Keanu Reeves just released a fabulously demented sci-fi novel, but why?

Keanu Reeves has more than earned his reputation as “nicest guy in Hollywood.” But now he’s taken a step away from the cameras to enter the literary world. His latest endeavor is a collaboration with British writer China Miéville, known for penning “weird fiction.”

For years, Reeves had a bizarre idea about an 80,000-year-old, half-human half-god creature who couldn’t die. He wondered if he could turn the concept into something concrete, perhaps a comic book or a movie, but then he figured why not turn it into a novel?

What is ‘The Book of Elsewhere’ About?

Miéville, an award-winning author, was surprised that Reeves wanted to collaborate with him. He said the idea was so far-fetched that when he heard from his agent, he “kind of giggled.” “Why would someone think of that? That’s just so patently false. It had to be true,” he told People. Reeves was a fan of the author and thought he was the perfect writer to bring his ideas to fruition.

The two first met in Berlin in 2021; from there, a bromance was born. Reeves presented his ideas and told Miéville to do as he pleased. The result is The Book of Elsewhere, which focuses on the character Unute or B, an exceptionally strong warrior who is unable to die but has grown jaded about his immortality. It’s set in the BRZRKR world, the 12-issue comic book series Reeves wrote, which Netflix is developing into a movie and an animated series. 

Reeves and Miéville worked together to form the novel’s plot, but Miéville took the lead when it came to writing. He took suggestions from the actor and incorporated them into the story. Reeves said he didn’t want to be the one to write the book. “I wanted another creator to take that journey. So ultimately, China has written the novel… I didn’t write any of the novel,” he said in an interview.

Keanu Reeves’ inspiration for the novel

As for why he decided to release a novel, Reeves said, “It’s another version of storytelling, which I love.” However, it’s more than just creating a novel for the sake of it. As the novel was being fleshed out, he saw the similarities he had with the main character, which he may have subconsciously added. “It surprised me in the creative act, what gets revealed to oneself,” he explained.

“Maybe the creative act is a kind of talking, you know. And so maybe I have father issues and mother issues. And maybe I think about death.”

The Book of Elsewhere is more than a sci-fi/fantasy novel. According to Reeves, it’s a story that allows readers to relate to the characters and may make them laugh and cry. “It’s got something to say in terms of love and life and grief and death and who we are and what we do, fantastical or not,” he explained.