Keanu Reeves has a reputation to maintain as one of the nicest, humblest guys on the Hollywood A-list, and maintain it he does. Grizzled of beard, spi
Keanu Reeves has a reputation to maintain as one of the nicest, humblest guys on the Hollywood A-list, and maintain it he does. Grizzled of beard, spiky of hair, in a V-neck T-shirt under a dark suit teamed, oddly, with chunky brown hiking boots, it’s Reeves – rather than the anticipated team of flunkies – who sets about moving side tables and pouring everyone glasses of water as we begin our interview in a suite in a Fitzrovia hotel.
He’s here with the writer China Miéville to talk about their collaboration on Reeves’s first novel, The Book of Elsewhere, and he does the nice/humble guy thing again almost immediately the interview proper begins. Very early on, he says categorically, “I didn’t want to write the book. I wanted another creator to take that journey. So, ultimately, China has written the novel. It’s not, like, we could look at page eight and say, ‘Oh, I wrote this section.’ I didn’t write any of the novel.”
The book isn’t a prequel or sequel to the self-contained tale in the comics; more a separate story with different versions of the same characters. “That’s a good way to think about it,” Miéville says, when I ask if it’s along the lines of Michael Moorcock’s Eternal Champion idea – a different avatar of the same character. Being Miéville, the story is full of literary and historical in-jokes: an attempt, says the writer, to marry the “mythic element” of the character with something “quite grounded”.
This novel, unlike Maturin’s gothic classic, though, the protagonist is being chased through time and space by a giant, angry, tusked deer-pig. That was Miéville’s invention. (“I bet you wanted it to be a giant squid,” I say to the famously cephalopod-loving author. “I don’t want to become too much of a self-cliche,” he says.)
Special attention is paid to the character’s immortal nature, and the existential predicaments that come with it. If you live for 80,000 years, how are you to relate to people who grow old and die in (for you) the blinking of an eye? Can an immortal be fully human? Can life, and the choices you make in life, be meaningful if it never ends? Unute doesn’t want to die, but he does – desperately – want to be mortal: “there’s a difference”. And Unute is sterile: every child he has is stillborn.
Reeves’s influences as a reader include Philip K Dick, William Gibson, and Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. He also mentions The Lord of the Rings, but hesitates, saying “Oh, yeah, I got some freakin’ hobbits in my past.” According to Miéville, one of the key things was having ideas that interested Reeves, and also honouring the source material in a way that was specifically novelistic.
The Book of Elsewhere is published by Del Ray, and is available to order from the Guardian bookstore. Delivery charges may apply. And if nothing else, Reeves got something positive out of the experience – “I’m reading a BRZRKR China Miéville novel!”, he says. “Yeah! What, what, what? And then like, why am I crying? Why am I feeling so much? And then what is that? And then? Wait, I need to like … what’s that fuckin’ word? Oh, yeah. Great.”
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Conclusion
As the interview comes to a close, one thing is clear: The Book of Elsewhere is a unique and thought-provoking novel that delves deeper into the character of Unute and his immortality. With its combination of action, drama, and philosophical reflections, it’s a must-read for anyone looking for a compelling and imaginative story.
FAQs
Q: Is The Book of Elsewhere a prequel to the BRZRKR comics?
A: No, it’s a separate story that explores different aspects of the characters.
Q: Who wrote the novel, Keanu Reeves or China Miéville?
A: China Miéville wrote the novel, with Keanu Reeves providing input and inspiration.
Q: Is the novel available to order now?
A: Yes, it’s published by Del Ray and available to order from the Guardian bookstore.
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