Review: Dead Astronauts, by Jeff VanderMeer, 2019

Dead Astronauts by Jeff VanderMeer
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Dead Astronauts, by Jeff VanderMeer, 2019

Sequel to Borne and The Strange Bird, Dead Astronauts feature existing characters from the same shared universe of Borne. The three main characters, the Dead Astronauts, Grayson, Chen, and Moss, travel through timelines and multiverses to battle against and takedown "The Company."

Dead Astronauts, by Jeff VanderMeer, is one of those books where you have to pay attention and focus. Most of the novel is poetic exposition, and the plotline is obscured behind beautiful prose. VanderMeer's creative chops are showcased from line to line with his lyrical writing. And that, for me, was the problem. Without enough action and direct plotting, my attention drifted away easily. With the multiversal timeline hopping between scenes and sequences, VandenMeer really pushed my understanding of what is going on to the limits of where my interests and attention span intersect.

I'm such a VanderMeer fan, but this book may be my least favorite from all his released work to date. In fact, I gave up on it about 2/3 of the way through. Though, I may return to it someday and give it another chance.

I rate this book 1 out of 5 stars.

#JeffVanderMeer #VanderMeer #DeadAstronauts #Borne #DNF

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Review: The Strange Bird, by Jeff VanderMeer, 2017

The Strange Bird: A Borne Story by Jeff VanderMeer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Strange Bird, by Jeff VanderMeer, 2017

Jeff VanderMeer's new novella, The Strange Bird, is beautiful, captivating, and profoundly moving. The story told through the Strange Bird's increasingly desperate perspective, at parts, was almost too painful to bear reading but too beautiful to abandon.

Set in the same wasteland as Jeff VanderMeer's Borne, The Strange Bird enriches the universe of Borne. The story is short enough to be considered a supplemental story, one which weaves through and about its predecessor's ragbag plot. 

Readers will likely find this fascinating as a side story to Borne and not necessarily a mandatory narrative. The Strange Bird is as hauntingly tragic as is as remarkable as its unforgettable predecessor.

I rate this novella a 5 out of 5 stars.

#TheStrangeBird #VanderMeer #JeffVanderMeer #Borne #DeadAstronauts

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Review: Borne, by Jeff VanderMeer, 2017

Borne by Jeff VanderMeer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Borne, by Jeff VanderMeer, 2017

Wikipedia describes, "The novel takes place in the future, in the ruins of a nameless city dominated by a giant grizzly bear called 'Mord.' The perspective character, Rachel, is a scavenger in the city; she collects various genetically-engineered organisms and experiments that were created by 'the Company,' a biotech firm. One day, while searching in Mord's fur, Rachel discovers a sea anemone-like creature that she names 'Borne.'"

From start to finish of VanderMeer's novel, we are treated to a bizarre and often unsettling atmosphere. The characters are well-constructed and always make decisions aligned with their personalities and prior experiences. The storytelling highlights central themes of identity, nature vs. nurture, and the concepts of being human. With the mysteries weaved into dense post-apocalyptic surroundings, we are left with more questions to ponder on our own after the last page has been turned. 

Immediately after completing the novel, the experience left me with some sadness for Borne, displeasure with Rachel, and annoyance with Wick. Throughout the book, the author kept me unbalanced with constant reminders of Borne's profoundly ambiguous nature. However, letting the story sit and digested wholly, I recognize some parts of the story you have to figure out on your own, while other parts start making sense only when you get further in and ponder it for some time, and a few of them never get any definite answers. Demanding and sometimes difficult to get through with the emotions the author draws out of the reader, VanderMeer's Borne is unquestionably worth the effort.

I rate this book 4.75 out of 5 stars.

#Borne #VanderMeer #JeffVanderMeer

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