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3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
Expected to love this one, but I'm kind of torn. There's plenty of craft and artistry on display, but it veers so deep into the abstract, it's just hard to cling to much of anything.
The prose reads like beat poetry, which is cool sometimes, but I had a hard time enjoying other times. Plus, there are so many lines that read something like, "I was everywhere. I was nowhere." Or, "It was everything, but it was nothing." I get what VanderMeer was going for, but honestly the constant doublespeak ended up reminding me of The Sphinx in the movie "Mystery Men."
I'm landing in the middle on my score here because I think it's entirely possible that I could revisit this one and love it, but I'm a little bummed out about how little I enjoyed this book, especially considering that I loved the entire Southern Reach trilogy and Borne.
The prose reads like beat poetry, which is cool sometimes, but I had a hard time enjoying other times. Plus, there are so many lines that read something like, "I was everywhere. I was nowhere." Or, "It was everything, but it was nothing." I get what VanderMeer was going for, but honestly the constant doublespeak ended up reminding me of The Sphinx in the movie "Mystery Men."
I'm landing in the middle on my score here because I think it's entirely possible that I could revisit this one and love it, but I'm a little bummed out about how little I enjoyed this book, especially considering that I loved the entire Southern Reach trilogy and Borne.
Interesting idea, not a very enjoyable execution; Borne was much better.
An admirable addition to the series, I just think there was more potential that could have been fulfilled.
A caveat: I listened to the audiobook and only learned halfway through that the print version has a lot of typographical weirdness. Maybe reading it would affect my experience. (But isn’t that always the case?)
There’s a lot of beauty and horror in Dead Astronauts, but ultimately I couldn’t quite wrap my head around it — I had trouble understanding what actually happened and often, who it was happening to. I really wanted to love the book. especially after loving Borne; I think it just ends up a little too far on the poetic side of the poetry–narrative divide for me.
There’s a lot of beauty and horror in Dead Astronauts, but ultimately I couldn’t quite wrap my head around it — I had trouble understanding what actually happened and often, who it was happening to. I really wanted to love the book. especially after loving Borne; I think it just ends up a little too far on the poetic side of the poetry–narrative divide for me.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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:
Complicated
Beautifully written like all his books. This one was a little harder for me to follow through all the timelines and splices but still a great read.
Quite atmospheric, but a real departure from “Borne”. I’m going to have to start approaching this author with real caution
Well, that was weird. In a good way, though. I think. This one is going to stick with me for sure.
Reading Dead Astronauts is a little like letting a strange and beautiful dream wash over you. The writing is gorgeous, and the plot is incredibly hard to pick out and not really the point.
Honestly, this is the kind of book that, the less you try to understand it, the more you'll get it.
Reading Dead Astronauts is a little like letting a strange and beautiful dream wash over you. The writing is gorgeous, and the plot is incredibly hard to pick out and not really the point.
Honestly, this is the kind of book that, the less you try to understand it, the more you'll get it.
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
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:
Yes
This book made me feel a lot of things, first and foremost very stupid😭 I don’t think I understood 90% of anything that happened, in this or in Borne, and yet I had a fantastic time reading it.
A prequel to Borne, Dead Astronauts read almost more like long form poetry than a novel. Part story of the catastrophe that lead to the worlds current state, part explanation of the dead astronauts we find in Borne, and part eulogy to nature, this book spoke to love and loss, to environmental and social devastation, and to the people art of your brain that, I say speaking not from a place of experience, can only be accessed by an acid trip.
It will not be a book for everyone but I definitely enjoyed my time with it, especially during the exploration of grief and mourning it speaks to.
A prequel to Borne, Dead Astronauts read almost more like long form poetry than a novel. Part story of the catastrophe that lead to the worlds current state, part explanation of the dead astronauts we find in Borne, and part eulogy to nature, this book spoke to love and loss, to environmental and social devastation, and to the people art of your brain that, I say speaking not from a place of experience, can only be accessed by an acid trip.
It will not be a book for everyone but I definitely enjoyed my time with it, especially during the exploration of grief and mourning it speaks to.
Very nonlinear narrative, with odd repetitions, and asides, and countdowns, and not-countdowns. Mostly seems to be an excuse to flesh out a lot of the odd scenery/creatures from Borne. Is there a plot? Maybe? Is there a resolution? Sort of? It's more like an acid trip than a story (at least, how I imagine an acid trip would be). Parts I enjoyed, parts I was puzzled by, and parts annoyed me.
Verdict: Better than Borne, not as good as Strange Bird. None of this series is as good as Area X, imo.
Aside: parts of this reminded me so much of imagery from Area X I started wondering if The Company had taken over the from Area X and used it as a starting point for their own projects. Probably not intended by the author, but I found myself wondering a few times.
Verdict: Better than Borne, not as good as Strange Bird. None of this series is as good as Area X, imo.
Aside: parts of this reminded me so much of imagery from Area X I started wondering if The Company had taken over the