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fireswatch's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
It is as perplexing as it is enthralling, from beginning to end. Jeff VanderMeer does an incredible job of painting an overwhelmingly bleak setting that leaves you wondering if there will ever be even the possibility of a glimmer of hope on the horizon. It is difficult to predict where the story will go from one chapter to the next, but you can be sure that it will be both mind-boggling and exhilarating. I would also be remiss if I didn't mention the ending was absolutely outstanding!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Child death, Chronic illness, Blood, Medical content, and Medical trauma
Minor: Sexual content
grvhppr's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
First off, I loved this piece. It’s my first VanderMeer work, and it couldn’t have been a better choice.
Overall, the pace of the book felt pleasantly slow—especially during the early years with Borne. It gave the sense that we lived the childhood years of Borne alongside Rachel. That by the timeBorne must leave home the story could skip some time and the reader could feel the weariness of living the life of a scavenger on the run. The cute Borne days were long gone by this point.
This book questions what it means to be a person. We the reader must determine if this means to be human, to be ethical, to be flawed, to be alive, etc. The question is vast and wraps the story like a blanket.Can Borne still be a person if he’s a murderer? Can Rachel?
On the surface the tech was fun.Memory beetles, alcohol minnows, fire-breathing venomous bears, cloaking garb, and more. Having their survival based around scavenging biotechnology added a wonderful sci-fi element to the story.
Thinking back, this story feels sadder than how I felt during the listen. The bond between the trio is unique and how it unfolds while could predicted with some thought doesn’t take away from the sense of loss. Not necessarily in lives but in just… life. Borne, the book, is full of destruction—ceaseless. The characters are all made of strong stuff to be able to function in a world such as ‘The City’.
Overall, the pace of the book felt pleasantly slow—especially during the early years with Borne. It gave the sense that we lived the childhood years of Borne alongside Rachel. That by the time
This book questions what it means to be a person. We the reader must determine if this means to be human, to be ethical, to be flawed, to be alive, etc. The question is vast and wraps the story like a blanket.
On the surface the tech was fun.
Thinking back, this story feels sadder than how I felt during the listen. The bond between the trio is unique and how it unfolds while could predicted with some thought doesn’t take away from the sense of loss. Not necessarily in lives but in just… life. Borne, the book, is full of destruction—ceaseless. The characters are all made of strong stuff to be able to function in a world such as ‘The City’.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual content, Blood, and Alcohol
Minor: Addiction, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Suicidal thoughts
dbuoih's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
unsure why the spoiler formatting is so bad, avoid if you haven't read it. sorry
It often filled me with such an intense, visceral, fear where all I could do was look away from the words I was reading. A powerhouse of a novel. It's a beautiful example of why I read. A "fantasy" for people who hate fantasy. Though I prefer the descriptor "weird fiction" for this. The review below is mainly so I can keep score of what the fuck Vandermeer was describing as I revisit it. It jumps all over the place.
Vandermeer’s fluid descriptions of Borne's apocalyptic landscape is expansive and at times, confusing, but in all the right ways. Mord’s description can be understood, and the gore associated with his existence is violent and acceptable? However, Borne’s description is a bit harder to comprehend but I initially visualized it as a purple sea cucumber with an undulating body. Later, while reflecting about Borne's appearance, Rachel notes that Borne may have appeared differently to anyone else, an interesting statement I kept in mind moving into the story and on reflection.
I say that Mord's destruction is "acceptable" because when Rachel describes her first time seeing Mord, it made me realize something about Borne’s worldbuilding. The very universe of Borne raises so many questions; that I don’t feel I need the answers. I don’t feel confused to the point of being lost, I don’t even desire to know the origins of Mord or the motivations behind the Company. I just want to keep reading; to continue having this odd, Dali-esque world described to me, so I can have the purest mental image of it. To imagine an unimaginable universe; one that shapes shifts as it's read. It is as if Vandermeer doesn’t make any attempt to explain the political details, he just assumes you will agree with the universe’s basic conditions and characters, then move on. That is my take on it anyway, and why Mord, a gigantic biological abomination; was generally easy for me to accept in this novel. Among other things, Mord's existence was one the easiest things to comprehend, relatively.
Though vaguely described, Rachel’s assault from the bio-tech children was painful to read because of Vandermeer’s descriptive words and imagery. In this instance, Vandermeer chooses to describe feelings rather than images in order to evoke emotion, at least I think. After this, Rachel references “the city” as one entity, trying to kill her if it could. It's as if every being in the city operates by the city’s wishes; one singular entity made to destroy Rachel and Wick. This is a really disturbing, but fitting attitude that is summed up in the following quote:
It often filled me with such an intense, visceral, fear where all I could do was look away from the words I was reading. A powerhouse of a novel. It's a beautiful example of why I read. A "fantasy" for people who hate fantasy. Though I prefer the descriptor "weird fiction" for this. The review below is mainly so I can keep score of what the fuck Vandermeer was describing as I revisit it. It jumps all over the place.
I say that Mord's destruction is "acceptable" because when Rachel describes her first time seeing Mord, it made me realize something about Borne’s worldbuilding. The very universe of Borne raises so many questions; that I don’t feel I need the answers. I don’t feel confused to the point of being lost, I don’t even desire to know the origins of Mord or the motivations behind the Company. I just want to keep reading; to continue having this odd, Dali-esque world described to me, so I can have the purest mental image of it. To imagine an unimaginable universe; one that shapes shifts as it's read. It is as if Vandermeer doesn’t make any attempt to explain the political details, he just assumes you will agree with the universe’s basic conditions and characters, then move on. That is my take on it anyway, and why Mord, a gigantic biological abomination; was generally easy for me to accept in this novel. Among other things, Mord's existence was one the easiest things to comprehend, relatively.
Though vaguely described, Rachel’s assault from the bio-tech children was painful to read because of Vandermeer’s descriptive words and imagery. In this instance, Vandermeer chooses to describe feelings rather than images in order to evoke emotion, at least I think. After this, Rachel references “the city” as one entity, trying to kill her if it could. It's as if every being in the city operates by the city’s wishes; one singular entity made to destroy Rachel and Wick. This is a really disturbing, but fitting attitude that is summed up in the following quote:
"The city had visited me, to remind me that I meant less than nothing to it, that even the Balcony Cliffs wasn’t safe. That every wire in my head connected to our defenses could be snapped, just like that."
Rachel's character is revealed to have a complicated past at the end of the novel. And I can say that it didn't make a difference to how I viewed her as a character. Rachel felt like a vessel to deliver Borne's story, but not to a detriment. Rachel and Wick, individually and together, were complex. Rachel clearly has a mother-like attachment to Borne that Wick refuses to recognize. Their relationship is oddly loving, especially with the end reveal, and it is complicated. But what else would they have in this hellish landscape if not each other? More so, Rachel delivered descriptions about the outside world aptly, and her descriptions assisted with the general atmosphere; building the thick tension of the novel.
And then Rachel completely dissociates in the third arc of the novel and begins to refer to herself as "the ghost". Admittedly, it was a little hard to keep up at this point but I could not help but to feel a heavy dread for her fate.
I experienced great mental stress reading Borne's dialogue in the voice of HAL 9000. Therefore everything Borne said was already creepy, but in my head, it was met with a robotic, but child-like cadence that I couldn't shake. Borne's acquisition of language was distantly similar to Frankenstein's monster's acquisition of language while in his hovel, however the process in which Borne absorbs knowledge is more barbaric. This aspect of Borne, his unrelenting intelligence, was his most alarming characteristic. It's fitting that in the end, he was reduced to a house plant that could not speak.
Borne says this about a dream he had when prompted by Rachel, this followed a conversation about dreaming, religion, and death. I feel this is where he began to achieve full sentience,
And then Rachel completely dissociates in the third arc of the novel and begins to refer to herself as "the ghost". Admittedly, it was a little hard to keep up at this point but I could not help but to feel a heavy dread for her fate.
I experienced great mental stress reading Borne's dialogue in the voice of HAL 9000. Therefore everything Borne said was already creepy, but in my head, it was met with a robotic, but child-like cadence that I couldn't shake. Borne's acquisition of language was distantly similar to Frankenstein's monster's acquisition of language while in his hovel, however the process in which Borne absorbs knowledge is more barbaric. This aspect of Borne, his unrelenting intelligence, was his most alarming characteristic. It's fitting that in the end, he was reduced to a house plant that could not speak.
Borne says this about a dream he had when prompted by Rachel, this followed a conversation about dreaming, religion, and death. I feel this is where he began to achieve full sentience,
"Because I am dead, I do not know what is on the other side of the door."
We almost begin to trust Borne as he grows into a "teenager", but then his true nature is revealed when he is caught mimicking Rachel’s appearance. This revelation gave me chills and I had to look away from the book. I was physically repulsed when he spoke while mimicking Rachel. Good fucking job Vandermeer.
This incident then called back to when Borne said he "talks to Wick." He meant he spoke with Wick as Rachel. And when Wick speaks with Rachel, was it always really Wick? Due to the time spent with the relationship between Borne and Rachel, the distrust felt within and out the text was earth shattering. Borne later wrestles with his existence (vaguely like Frankenstein's monster) and what he's meant to do. He doesn't want to abandon Rachel and disappoint her. But later, in the field, before he fights Mord, he admits that this is his existence. It's kind of an odd commentary, really. An odd commentary that I cannot really even articulate, just perceive. It was strange, because Borne's existence is strange. But it also felt right and justified.
My only complaint would be a better establishment of the Magician character. I believe the time spent at the end of the book, explaining Rachel's past and such, is not rushed and nicely paced. However, the Magician's placement in it all is muddled. Probably up to another read although I've read it 3 times now and this character is only 20% clearer.
This incident then called back to when Borne said he "talks to Wick." He meant he spoke with Wick as Rachel. And when Wick speaks with Rachel, was it always really Wick? Due to the time spent with the relationship between Borne and Rachel, the distrust felt within and out the text was earth shattering. Borne later wrestles with his existence (vaguely like Frankenstein's monster) and what he's meant to do. He doesn't want to abandon Rachel and disappoint her. But later, in the field, before he fights Mord, he admits that this is his existence. It's kind of an odd commentary, really. An odd commentary that I cannot really even articulate, just perceive. It was strange, because Borne's existence is strange. But it also felt right and justified.
My only complaint would be a better establishment of the Magician character. I believe the time spent at the end of the book, explaining Rachel's past and such, is not rushed and nicely paced. However, the Magician's placement in it all is muddled. Probably up to another read although I've read it 3 times now and this character is only 20% clearer.
"To him, on some level I’d never understand...in the end we stood on opposite sides of a vast gulf of incomprehension. Because what was a human being without death?"
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, and Death
Moderate: Child death, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Murder
Minor: Cannibalism
readingrainbot's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Death, Drug use, Violence, and Grief
derelictvessel's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Torture and Violence
carmexfiend's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This was recommended to me as a "woman raises [alien] kid" story so I was a little skeptical if I would like it but I loved it a lot. While raising a non-human person is an important part of the story, I think the main threads throughout the book is grief, regret, memory and how people live and thrive despite hardships and trauma. There's an established (het) main relationship that is also a major part of the story since you're watching these two characters conflict and support each other throughout. The main character is telling the story to the reader, but she sometimes keeps information back and reveals it later. This gave it a more natural feel despite the very weird world and I think this lends itself to future re-reads.
The story itself is about a woman named Rachel who survives in a post-apocalyptic world filled with cybernetic tech animals ("biotech" - it reminded me of the tech in the movie eXistenZ (1999) though less body-horrory). She lives with her business/love partner, Wick, and scavenges tech for him. One day she finds a piece of tech he doesn't recognize and she eventually ends up raising it as "Borne". Borne isn't human, doesn't have human limitations, and doesn't think quite like a human and this leads to a lot of the conflict between the three characters. Without getting into spoilers, I'd say the book deals a lot with grief but is hopeful overall. It really captures that feeling of "I wish I could have done that differently" that you remember someone who has passed away. Rachel has a lot of trauma in her past and the present day isn't much kinder to her but the book never felt like a trauma-fest. In the end, I really loved the writing, the world, and the characters.
The story itself is about a woman named Rachel who survives in a post-apocalyptic world filled with cybernetic tech animals ("biotech" - it reminded me of the tech in the movie eXistenZ (1999) though less body-horrory). She lives with her business/love partner, Wick, and scavenges tech for him. One day she finds a piece of tech he doesn't recognize and she eventually ends up raising it as "Borne". Borne isn't human, doesn't have human limitations, and doesn't think quite like a human and this leads to a lot of the conflict between the three characters. Without getting into spoilers, I'd say the book deals a lot with grief but is hopeful overall. It really captures that feeling of "I wish I could have done that differently" that you remember someone who has passed away. Rachel has a lot of trauma in her past and the present day isn't much kinder to her but the book never felt like a trauma-fest. In the end, I really loved the writing, the world, and the characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Child death, Death, Torture, and Grief
Minor: Animal death, Drug use, Sexual content, and Death of parent
jamieruwen's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Okay I gave another book five stars don’t shoot but I just loved this. So different from Dead Astronauts RE pacing, plot, writing style. But so similar to Dead Astronauts RE characterisation, terrifying, beautiful, hopeless and hopeful at the same time, and so fucking good. It’s not for everyone, absolutely, but I loved it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement and Violence