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3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
Borne by Jeff VanderMeer is a free NetGalley ebook that I read in early April.
Borne begins his existence as a barnacle on the side of a great overlording bear named Mord, before being scraped off and carried away into a junkyard hoarding/scavenging area of dystopia with Rachel and her partner (sometimes lover) Wick. Soon, he morphs into, well, many different things with a base form of a tall, slender, multicolored vase with squidy tentacles and seeking to know himself in this new land while tracking down the evil Mord.
Borne begins his existence as a barnacle on the side of a great overlording bear named Mord, before being scraped off and carried away into a junkyard hoarding/scavenging area of dystopia with Rachel and her partner (sometimes lover) Wick. Soon, he morphs into, well, many different things with a base form of a tall, slender, multicolored vase with squidy tentacles and seeking to know himself in this new land while tracking down the evil Mord.
adventurous
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Equally heart-warming and disturbing, this book made me realize Vandermeer is probably my favorite living author. I’ve never come across another author who captures love and other facets of being human so perfectly in such unrelatable and bizarre settings. This one is similar to The Southern Reach trilogy in its themes and characters, but much faster-paced. I preferred Veniss Underground to Borne, but I will absolutely read the rest of the Borne novels after enjoying this one so much.
Such a weird and wonderful book - strange in all the right ways, with poignant passages sprinkled in. I listened as an audiobook and liked the narrator. It kept me engaged and wanting to listen, so it gets a good review from me.
dark
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
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
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
very interesting and strange
"Hi Rachel, this is Borne calling"
My favourite moments were "child" Borne being his endearing, inquisitive self, interacting with Rachel, and I instantly became attached to both their characters.
I didn't quite form as big an attachment to Wick, until perhaps the last section.
And then there was the magician, who I just didn't find had enough focus in the story. She had definite potential to be a very cool super-villainous presence, as the information we do get is really intriguing, but she just never felt like a massive threat to me.
Spoiler
Her death also seemed insanely quick/easy?Otherwise the story was completely amazing. The descriptions and images are so vivid, and the universe created was impressively convincing (for a story that largely revolves around a ginormous-flying -rage filled bear)
I loved [b:Area X: The Southern Reach Trilogy|22752442|Area X The Southern Reach Trilogy (Southern Reach, #1-3)|Jeff VanderMeer|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1412547809s/22752442.jpg|42299018] and this book entirely lived up to my high expectations.
Can't wait to see what [a:Jeff VanderMeer|33919|Jeff VanderMeer|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1400594878p2/33919.jpg] brings out next.
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
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