Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Reading about this book, I had the impression it was a New Weird exploration of questions about what it means to be a parent in unfolding apocalypse. Really, it's largely a slow-burn plot-focused survival story where any explorations of parenting, relationships and alterity mainly exists to serve the plot. I don't walk away from this book with anything more complex that sometimes we raise monsters and yet we still love them.
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Overall, I enjoyed this book. I thought Borne’s innocence and genuineness made the first half of this book entertaining. The scene where Rachel answers the “Borne phone” was simple and beautiful and will stay with me for a long time. The 3rd quarter of this book was kinda sorta painfully slow, which is surprising because I find that Jeff’s work typically picks up quite a bit at the halfway mark. The final quarter of the book, especially Wick’s letter, was good! Maybe some “twists” were a bit unnecessary or late in the game, but I was glad they were there to supplement the sparser plot. I also really liked the raw humanity (lol) of Rachel and Wick towards the end. Side note, but the bestiary was so cool.
adventurous
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-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:
Complicated
once borne was gone it was just the unbearable weight of heterosexuality, to steal the review of a friend.
This was a fun read. I loved the universe, and the characters. Some parts felt a little long winded, but all the scenes with Borne made me smile. I especially enjoyed the voice actor in the audiobook making Borne's dialog so fun.
Typical Jeff VanderMeer where you leave with lots of unanswered questions, but that's half the fun imo. Im looking forward to reading the other books in this universe.
Typical Jeff VanderMeer where you leave with lots of unanswered questions, but that's half the fun imo. Im looking forward to reading the other books in this universe.
The best biotech speculative fiction I’ve read. And I’ve read most of it.
Actual rating 4.75
This is by far one of the most bizarre books I have ever read in my entire life. I had no clue what was happening for half of it but I knew that I loved it. This book is a gorgeous exploration of motherhood, sentience, and the end of the world. It was beautiful and heartbreaking and bizarre. The only reason this isn't a five star book is because the middle dragged quite a bit and really hurt the pacing of this book as well as taking me out of the story emotionally. That aside this is a gorgeous gorgeous book and I cannot recommend it enough.
This is by far one of the most bizarre books I have ever read in my entire life. I had no clue what was happening for half of it but I knew that I loved it. This book is a gorgeous exploration of motherhood, sentience, and the end of the world. It was beautiful and heartbreaking and bizarre. The only reason this isn't a five star book is because the middle dragged quite a bit and really hurt the pacing of this book as well as taking me out of the story emotionally. That aside this is a gorgeous gorgeous book and I cannot recommend it enough.
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes