Keanu Reeves is set to release his first novel this year in collaboration with British ‘weird fiction’ author China Miéville.

The Book of Elsewhere, which will be released on July 23, tells the tale of an immortal warrior who spends millennia trying to understand his own immortality.

It is set in the world of the actor’s comic book series BRZRKR, which was first published in 2021 with writer Matt Kindt and artist Ron Garney.

‘China did exactly what I was hoping for – he came in with a clear architecture for the story and how he wanted to play with the world of BRZRKR, a world that I love so much,’ Keanu told The Guardian.

The British author’s writing style has been described as ‘new weird fiction’ with his novels spanning several genres, ranging from American western to detective noir.

Keanu Reeves (pictured in April 2023) is set to release his first novel this year based in the world of his comic book series BRZRKR

Keanu’s novel has been co-authored with British ‘weird fiction’ writer China Miéville – whose works include The City and the City, Railsea and The Census Taker

China’s ‘weird fiction’ style ties in well with the actor’s comic books – which centres around Berzerker, an immortal hybrid of God and man who has a strong tendency toward violence, impacting his sanity.

The character eventually winds up in the employment of the U.S. government to find out the truth about his life. BRZRKR is set to be made into a Netflix live-action series.

Of China’s work on the novel, The Matrix actor, 59, said: ‘I was thrilled with his vision and feel honoured to be a part of this collaborative process.’

‘Sometimes the greatest games are those you play with other people’s toys,’ China said of writing a tale based on the comic books.

He went on to say that it was ‘an honour, a shock and a delight’ to be approached by Keanu to write the novel.

‘But I could never have predicted how generous he’d be with toys he’s spent so long creating,’ China added.

Some of China’s works include The City and the City, Railsea and The Census Taker.

Publishing director Ben Brusey, from Penguin’s Del Rey, described Keanu and China as a ‘dream writing partnership’.

The A-list actor told the outlet that people ‘can relate to the idea of the imagination of’ immortality, which fuels the story line of the comic

He added that both are ‘master storytellers who have thrilled, surprised and won the hearts’ of audiences across the world.

Keanu has previously described his comic book series BRZRKR as ‘an examination of’ violence, which explores how violence is used and controlled.

‘We are looking at violence in the impulse of violence and how it’s used, and how it tries to be controlled,’ Reeves told People in 2021. ‘And trying to understand the character that we might not be able to relate to it, being immortal, but we relate to the idea of wanting to be immortal.’

The A-list actor told the outlet that people ‘can relate to the idea of the imagination of’ immortality, which fuels the story-line of BRZRKR.

‘We have vampiric stories that speak about that,’ he said. ‘But that’s part of the human condition, whether it’s the living condition of our mortality or human wish-fulfilment that we don’t have mortality.

‘In the context of violence, which is everywhere, it’s survival, it’s conquest, it’s eating. So it plays everywhere, and we’re trying to look at it from different … It’s an examination of it.’

Keanu’s limited, twelve-issue comic book series was co-written by Matt Kindt and also features artist Ron Garney

Keanu won over the internet’s hearts again last year when an adorable video of the actor meeting a nine-year-old super fan at a comic book store surfaced

Kindt said that he, Reeves and Kindt worked on the project for ‘at least two years,’ much of it remotely amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Keanu won over the internet’s hearts again last year when an adorable video of the actor meeting a nine-year-old super fan at a comic book store surfaced.

YouTuber Noah of Noah’s Amazing Reviews got the chance to meet his favourite actor during a signing of BRZRKR in March 2023 at Golden Apple Comics in Los Angeles.

The youngster was over the moon meeting the actor – who delighted him with a brief impression of his character from Toy Story 4.