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.

DNF at 28% (~99 pages)

I definitely gave this a decent shot. There were bits that intrigued me, but it's definitely one of those books that you have to focus in on to avoid getting lost. Maybe I would have liked and understood this better had I read the BRZRKR series -- I think The Book of Elsewhere is supposed to act as a standalone, though. I didn't hate it, but I kept finding myself wanting to pick up other books instead. I think I'm just not the target audience for this, and that's okay. I decided to DNF instead of wading through it only to give it a likely two stars.

This book was not for me. Although I like a good sci-fi, I don’t do violence very well. I love the idea of a literary collab so kudos to the authors and much success!

I love Miéville's work, and honestly, I love Reeves too, but this one sorta missed the mark for me. The structure of the prose read more like a script and I just constantly felt disappointed. I had to DNF around 30%. Thank you Net Galley for sending me an arc of The Book of Elsewhere by China Miéville and Keanu Reeves.

I’m not sure how to rate this one. It was definitely unique. I enjoyed it but also was lost much of the time. Basically I didn’t know where we were going but I was along for the ride.

This is a very odd book and not for everyone. That said, I very much appreciated the different writing style and it kept me engaged throughout.

THE BOOK OF ELSEWHERE – by Keanu Reeves & China Miéville

‘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.’

After finishing this book, I struggle with the how of reviewing it, as the writing is very different from what I have read before. Reeves and Miéville weave a tale, its center that of Life and Death, by way of a third and second-person narrative that spans centuries—highlighting various moments throughout B’s existence.

This novel is not a quick read, rather, one that you will need to sit and simmer with as the story unfolds. You may find yourself looking up unfamiliar words, as I did, throughout, so bonus for me!

Who knew a combination of question and exclamation marks is called an interrobang?

I, for one, did not!

Though a challenging read at times, overall, I enjoyed the book.

Thank you, NetGalley and Del Rey Books (Penguin Random House Publishing), for providing me with an eBook of THE BOOK OF ELSEWHERE at the request of an honest review.

I went into reading The Book of Elsewhere basically blind, not knowing anything about the BZRKR comics and I'm glad that I did because I had no preconceived notions of the characters or the background. I may not have fully understood everything by the end, but it was definitely an entertaining journey getting there.

The Book of Elsewhere is first and foremost, definitely not written for the average sci-fi reader. The prose is exceptional and highly literate. I really enjoyed what can be construed as interludes where various individuals told their stories of their interactions with Unute. The plot itself was fast-paced and those who are heavily into special ops military thrillers will devour this one. The added element of a 75,000 demigod who cannot die gives it a fun sci-fi/fantasy twist.

Although the personality of Unute is well-developed, my biggest complaint about the book was that all of the side characters were ill-defined and I had a very difficult time keeping track of who was whom because the descriptions were completely lacking and their personalities were cookie cutter government operatives. Because I am a very visual person when reading, I ended up not caring at all about any of the supporting cast simply because I could not picture them in my head.

Overall, a cerebral read that works great as a standalone, with or without having read the comics. Definitely recommended for those who love sci-fi thrillers and care more about plot rather than character development. 3.75 overall stars, rounded up to 4

Thank you to NetGalley, Ballantine/Del-Ray, Keanu Reeves, and China Mielville for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you so much to Net Galley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Del Rey, Keanu Reeves, and China Mieville for allowing me to review this unique book. I have never read anything like this before. There is a lot happening in this book and it was sometimes confusing to keep up with, but, overall, this is a very thought provoking book. The writing style is unique and almost poetic. Overall, I enjoyed this book and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys poetry and uniquely written novels. Thank you again for allowing me to review this book.