A review by laurareads87
Ambergris: City of Saints and Madmen; Shriek: An Afterword; Finch by Jeff VanderMeer

challenging dark reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

4.0

I have long wanted to read the books of Ambergris having previously really enjoyed Vandermeer's Area X books.  While this trilogy represents his earlier work, it is absolutely masterful in its worldbuilding; each of the books reveals something about the others and through all of them, Ambergris emerges as a fully developed and entirely living world, complete with history, culture, religions, and social norms.  It reflects some of the the wide range of Vandermeer's talents, with the first book ultimately a collection of novellas, the second written in biographical style (complete with interjections from the presumed dead subject of the biography), and the third a detective story.  It is not for the faint of heart and not a quick read, but this trilogy is vital reading for fans of the 'new weird.'

Content warnings: torture (on page), body horror (extensive, graphic), blood, gore, violence, murder, death, colonial violence / colonization, genocide, suicide, grief 
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