2.48k reviews for:

Borne

Jeff VanderMeer

3.93 AVERAGE

jsaterdalen's review against another edition

4.0

adventurous dark 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

meowyagnes's review against another edition

2.5

challenging dark mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

yurugu's review

1.0

adventurous dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

alliwag's review against another edition

4.0

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Beautiful writing and a grotesquely charming story. The character of Borne is richly drawn and I loved his growth and his relationship to Rachel, his mother-figure. Only minor critique is the slump in the pacing of the middle section, where Rachel focuses inward and we get a lot of ruminating and action at a distance.

I had this book on my shelf for months and only after I picked it up and started reading it did I find the easter egg on the cover, in raking light. Nice touch. 

moobys157's review against another edition

3.0

challenging dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

brianfolchetti's review against another edition

5.0

challenging dark mysterious slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

mattahodges91's review against another edition

3.0

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3.5. Saved by the ending but despite being short was a bit of a slog through the beginning.

maplebear79's review

4.75

adventurous challenging emotional sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

jdhacker's review against another edition

3.75

challenging emotional mysterious reflective sad 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

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This is my first time reading a Vandermeer book, and I intentionally avoided the much better known and renowned Annihilation series. While I have definitely have some issues with the Vandermeer's being sort of the self-annointed arbiters of the 'new weird' as anthologists, essayists, and critical consumers and writers, I find absolutely no fault in his own writing.
Borne felt very similar in style, content, tone, and themes to Atwood's 'Flood' series. Without other Vandermeer books under my belt I can't whether or not that was a departure or par for the course, either way I have trouble imagining it not being at least somewhat intentional. The strange, lived in, post-apocalyptic world we're dropped into crawls with life, and at first we understand even less than our first person protagonist (Rachel). Most of the main characters, and even the forces they face, endear themselves in various ways to us. Don't expect fleshed out world building, and even though there is room for it moving forward I don't know that its necessary or desirable. Sometimes, these moments in time are enough as they are.

southernfraud's review against another edition

4.0

dark hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes