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3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
at some point I just had to surrender to not fully understanding what vandermeer is trying to relay. I kind of started to think of it as long-form poetry & in that way it became a more enjoyable reading experience. chapter 9 from the fox's perspective was definitely my favorite. I just wish I knew what exactly vandermeer was picturing in his mind for this book!!
Having really liked the Southern Reach trilogy, sometimes in spite of the abstractness of VanderMeer's style and sometimes because of it, and having enjoyed Borne as well, I was pretty surprised by how little I liked this one. There was a story to be had from the three astronauts at the beginning, and maybe one from the foxes at the end, but neither really developed beyond the intentional abstractions, fading away by the page even in the middle of a chapter. The middle parts -- the fish and the duck -- were almost entirely forgettable. A muddle of themes rather than a collage, more like one of the Company's rejects than one of their "successes", it was mostly an exercise in mounting frustration and boredom by the end.
Either part of my brain has turned to mush, or I’m reading way too many vague books because this is like the upteenth time I’ve finished a book feeling like part of it has just fully flown over my head. Doesn’t feel very satisfying to finish when you’re left a bit more than confused
I haven't read Borne and did not think you "had to" to read this since it was marketed as a stand alone. Will have to read Borne and then revisit. Always nice to read Jeff's evocative writing, love the poetry fragments, but I personally wanted more worldbuilding and facts to grasp onto in this like... watercolor painting of a story. Maybe those facts come from the greater series?
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
need to finish this, just wasnt in right headspace at time of reading. RETURN to this.
challenging
slow-paced
I didn't understand what was going on at all. Definitely NOT a book to listen to via audiobooks. I'm sure it would have made much more sense if I read it instead. Giving a 3* because the narrator was soothing and it was good background noise while working.
challenging
dark
mysterious
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
Complicated
About halfway through reading Dead Astronauts I took a spoiler-free glance at the wiki page to try and figure out what the fuck was going on. This is where I discovered the book is technically a (stand-alone) sequel to Borne--though I'm not yet convinced that reading Borne would have actually helped me in the slightest.
That being said! At a certain point when I got into the characters, Dead Astronauts's fractured poetry had me intrigued. I won't lie; it's a challenging read. The characters/events are meant to be uncovered rather than a strict plot be followed, which makes for a fairly unique and frankly baffling reading experience.
That being said! At a certain point when I got into the characters, Dead Astronauts's fractured poetry had me intrigued. I won't lie; it's a challenging read. The characters/events are meant to be uncovered rather than a strict plot be followed, which makes for a fairly unique and frankly baffling reading experience.
maybe i don't actually know how to read??? i've never felt more stupid in my life
My brain hurts too much to quantify my thoughts via stars, but that is the weirdest and most experimental book I have and probably ever will read. An Eco-horror acid trip but I can’t decide if it’s just wasting paper or ahead of its time??? probably both.