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3.27 AVERAGE
3.27 AVERAGE
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
If you don’t give me a reason for why a character will do something, how am I supposed to take the story seriously? Jane literally throws her entire life away because of a note and a bird. She takes a hard pass at normalcy and instead decides to follow a wild goose chase. It never made any sense to me. I’ll give it two stars because I love VanderMeer.
Like pulling on a string to find your way, only for it to have been unraveling the shirt you were wearing the whole time. At once intentional and chaotic, VanderMeer (to no ones surprise) has done it again. Hummingbird Salamander is a mystery wrapped up in a near-future-climate-crisis that just keeps punching.
A scathing commentary on climate change, megacorps, the surveillance state, and humanity's complicity in it all; this novel will make you look twice at the world around you. Following the trail left behind by a eco-activist, our heroine steps into a trap so complex that it seems to never have sprung. Only to find out that it was sprung long ago, before the events had even begun to unfold.
Told in the form of journal entries, you are immediately aware of the narrators fallibility and propensity for bias. She tells you the events as they happened, but only ever from her perspective, and as things get heavier, it is hard to tell whether she is being truthful or not. This is expertly done and constantly keeps you on your toes about what comes next.
Perhaps my favorite part of this book was the sense of impending doom that was ever present, and seemed to always grow in the background. The narrator occasionally mentions global events, they are not pertinent to her quest so she brushes them off. But the observation of the discoloration of the sky, mentions of pandemics, natural disasters on massive scales, could not be overlooked, especially in our current predicaments.
If you like puzzle-boxes made of words, a glimpse of the near future, and a thrilling chase through the Pacific Northwest: read this book!
A scathing commentary on climate change, megacorps, the surveillance state, and humanity's complicity in it all; this novel will make you look twice at the world around you. Following the trail left behind by a eco-activist, our heroine steps into a trap so complex that it seems to never have sprung. Only to find out that it was sprung long ago, before the events had even begun to unfold.
Told in the form of journal entries, you are immediately aware of the narrators fallibility and propensity for bias. She tells you the events as they happened, but only ever from her perspective, and as things get heavier, it is hard to tell whether she is being truthful or not. This is expertly done and constantly keeps you on your toes about what comes next.
Perhaps my favorite part of this book was the sense of impending doom that was ever present, and seemed to always grow in the background. The narrator occasionally mentions global events, they are not pertinent to her quest so she brushes them off. But the observation of the discoloration of the sky, mentions of pandemics, natural disasters on massive scales, could not be overlooked, especially in our current predicaments.
If you like puzzle-boxes made of words, a glimpse of the near future, and a thrilling chase through the Pacific Northwest: read this book!
Loved it. May be my favorite VanderMeer book next to Finch!!
DNF. The POV is so repetitive and paranoid and unlikable. Got a substantial way in and just have no sense what’s going on or why we or the main character care about all this. Feels really detached and frustrating.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This hit with the same intensity as Oryx and Crake and that series. Uncomfortably topical, well-written. Not necessarily the most likeable protagonist, but one that's incredibly human.
I love Jeff VanderMeer. LOVE. I love him as a person, as an author, a creative, a genius, etc. The Southern Reach Trilogy is one of my favorite series, as well. And while this isn't so much of a "however," I feel compelled to verbalize my rating of Hummingbird Salamander. All in all, I'd give it 4.5 stars. VanderMeer's writing is, as always, immaculate and unyielding. He is so, so smart, and that is absolutely conveyed in his writing. I did find myself HELLA confused while reading this book, though, and because of that, felt that I missed a lot of climatic revelations that should have shocked me, had I just maybe paid a bit more attention and remembered all of the names. Despite that, I still recognized a crap load of little interjections that then became a huge revelation in later chapters, and found myself quoting this book more times than not. It's an amazing piece of literary genius and I recommend it to all sci-fi lovers. Dark, damp, dangerous, daring, and even dismal is how I'll describe this story. Simply incredible.
I'll read anything and everything Jeff writes and I'm gonna love it all.
I'll read anything and everything Jeff writes and I'm gonna love it all.
This book will haunt your dreams forever, or until you read another Jeff Vandermeer book, whichever comes first.
You should read it.
You should read it.
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated