The novel is out on July 23rd and available for pre-order now
July 22, 2024 | 10:53am ET
An ancient immortal who wants to die, a 78,000-year-old pig, and Keanu Reeves walk into a bar. The bartender says, “Yeah, I’d read a book about that.” Luckily for the fake server, Reeves has already written The Book of Elsewhere, which is set in the science fiction universe of his BRZRKR series.
The Matrix and John Wick star wrote the novel in collaboration with China Miéville, who’s known for works like The City & The City and Perdido Street Station. It follows an ancient warrior who attempts to find meaning in his life with the hope that he’ll discover a way to eventually end it. The Book of Elsewhere is available for pre-order now, and is set for release on Tuesday, July 23rd.
The novel arrives as just the latest entry in the world of BRZRKR. Originally a series of graphic novels Reeves wrote and released in 2021, the story has since been picked up by Netflix for a Reeves-starring live-action adaptation and an animated spin-off.
“It was important to us approach this in a way that did something new, that did something that was very specifically literary in the sense of using the novel and using the novel form, that nonetheless was unabashedly and joyfully a BRZRKR novel and that honors the source material,” Miéville said of The Book of Elsewhere in an interview with The New York Times.
“Show business looks at it like, what else can we do, but I come at it from the artist’s side, like what else can we make,” Reeves added. “From the very beginning I was hoping that other creators and artists could play, as China said, with the toys.”
Reeves has spent the past few years dipping his toes into all sorts of media. In addition to helming BRZRKR and appearing in films like John Wick Chapter 4 or the upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog 3, he’s also regrouped with his band Dogstar. The band has charted out a North American tour for the fall of 2024. Get tickets here.
You can also listen to Reeves and the rest of Dogstar chat about all things music on the Kyle Meredith With… podcast.
