, Unute. He’s immortal and can enter this sort of rage-like state, but he also is human, in that he feels pain and suffers. He’s a touch brooding but not enough to drift into whiny, and he’s also not, unlike a lot of stories in this vein, corrupted by power or driven mad by his longevity. The other characters are rather surface level, but I get the sense the story is not about them at all - they aren’t given backstories or much depth because they are a small piece of Unute’s massive tale - we simply are seeing the part they are in.

Yet, that doesn’t mean they were all cardboard cut-outs. Keever, Diana, Shur, and Campbell were easy to identify and their actions declared their personalties. In this way, it felt like a movie.

The writing style, as evidenced by what I said about it being conceptual, is both visceral and metaphorical depending on the scene. The story carries a quiet intensity broken by moments of heightened violence. It’s also punctuated by interesting phrases/metaphors which seem to relate to the moment at which they are used, but have resonance later. In fact, so much of the stuff in the book that seems like it’s just detail turns out to have thematic or symbolic value later in the book. (Eggs and pigs, for example.)

While the story takes place in the modern era, there are segments of the novel that are little historical fiction vignettes, and those were my favourite parts. They were different from the rest of the story, the style slightly more approachable in a way, and each one had a unique element yet fit with the rest of the story.

This is one of those books that is sometimes a bit of a chore to get through, because it isn’t an easy read by any means, but it’s also one of those wholly rewarding texts when you reach the end.

Overall, if you are interested in this but aren’t sure what to expect - prepare to work a little bit but the effort is worth it.

I'm a HUGE fan on BRZRKR and I'm so glad this book was written. The graphic novels are so great and having a novel based in the BRZRKR world was just a absolute treat! The writing style was definitely very different, in my opinion, but was intriguing, fresh, and new! Mieville and Reeves are a writing match made in heaven. I do think that the graphic novels are stronger- just because the story is so intense and I loved being able to see the illustrations of the absolutely craziness going on. However, the novel was well written, and crazy intense!
So thankful for being granted an e-arc for The Book of Elsewhere. Highly recommend!

This book was good, I normally don't read this genre and enjoyed it. Thank you for a well written story.