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The Book of Elsewhere

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The Book of Elsewhere

By: Keanu Reeves, China Miéville
Narrated by: Allan Corduner, China Miéville, Asia Kate Dillon, Edoardo Ballerini, Joshua Manning, Lily Rabe, Michiel Huisman, Keanu Reeves
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

A mind-blowing epic from Keanu Reeves and China Miéville, unlike anything these two genre-bending pioneers have created before, inspired by the world of the BRZRKR comic books. The prologue is read by Keanu Reeves.

She said, We needed a tool. So I asked the gods.

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.

In the present day, a U.S. black-ops group has promised him they can help with that. And all he needs to do is help them in return. But when an all-too-mortal soldier comes back to life, the impossible event ultimately points toward a force even more mysterious than B himself. One at least as strong. And one with a plan all its own.

In a collaboration that combines Miéville’s singular style and creativity with Reeves’s haunting and soul-stirring narrative, these two inimitable artists have created something utterly unique, sure to delight existing fans and to create scores of new ones.


‘What an extraordinary book! China Miéville’s brilliance as a writer combined with Keanu Reeves’s quite magnificently wild imagination make for a compulsive read. Unlike anything else. Boom!’ Stephen Fry

‘A rattlingly good read . . . has much in common with Reeves' best film roles.’ Sunday Times

‘A pulpy, adrenaline-fueled thriller, but it’s also a moody, experimental novel about mortality, the slippery nature of time and what it means to be human.’ New York Times

©2024 Keanu Reeves and China Miéville (P)2024 Penguin Audio Editors Select Epic

Editorial Review

John Wick meets weird fiction
When it was announced that the universally beloved multihyphenate Keanu Reeves would be cowriting a full-length novel with acclaimed speculative fiction writer China Miéville, I was all-in immediately. I’ve been counting down the days until I can sink my teeth into The Book of Elsewhere, a cerebral, ambitious listen nestled within the inventive world of Reeves’s BRZRKR comics. The story follows the mysterious warrior now known only as “B,” an immortal figure of legend who has long grown weary of his inability to die. But to other self-interested martial parties, what B views as a burden is a massive boon. Probing big philosophical questions about war, memory, the weaponization of power, and the meaning of life in the absence of death, and buzzing with a wholly original narrative style that wanders through the story like its protagonist does through lifetimes, this listen is set up to be like nothing we’ve heard before.— Alanna M., Audible Editor

What listeners say about The Book of Elsewhere

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disapointing

I really tried to enjoy this book but struggled through it right to the end.

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Amazing concept superbly executed

I love China Mieville’s work and this story is another example of his brilliant mind and storytelling expertise.

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Interesting & engaging premise

I really loved the themes and the narrative of the story. I was riveted after the first couple of chapters and will definitely go back further a second listen.
Initially I found the war and gore confronting and tbh a bit disappointing, but my interest in the themes of life, death, transformation and change was absolutely captured.

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Thoroughly enjoyable.

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this story! Multi-layered and poetical writing style that kept me 'on my toes'😉 - a different reading experience (for me) and I'll be searching for more like it. Highly recommend.

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A disappointing chore to get through.

Usually I love China Miévilles work but this one I had to force myself through. Finishing it felt like the end of an unfun marathon. It's hard to describe how this book fails to deliver. So much is said but so little happens. Boring introspection after boring introspection. The whole book felt like it was teetering on the edge of becoming interesting but it just fails to deliver. This would be the first of China Miéville's books that I wouldn't recommend.

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An anthology that was confusing

This is an anthology of stories based on one character who is infinitely mortal/immortal throughout the ages. It has a very bible like element due to the collection of stories, and wording can be similar to a biblical text in some of the chapters. I thought it was quite confusing and the linkages were quite loose until the end. I suspect this would have been more enjoyable if I had read the comic. The whole immortal pig thing seems a bit weird as well.

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Infinitely .......

Loved this audiobook. Engaging story of primal energies and the whole idea of life and death.

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a better story than I would have thought

it was a more philosophic/introspective story than the typical action thriller that I was expecting.

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Tedious and over worked

Am an absolute fan of China, but his books require a lot of attention and concentration. I normally listen to my Audible books whilst doing something else. This book is not for listening to .. you need to see the words on the page in order to take them in. Pity .. I just wasted one of my books!

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All over the place

Inconsistent narrator creates confusion, every chapter was like a new book. Authors may have thought they were doing right by using complex words, but they actually made me go get a refund on this, it was totallyunnecessary. If you want to write a sci-fi poem advertise it as such. I have been reading books since 1990, I wanted to give this a try as I like some of Keanu Reeves movies. But his literature is far from what I perceived. This is the second book I have returned in my life.

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