We all know that Keanu Reeves is unstoppable in many different ways, but he’s also humble and kind, which sets him apart from other people of his status. A lot of celebrities will “write” a “book,” AKA attach their name to an already-written novel and take credit for it, and we just sort of accept that. But Keanu Reeves isn’t like other celebrities. He’s Keanu Reeves.
Reeves has already churned out a popular comic series, BRZRKR, and his latest project is a novel based in the same universe, though he didn’t do it alone. Reeves told The Guardian, “They asked me what would be my dream for who to write the novel? And I was, like: China Miéville.” The two then began working together on The Book of Elsewhere, which hit bookshelves this week.
The book follows Unute, also known as B, an immortal warrior working on a special forces team. “The germ of the idea was just a character who could punch through chests and rip arms of.” Reeves explained. “I wanted to do a pulpy, hyper-violent action idea. I’ve played a bunch of different characters involved in action. Growing up I quite enjoyed those stories. I guess, from there, that kernel of an idea, it’s like, well, who could do that? Then it just started to bloom in my imagination into this character,” he added. Reeves has plenty of experience punching people.
But Reeves doesn’t want you to get the wrong idea! He didn’t write this novel, at least not in the way you might expect, and he wants to be honest about it.
The actor stressed that it was a collaborative effort between him and Mieville, who was the one that really put it all together. “I didn’t want to write the book. I wanted another creator to take that journey. So, ultimately, China has written the novel,” Reeves explained. “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.” Even though he didn’t write it per se, he did a heck of a lot of world-building with the novelist.
As for Reeves’ inspiration, the man’s head is simply full of hobbits. “I mean, I’ve got some f-ckin’ hobbits in my past,” he says.“Yeah, I got some hobbits goin’ on there. I liked sci-fi. My early hormone years were kinda like: Frank Miller – Wolverine, Dark Knight. But then I also loved, like, Archies and so on. But when I first read Philip K Dick, or when I read William Gibson, or Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, you know, those were all like … and Nineteen Eighty-Four, Brave New World, Animal Farm. You know, those kinds of fantasy novel … I really liked that,” he added. You never know, Reeves might be the next creative to resurrect Riverdale!