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3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“Dead astronauts were no different than living astronauts. Neither could shed their skin. Neither could ever become part of what they journeyed through."
"Dead Astronauts" is Jeff Vandermeer's surrealist "New Weird" genre at its newest and weirdest. Experimental, hypnotic, all-consumingly weird. The trippy, poetry-prose style is on the surface an eco-horror apocalyptic epic trailing characters through a hopeless wasteland, and underneath an abstract exploration of how we form bonds with the people (or things, or creatures, or blue foxes and ducks with broken wings) around us, especially in processing grief. The disjointed, non-linear storytelling feeds into the confusing tone of the world...none of them really know who they are fighting or why or for how long they have been trapped in this cycle, which itself is commentary on war, conflict, and the blind following of orders.
To me, this book is less about what it means and more about the experience of reading it, of engaging with the emotion and horror of the world these characters have found themselves in. The abstract ideation and open interpretation of any given part of this book--full of religious allegory and apocalyptic warnings--make reading it an immersive exploration of our own humanity.
Even if you are apathetic towards the book as a whole, parts of this story will stay with you long after the final page. I have thought about this quote at least once a week for the last five years: "In the end, joy cannot fend off evil. Joy can only remind you why you fight."
*Full disclaimer, this is my second time reading "Dead Astronauts," and I've spent the last five years contemplating how to explain it to people. Sorry Jenny.
"Dead Astronauts" is Jeff Vandermeer's surrealist "New Weird" genre at its newest and weirdest. Experimental, hypnotic, all-consumingly weird. The trippy, poetry-prose style is on the surface an eco-horror apocalyptic epic trailing characters through a hopeless wasteland, and underneath an abstract exploration of how we form bonds with the people (or things, or creatures, or blue foxes and ducks with broken wings) around us, especially in processing grief. The disjointed, non-linear storytelling feeds into the confusing tone of the world...none of them really know who they are fighting or why or for how long they have been trapped in this cycle, which itself is commentary on war, conflict, and the blind following of orders.
To me, this book is less about what it means and more about the experience of reading it, of engaging with the emotion and horror of the world these characters have found themselves in. The abstract ideation and open interpretation of any given part of this book--full of religious allegory and apocalyptic warnings--make reading it an immersive exploration of our own humanity.
Even if you are apathetic towards the book as a whole, parts of this story will stay with you long after the final page. I have thought about this quote at least once a week for the last five years: "In the end, joy cannot fend off evil. Joy can only remind you why you fight."
*Full disclaimer, this is my second time reading "Dead Astronauts," and I've spent the last five years contemplating how to explain it to people. Sorry Jenny.
too experimental to hold me in the long run but I liked a lot of the bits & sentences
I tried to start this book like 11 times and couldn't. And now that I actually finished it, I need to reread Bourne and probably all of the Southern Reach trilogy and then read this book again to see if this rating holds or if I deluded myself into thinking I understood what the fuck was going on in this fuckin kaleidoscope (or if I was just Rorschaching the broken glass at the end of a telescope). We'll see!!!!! Maybe I'll just keep reading them all, stuck in a time loop, except at random intervals I slide into a parallel universe with just enough discrepancies to let me properly self-gaslight.
this was very beautiful but was definitely not what i was expecting. I had assumed this would be a linear story that would explain more of the lore surrounding the City and the Company based on the way the two books before it were organized. It’s more a collection of connected vignettes about different people and creatures in the City, some we’ve seen before and some that we haven’t. The prose is incredible! It makes me want to re-read the southern reach trilogy, since I only listened to those on audiobook, so i can appreciate VanderMeer’s language more. But overall it just wasn’t what I had wanted it to be. I found it tedious at times. At other times I couldn’t put it down, but this is the longest it has ever taken me to finish one of his books. As a piece of art I love it and think it’s beautiful, but as an addition to the Borne story it’s not what I was looking for.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
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:
No
A favorite. All the weirdness I could desire and then some.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I had to sit with my thoughts about this book before updating my review again. I have read multiple books by Jeff VanderMeer, and they are among some of my favorite novels. However, I was not sure what to expect from Dead Astronauts. All in all, it was a very unique experience.
The novel is complex and confusing at times, but it is beautifully written and compelling.
I’m still trying to wrap my mind around a few details, so this novel will definitely move to my pile of books to reread!
The novel is complex and confusing at times, but it is beautifully written and compelling.
I’m still trying to wrap my mind around a few details, so this novel will definitely move to my pile of books to reread!
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No