Reviews

I enjoyed this mystery set in an ecologically dystopian America that doesn’t seem all too far off. The main character makes frustrating choices but ultimately is written in a way that seems she is compelled to do so. I love VanderMeer and this book has a lot of what I love about his work- a mix of real nature with some magical realism/supernatural/evolution baked together in a world full of terrible polluting corporations. And the friends/enemies you make along the way.

ghus's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

3.0

catgirlrights's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

recreationalhobbyist's review against another edition

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3.0

I was incredibly excited to read Hummingbird Salamander as my first Jeff VanderMeer novel. I have read some great reviews on his Southern Reach Trilogy & went in with pretty high expectations. The cover is gorgeous & the plot sounds fascinating. Sadly, I was a bit disappointed.

The story is narrated by “Jane Smith,” a security consultant that is given a mysterious note & key from an eco-terrorist, Silvania Valcapampa, who has since died in a hit & run “accident.” The note takes Jane to a bizarre storage facility where she finds a lone taxidermied rare hummingbird. Taking the hummingbird sets off a chain reaction of events that leads to Jane spiraling out of control & obsession with Silvania.

My initial expectation was an end of the world type of event or chain of events that Jane was desperately trying to figure out & maybe try to prevent from happening. After all the introduction to our narrator is this:

“Where exactly? I won’t tell you. Who am I? I won’t tell you. Exactly. But you can call me Jane. Jane Smith. If that helps. I’m here to show you how the world ends.”

But what I got was a wild goose chase involving wildlife smuggling. Then, the story just kind of fizzles out at the end. However, it was a wild ride to go on & the right person reading this novel will love it.

What I liked: The writing style. Some don’t care for the train of thought type writing style or short fragmented sentences. But, in this type of story, it works. I don’t know if his other novels are like this, but I have to say I truly enjoyed it. The story is entertaining. I wanted to know where all of Silvania’s clues were going to take Jane & why.

What I didn’t like: The main character, “Jane Smith” pretty much sucks. She completely abandons her husband & daughter to go on a wild goose chase & is just an ass in general to people. Also, there were so many nicknames for people & the flipping between Jane’s nickname for them & their real name that I got confused at times. One person’s nickname starts as “Hellbender” then changes to “Hellmouth” at some point.

Hummingbird Salamander is a crazy roller coaster ride filled with bits of sci-fi, thriller, some family drama & a dash of dystopia.

“Sometimes I feel as if we live in hell and don’t even realize it. The lacerations are endless. The lies we accept, the rituals we perform. All these useless acts.” ~ Jane Smith

Hummingbird Salamander will be published on April 6, 2021.

I received an Advanced Readers Copy of this novel from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions included herein are my own.

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