Keanu Reeves has joined forces with novelist China Mieville to bring fans the first prose book set in Reeves’ BRZRKR universe.
Keanu Reeves’ first novel will continue the story of his best-selling BRZRKR comic series. After decades as a successful and respected actor, Reeves entered the comics industry in a grand fashion with BRZRKR, which debuted to universal acclaim and massive sales. Now, Reeves is joining forces with award-winning author China Mieville for an exciting new novel set in the world of BRZRKR.
Greg Evans, reporting for Deadline, revealed the novel, titled The Book of Elsewhere, will be published by Del Rey, an imprint of Penguin Random House. Deadline did not report any details on the plot or setting, but did confirm it will be set in the universe of BRZRKR. Both Reeves and Mieville were excited to collaborate on The Book of Elsewhere, with Mieville quoted as saying: “sometimes the greatest games are those you play with other people’s toys.”
Mieville was honored and “shocked” to work with Reeves, and had nothing but praise for the actor.
BRZRKR Is One of the Biggest Comics of the Century
BRZRKR is one of the biggest, and most surprising, success stories in 21st century comics. The character, an immortal assassin who seeks release from his existence, was first brought to life by Reeves, writer Matt Kindt and artist Ron Garney. BRZRKR #1 was an instant success, selling out of multiple printings and becoming one of the best-selling comics of the century. The series recently concluded with issue twelve. However, this issue was far from the end of BRZRKR. A special one-shot, drawn by Steve Skroce titled The Poetry of Madness, was released in 2023. With the publication of The Book of Elsewhere, BRZRKR became a multimedia franchise.
Reeves picked a master collaborator in China Mieville. One of the most exciting speculative fiction writers working today, Mieville’s dense and mind-blowing novels have earned him praise from both fans and critics alike. His novels include The City and the City and Perdido Street Station, and they have earned him major awards, such as the Hugo, given in the genre of science fiction. Mieville’s novels deftly mix heavy ideas with believable characters, which is exactly what Reeves and his collaborators did with BRZRKR. Mieville is the perfect caretaker for Reeves’ character.
Get Ready for More BRZRKR
The Book of Elsewhere is but the first stop for the BRZRKR franchise. A live-action movie, starring Reeves, is in development and will air on Netflix. In addition, a new anime series is set to premiere sometime in the future as well, and this is to say nothing of any future comics. BRZRKR was a labor of love for Keanu Reeves and fans could not get enough of it. Reeves’ story of a man seeking release from the pain of an immortal life resonated with fans, and now its story continues in a new novel: The Book of Elsewhere.