Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

Borne by Jeff VanderMeer

21 reviews

borteez's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

VanderMeer is so singular in his ability to contrive these bizarre, awful, inexplicable, and humanistically beautiful situations. This book is yet another tour de force, a glimpse into a world that isn't so unlike our own, but is. The way this story can pull at your heartstrings, the way it flows and moves and finishes off like the smoothness after the bitter taste of alcohol. It's really, really beautiful. Everything is so stark, and the moments of contemplation and family and beauty that humans must dig out of the wreckage are *so* priceless and unforgettable. The contrast of intense, stubborn, steadfast gentleness in response to unimaginable cruelty and twisted useless ruins is incredibly affecting.

Sometimes, though, I feel that tense moments are weighed down by introspection, and that Jeff could have stepped outside of the characters' dismal spiral of thoughts to keep the action going. I haven't felt that in any other Vandermeer novel, and so I have to say that while this is probably at the bottom of my list of Jeff's achievements, it's already an incredibly lofty list, and its place at the bottom does not prevent me from wholeheartedly recommending this to anyone. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror and Violence

zsabella's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Body horror, Suicidal thoughts, and Murder

misty_kb's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror and Violence

Moderate: Sexual content and Alcohol

Minor: Drug use

kuronekostea's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

An incredible narrative about a young woman and her struggles to survive such a unique, scary apocalyptic city. I absolutely loved the characters in this book. 
Easily my favorite book of this year.

I enjoyed the progressive play through of Rachel, Wick and Borne as they all grew and developed as characters who inevitably came to their own conclusions about the world around them and their places in it. I also found the underlying mystery fascinating as well. Like many of VanderMeer's books there are many questions still left unanswered. I plan to read the others in this series and hope we hear more about the possible AMC TV Series based on this novel.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Cursing, Death, Sexual content, Violence, Trafficking, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Body horror, Confinement, Gore, Infertility, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, and Abandonment

lost_keys's review against another edition

challenging reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Vandermeer’s prose is so chewy and toothsome, and his characters are so human and strange. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence

Moderate: Body horror

Minor: Animal death and Torture

bulwark's review against another edition

challenging dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, and Gore

bookmaxxing's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

woah. this book rules

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body horror, Death, Torture, and Violence

Minor: Sexual content and Cannibalism

TW: many many bugs and insect horrors

nhnabass's review against another edition

dark reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Hot damn. 

A dark, dystopian, gory sci fi that feels like the best and worst kind of hallucinogenic trip. Wonderfully gruesome imagery that bends the imagination around the kinds of creatures you hope aren’t lurking beneath the ocean. 

A story that reflects on what it means to be. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, and Gore

diana_blackmoon's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

In this crazy story about big bear, I was amazed to find such a compelling story. About motherhood, love, hope, betrayal and what it means to be a person. It is gruesome and terrifying but also beautiful and hopefull. The narration style takes a minute to get used to but was the best possible choice for this book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Torture, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Confinement, Drug use, Toxic relationship, Excrement, Grief, and Alcohol

toastrats's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, and Violence

Moderate: Animal cruelty and Chronic illness