Reviews

Borne by Jeff VanderMeer

kamasue's review against another edition

3.0

I'm not entirely sure what to say about this book. I read it, I was mildly entertained by it, and that's kind of it. I guess this being the 2nd book of his I feel this way about, I see a pattern.

nonamethedude's review

adventurous dark emotional funny 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? Yes

4.0

portugepunk's review against another edition

adventurous funny mysterious sad medium-paced

4.0

branwynnemay's review against another edition

3.25

Interesting idea… like ET meets Mad Max? Meets Terminator? Idk… I did like the character of Borne, I just didn’t vibe with any other characters. I’m not sure what’s not working for me. 
Annihilation was really special so I was hoping for more magic but sadly I’m not connecting with his other books so far. 

christianlittle's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.25

masterofdoom's review against another edition

5.0

Easily the best book of the year so far! I've loved every sentence of it. Incredible world building that creates a strange future populated by deranged human beings and utterly alien characters. But even the most alien ones are so real and so complex in there alien thoughts and their non-human behavior. For me Jeff VanderMeer is the best writer in the world when it comes to transmitting the weirdness and the alieness to the reader. At the end of the book, the connection that grows alongside Borne, between the human reader and the non-human world and characters, is so powerful, so complet and totally mind shattering.

philibrarian's review against another edition

3.0

What a fascinating story that I think merits a second read at some point. I really enjoyed how the ending of Borne was a hopeful one, that made all of the difficulties throughout the novel feel earned. What makes a human seems to be at the core of this novel that tackles biotech, humanity, and violence. This is the kind of book that has an ending that recontextualizes the whole story and makes me reconsider everything that took place in it. I found that the first part was probably my favorite as Rachel teaches Borne about life. The middle part felt as though it dragged a bit, but the final stretch from the room with the alternate portal onward was a great ending. I found the idea of living with secrets and the value they can have to be one worth ruminating on. I think part of my problem with the book is that it felt like it meandered a bit once Borne left Wick and Rachel. The ways in which the characters tackle trauma and the world around them felt realistic and natural, especially knowing that Wick was created by the Company and that Rachel had asked him to sell of her memories to the Magician. Which makes me ask the question, What makes us, us? Rachel felt like a fully realized character even though she did not have her memories. Overall, an interesting piece of science fiction that was an uneven journey.

pavram's review against another edition

3.0

Prvi susret sa autorom. Prijatna kafa od sat i kusur i vidimo se možda kroz godinu dana.

Borne je zanimljiv roman tek ukoliko se posmatra gradjenje sveta – razularena biotehnologija teško da je nešto što sam ranije susreo. U suprotnom, ovo korača nekim polustopama izmedju tzv ozbiljne književnost (čitaj: a la konkurenti za Bukera) i saj faj fantastike (čitaj: u najbolju ruku kandidati za Huga) – i nažalost ništa ne radi sasvim dobro. Sa književne strane, ovo je dosta bazično, neko kvazi ispitivanje identiteta i roditeljstva; sa strane fantastike, ovo je sporo i nekako tupo. Priznajem, poslednjih dvadeset trideset stranica su mi se dopale, ali sam kraj je ostao nekako... sladunjav? A posle svih tih priča da Vandermir (izvinjavam se autoru na kasapljenju) ne pristaje na kompromis, to me je onako baš razočaralo. Sve u svemu, svež autor koji okupira neki prostor izmedju žanrova, ali ni u jednom posebno ne briljira. Na sreću, tu je maštovitost da to nadomesti.

3+

curvise's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad 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? Yes

5.0

horrorgardener's review against another edition

5.0

GOT ANY MINNOWS?