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A review by adamq
Hummingbird Salamander by Jeff VanderMeer
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
It's an interesting setup that, while entertaining and well-written in parts, is poorly executed in both the neo-noir mystery and the cli-fi environmental message.
In terms of the mystery, the first two thirds are a slog. There's no compelling reason why the protagonist gives up so much over what is, to her and the reader's knowledge, merely an intriguing curiosity. Eventually the stakes get raised, but not in a way that explains the motives from earlier. Some plot points satisfyingly connect by the end, but along the way the mystery feels very artificial (some clues are written out directly to the protagonist, others she just arbitrarily finds on an assortment of dead bodies). Most side characters are very under-developed, leading some major moments to fall flat.
Unfortunately this book (especially the final act) doubles down on the worst impulses of VanderMeer's environmental politics. In other VanderMeer books I've read, there's a lurking sense that he desires a return to a mythologized nature uncorrupted by humans - here he makes that more explicit and more front-and-center. The conclusion of the bookfeatures the protagonist first trying to escape the climate apocalypse by living in a wilderness that gradually gets corrupted by the existence of more people, then trying to solve the climate crisis by injecting herself with a poison that will make her physically feel pollution and therefore make humanity empathize with nature more. This frames the climate catastrophe as the result of humanity's innate bodily limitations or the corruption of human nature rather than, say, capitalism or colonialism. VanderMeer's message looks like the dated, exclusionary radical environmentalism of the 20th century, viewing humanity's very presence as inherently destructive and largely ignoring environmental justice. There is an uncontroversial critique of poaching along the way as well, but nothing that will make you see the issue in a new light.
I do think VanderMeer is onto something with the climate noir premise - hopefully we'll see that get better executed soon.
In terms of the mystery, the first two thirds are a slog. There's no compelling reason why the protagonist gives up so much over what is, to her and the reader's knowledge, merely an intriguing curiosity. Eventually the stakes get raised, but not in a way that explains the motives from earlier. Some plot points satisfyingly connect by the end, but along the way the mystery feels very artificial (some clues are written out directly to the protagonist, others she just arbitrarily finds on an assortment of dead bodies). Most side characters are very under-developed, leading some major moments to fall flat.
Unfortunately this book (especially the final act) doubles down on the worst impulses of VanderMeer's environmental politics. In other VanderMeer books I've read, there's a lurking sense that he desires a return to a mythologized nature uncorrupted by humans - here he makes that more explicit and more front-and-center. The conclusion of the book
I do think VanderMeer is onto something with the climate noir premise - hopefully we'll see that get better executed soon.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death and Injury/Injury detail