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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 Fantasy Resurrection

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

All stars
Most relevant
I really tried to enjoy this book but struggled through it right to the end.

disapointing

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

Amazing concept superbly executed

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Story was excellent. A couple of the narrators were a bit of a challenge for me in voice and narration itself but the story was so fantastic that I was able to get past it. I will be buying the physical book because there's so much I missed listening.

Didn't want it to end.

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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.

Interesting & engaging premise

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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.

Thoroughly enjoyable.

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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.

A disappointing chore to get through.

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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.

An anthology that was confusing

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The female voices of Diana and Dr Shaw were a little weird. But otherwise enjoyed the story and the concept.

Different

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

Infinitely .......

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

a better story than I would have thought

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