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Del Rey signs sci-fi 'literary blockbuster' from Keanu Reeves and Miéville
Del Rey is to publish the first novel by actor Keanu Reeves, written in collaboration with author China Miéville, titled The Book of Elsewhere.
North American rights were acquired on behalf of Del Rey by Ben Greenberg, vice-president and editor-in-chief at Random House, from Laura Bonner and Erin Malone at WME. UK and Commonwealth rights were bought by Ben Brusey, publishing director at Century & Del Rey, from Matilda Forbes-Watson at WME. Greenberg will edit the novel. The Book of Elsewhere will be published in print and e-book on 23rd July 2024 with the audio edition to be released simultaneously by Penguin Random House Audio.
Brusey said: "To say we are excited for the publication of this literary blockbuster at Del Rey UK might be the understatement of the year. Keanu Reeves and China Miéville are a dream writing partnership. Both are master storytellers who have thrilled, surprised and won the hearts and minds of audiences and readers for decades."
Set in the world of the Brzrkr comic series (BOOM! Studios) that Reeves created with Matt Kindt and artist Ron Garney, The Book of Elsewhere is a "science fiction at its very best", said Brusey. The story follows an immortal warrior on a centuries-spanning quest to discover the key to his immortality and perhaps a way to free himself from it.
"From the beginning Brzrkr has been unlike any other modern comic book franchise, and we are thrilled to partner with Del Rey to expand Keanu Reeves’ visionary world into the medium of prose with ground-breaking author China Miéville," said Filip Sablik, president of publishing and sales at BOOM! Studios.
Reeves commented: "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. 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," said Miéville. "It was an honour, a shock and a delight when Keanu invited me to play. But I could never have predicted how generous he’d be with toys he’s spent so long creating, how glad to experiment together, how open to true collaboration."
