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3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
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
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Violence, Blood, Grief
Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Drug abuse, Genocide, Sexual content, Vomit, Trafficking
A commentary on how hard it is simply being a person, whatever that means, surrounded by a post apocalyptic city filled with terrifying amalgamations of animals, a flying bear ruling the place and a amorphous creature just trying his best. Delightful melancholy and ethereal.
I’m not sure if it was the book or me, but the abject bleakness of this story just didn’t do it for me. There was such a complete lack of optimism, like not a single literal thing to hope for or anticipate while reading, that I just struggled the whole book to find a reason to keep reading. Kinda interesting premise though and Borne is a good character.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I picked this up from the library because I was gifted a copy of The Strange Bird, wanted to start it, then realized I should read this first. And I'm glad I did! Borne was a great read. The world was fascinating (but depressing). The biotech and strange wildlife made me want to see a visual representation of this, which isn't usually something I hope for.
I loved Wik as a character - I actually found him much more compelling than the main character, Rachel. And that's my main problem with the book - Rachel didn't seem to have much of a personality. She had an interesting life story, but no personality. Which is less than ideal for the main character.
But as a whole I enjoyed the bleak but fascinating world - and the interrogation of personhood - enough that I'd recommend this.
I loved Wik as a character - I actually found him much more compelling than the main character, Rachel. And that's my main problem with the book - Rachel didn't seem to have much of a personality. She had an interesting life story, but no personality. Which is less than ideal for the main character.
But as a whole I enjoyed the bleak but fascinating world - and the interrogation of personhood - enough that I'd recommend this.
challenging
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
"There was a secret shape to it all that lived inside us, a map that slowly circled within our minds like a personal cosmology."
The thing that really fascinates me about VanderMeer is how his books partially read like poetry. It does make them harder to read, but it is a beautiful experience. In this case, though, I must admit that I wasn't always sure I understood the rules of the post-apocalyptic world the story was set in. It took me relatively long to understand who the Magician was supposed to be (a female drug dealer from another part of town) or how to imagine the Balcony Cliffs (Apartment block where Wick and Rachel live) or why some genetically modified characters had wasps instead of eyes (poetic or meant literally?).
On the other hand, I really loved Borne, the weirdest and sweetest pot plant ever written about who slowly develops the ability to talk and doesn't know who he is and where he came from.
At its essence, this novel is about the love of a mother, and about the pain of seeing your child grow apart from you. The novel never dramatizes the feeling and portrays all characters with respect and authenticity. Even though the child is technically an alien plant, the expression of the Rachel's feelings always appeared very real to me, probably precisely because VanderMeer never states what characters are feeling, but lets you experience it through his poetic descriptions.
There were parts of the book where it felt hard to keep going. I cared too much about Borne, but didn't feel so interested in other characters like the giant bear Mord. On the other hand, I was really digging the ending which is very Shyamalan-style, and I love the environmental science fiction theme. I would still recommend this novel, just because of how strange and wonderful an experience VanderMeer's writing style is. I think his kind of novels are the type you are equally likely to hate or to fall in love with.
"In the beginning, I could remember the childlike delight he took in so many simple things that subsumed or put aside his dread, his fear, his stress. The most hackneyed, clichéd, sentimental things. Like a ray of sunlight or a butterfly. Because that was such a contrast to the brittle quality of his suspicion. The wariness he wore like an exoskeleton, to disguise the shy boy underneath."
The thing that really fascinates me about VanderMeer is how his books partially read like poetry. It does make them harder to read, but it is a beautiful experience. In this case, though, I must admit that I wasn't always sure I understood the rules of the post-apocalyptic world the story was set in. It took me relatively long to understand who the Magician was supposed to be (a female drug dealer from another part of town) or how to imagine the Balcony Cliffs (Apartment block where Wick and Rachel live) or why some genetically modified characters had wasps instead of eyes (poetic or meant literally?).
On the other hand, I really loved Borne, the weirdest and sweetest pot plant ever written about who slowly develops the ability to talk and doesn't know who he is and where he came from.
At its essence, this novel is about the love of a mother, and about the pain of seeing your child grow apart from you. The novel never dramatizes the feeling and portrays all characters with respect and authenticity. Even though the child is technically an alien plant, the expression of the Rachel's feelings always appeared very real to me, probably precisely because VanderMeer never states what characters are feeling, but lets you experience it through his poetic descriptions.
There were parts of the book where it felt hard to keep going. I cared too much about Borne, but didn't feel so interested in other characters like the giant bear Mord. On the other hand, I was really digging the ending which is very Shyamalan-style, and I love the environmental science fiction theme. I would still recommend this novel, just because of how strange and wonderful an experience VanderMeer's writing style is. I think his kind of novels are the type you are equally likely to hate or to fall in love with.
"In the beginning, I could remember the childlike delight he took in so many simple things that subsumed or put aside his dread, his fear, his stress. The most hackneyed, clichéd, sentimental things. Like a ray of sunlight or a butterfly. Because that was such a contrast to the brittle quality of his suspicion. The wariness he wore like an exoskeleton, to disguise the shy boy underneath."
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No