Thanks to Random House/Ballantine | Del Rey and NetGalley for this ARC of Keanu Reeves and China Miéville's 'The Book of Elsewhere.'

I'm sorry to say I didn't enjoy this as much as I'd hoped. I suppose I was attracted to it by these two massive names in popular culture collaborating. It was hard not to see the character introduced early on as being Keanu Reeves in John Wick or late Neo/Matrix mode but, in general, I found it very difficult to make my way through and enjoy. If I was someone who DNFed books, this would've been a DNF but I always feel that if someone took the time and talent to write a full book they deserve to have the full book read and I've completed enough DNF-candidate books to know what the ugly duckling can turn into a swan to give them all the full go. Anyway, I digress - I presume if you knew more of the BRZRKR comic universe this might've made a lot more sense and been more enjoyable but, for me, it didn't hit well.

"The Book of Elsewhere" immerses readers in a mesmerizing blend of myth and modernity, courtesy of Keanu Reeves and China Miéville's extraordinary collaboration. Anchored by the enigmatic figure of "B," the story delves deep into themes of immortality, identity, and the pursuit of meaning. Reeves's soul-stirring narrative and Miéville's unparalleled creativity breathe life into a cast of characters that resonate long after the final page. Amidst the backdrop of a shadowy black-ops group and ancient legends, the character development shines, drawing readers into a world both familiar and fantastical. With its gripping plot and richly drawn characters, this four-star read is a testament to the power of collaborative storytelling.

I can't believe I'm having to do this (because I love Keanu Reeves), but I am DNFing at 30%. I was excited for the premise and authors, but the writing style is not for me. I think others will enjoy more than me, though.

Thank you for the ARC.

Thank you Random House Publishing, NetGalley, and Boom! Studios for the ARC.

I love BRZRKR, Unute (B), and the chaos that surrounds him. A murderous immortal driven by the desire to be mortal is a rad concept and I came into this book with a small bit of history thanks to the comics. That being said, this could have been about 100 pages shorter than it was.

Without spoiling anything, I expected a little more from the pig.

I applaud anyone who actually finishes this novel. I won't be among their number. I love Keanu, I love Miéville's writing, but the two flavors do NOT work together apparently. Normally when I see a celebrity name and an actual author's name next to each other, I assume the former came up with the story and the writer did the actual writing. In this case I have no idea what happened. The first segment of the book is an absolute mess. It's sloppy, bad fan-fic level of choppy sentences and dialogue and "the big man stood in the doorway, the brown-haired man looked at him" style of writing.

The book said it was an unedited proof, so I hope ridiculously long run-on sentences like "He took a key from a pocket, unlocked the padlock, and opened the metal door enough to enter, closed it behind himself, and bolted it from the inside." get sliced to death by the red pen. Were they being paid by the word? How did a simple action of going through a door take 28 words...?

I powered through as much as I could, but honestly the story wasn't worth it. The characters were flatter than my Kindle screen and the story was just a bunch of scenes connected by "And then, and then, and then."

Possibly one of the worst books I've ever otten off Netgalley. It made me think Miéville had never written a book before, and Keanu had never read one.

DNF'd. This was written so poorly It's like how a 14 year old might imagine intellectual fiction should be written.

Do you believe in immortality? Could there be an individual or entity that never dies? If so, would this person stop aging, or would they just look old?

In the book of elsewhere, immortality and aging, god or gods, hero or villain, and life or death are all concepts explored in this one-of-a-kind story. A man with inhuman battle skills and immortality is rumored to exist. State-of-the-art technology has provided the ability to do amazing work genetically. Are we able to crack the code of immortality? The U.S. government has convinced the immortal one, Unute, to be studied. In exchange for this, he asks that they find a way to finally kill him. What would you ask of someone who truly has seen it all? What events in history do we have wrong? Our military doesn’t have this person locked away in a study, they are taking him in on top-secret military operations and studying his response to battle. If he is wounded, does he heal? Can he adapt to modern warfare and tactics?

The immortal individual Unute, aka “B” has agreed to work with a special black ops group. He travels and fights with the group. Without his help, these high-risk operations would fail. He provides an advantage that no mortal can. Unute is a fascinating character. He has seen so much you wonder whether anything seems new or if it is merely a reiteration of something earlier in his experience. He has his origin story from his mother, but he wonders if there are others like him. The development of this character by the authors is well-planned and has amazing depth. It feels like this story only scratches the surface of Unute and I can certainly see this evolve into a series.

Mr. Reeves and Mr. Miéville's collaboration blends ethics, morality, and warfare in a new, thought-provoking manner. Exactly what you would expect from these two authors. The topics of this book are vast and could cause sleepless nights of consideration and self-examination. The book of elsewhere is complicated and time-consuming. No beach read here. This is a book to savor slowly. There are many threads to this story and the patient reader will be rewarded with a conclusion that stays with you and leaves you with many questions. These two immensely talented authors deliver a story that redefines the meaning of epic.

Thank you to Sabrina Shen, Penguin Random House, NetGalley, and of course Keanu Reeves and China Miéville for the advanced reader copy.

The Book of Elsewhere by Keanu Reeves and China Miéville is a genre-bending epic that seamlessly blends ancient powers, modern warfare, and a protagonist who cannot die. With its captivating narrative and unique blend of mythology, science fiction, and fantasy, this novel definitely belongs in the graphic novel universe.

I enjoyed The Book of Elsewhere and I have some patrons that I know will really love it. We will be purchasing several copies for the collection for sure. We might even get some new Mieville readers just from the name recognition of being associated with Reeves. Should be a great purchase for us!

Keanu Reeves and China Miéville collaborated on a novel that draws from Reeves' BRZRKR comics. The story is, in some respects, straightforward: we follow B, an immortal warrior who is not quite sure whether he is a instrument, musician, or something else entirely in the orchestra of the world. The writing and plotting, in other respects, jump around a bit in time, tone, and focus other than the constant of B such that it is not a perfect book on any technical level. But Reeves and Mieville pull it together, especially if one does not approach it as a pure action/sci-fi/thriller/speculative/"new weird" comic-book novelization even as it draws from all of those genres. Instead, it is a bildungsroman, somewhat surprisingly tender and mature in its meditations on life and death that seem drawn from the dozens or hundreds of lives that Reeves has had (and, perhaps, we all have?).

If you need a guy to write a novel to fill out your zero-plot comic book that's obviously a movie pitch, China Mieville as your hired gun is like bringing the BFG to a balsawood fight. Makes BRZRKR actually good! In the way somebody of Mieville's level of talent would, takes what's there in the concept (unkillable death machine born 80,000 years ago searching for the meaning of himself) and turns it into something that feels like how that character would actually live and think. Since you already know the main character is Keanu, it lends the book a really easy way in to start imagining how the events would look. Some great prose flourishes too.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. You always hear about someone who is a force of nature. That someone is b. B is immortal and is consumed with many things. An ok read.

It was definitely different but totally enjoyable! I’m not sure if I loved it or hated it but it’s very memorable!

China Miéville's way of writing is and acquired taste that I unfortunately did not enjoy. The flow of the story was disjointed and kind of jarring, I just couldn't engage and lose myself because of the struggle to simply understand what was going on. This is the first book in quite a while that goes in my dnf pile.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the arc of this book. This book was well written and it is an interesting concept and story. I will say that this book was just not for me but I am sure others will enjoy it. The story telling was enjoyable but the subject matter was not what i normally enjoy. I believe that sci-fi readers will absolutely love this book.

I only read about 20 percent of The Book of Elsewhere by Keanu Reeves and China Mieville. Honestly, I could not figure out what was going on to save my life. I kept reading the publishers summary of the book and failed to decipher how that was being laid out in the introductory chapters. It was just too convoluted for me to understand.

I wa excited to receive an advance copy of this book to see what it is all about. I didn’t k ow that this was kind of related to comics but was still interested. This is absolutely not a light easy read that you can speed through. You want to take your time to read this and sip it like fine wine. I wasn’t sure if i could get into the book since i had a hard time at first but hang in there! It’s absolutely worth the story! :)

(Just as a note, I have not read any of the BRZRKR comics for which Reeves has recently authored and to which this story is at least somewhat connected.). This is not your normal fantasy novel. The Book of Elsewhere revolves around one main character who for the last eighty thousand years has been reborn every time he dies and does not know why. Though it takes a few chapters to comprehend exactly how the story is being laid out (mainly due to the abnormal use of third person, second person, the use of flashbacks and interviews etc...), I think the authors succeed in telling a fascinating story about the struggle to understand identity, purpose and change. At times it has a mystery novel vibe that draws you into trying to figure out what's going on and throwing in some shocking twists and turns. It's not perfect. It can be a bit wordy as if it's trying to impress with big words and colorful language. There are full paragraphs that I don't think add very much to the story and bog it down. Overall, however, I enjoyed the story and would recommend it to others.

This is a well written book. It has some fine lines, a few well-conceived set pieces, a fair share of perceptive and insightful observations, and occasionally a lean and edgy narrative drive. The premise is enticing, and I can see the book's appeal, regarding both style and content, for its target audience. That said, try as I might I found neither the characters, nor their situations, nor the overall narrative and its execution engaging enough to arouse or hold my curiosity and attention. As a consequence, it doesn't seem fair to write much more of a review, apart from encouraging inquisitive readers to give the book a try.

Thank you for the opportunity to preview The Book of Elsewhere.
I just finished a few good books that I think made me enjoy this book more than I would have in the past
This is sort of comic book and science fiction put together.
It’s not an easy read but what a great plot and storyline.
I liked this book and found myself lost in a new world and these are authors to watch.

3.5 stars