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A review by annemaries_shelves
Borne by Jeff VanderMeer
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-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
3.0
Weird, open-ended, and a predictable plot wrapped in unpredictable imagery.
That's how I would summarize Borne.
VanderMeer's Weird dystopian eco scifi skills are on full display here - I really enjoyed the world building and all the disturbing (and often violent) imagery generated by the destruction of the City by the Company.
There's a lot of questions I have about the world and what the last 50 pages meant - questions I doubt I'll get answered. So if you're a reader who's frustrated by open and interpretable/vague endings, I wouldn't necessarily pick this up.
Much of the plot was predictable and the ending relatively anticlimactic- mostly due to the significant amount of narrative foreshadowing by our main character. (Rachel literally tells us "If I'd known X ahead of time, maybe things would be different.)
I think the novel would have been strengthened by some interludes with perspectives from other characters (notably The Magician, Wick, and Borne). Take 25 pages out from Rachel "raising" Borne and add in those additional POVs, and I think it would've been better.
I did really enjoy the writing and the relationships between Rachel, Borne, and Wick - even as they frustrated me at times. There were a lot implicit messages that VanderMeer was leaving the reader on the consequences of exploitative industries, the damage and havoc wreaked upon the population, and the long-term consequences to the environment. Contrary to a lot of books handling similar topics, I felt VanderMeer was less obvious with his messaging.
Overall, I enjoyed the reading experience and felt the buddy read aspect helped me keep on track (it's fairly slow-paced). I'll probably pick up the second in the series but it won't be for a while.
That's how I would summarize Borne.
VanderMeer's Weird dystopian eco scifi skills are on full display here - I really enjoyed the world building and all the disturbing (and often violent) imagery generated by the destruction of the City by the Company.
There's a lot of questions I have about the world and what the last 50 pages meant - questions I doubt I'll get answered. So if you're a reader who's frustrated by open and interpretable/vague endings, I wouldn't necessarily pick this up.
Much of the plot was predictable and the ending relatively anticlimactic- mostly due to the significant amount of narrative foreshadowing by our main character. (Rachel literally tells us "If I'd known X ahead of time, maybe things would be different.)
I think the novel would have been strengthened by some interludes with perspectives from other characters (notably The Magician, Wick, and Borne). Take 25 pages out from Rachel "raising" Borne and add in those additional POVs, and I think it would've been better.
I did really enjoy the writing and the relationships between Rachel, Borne, and Wick - even as they frustrated me at times. There were a lot implicit messages that VanderMeer was leaving the reader on the consequences of exploitative industries, the damage and havoc wreaked upon the population, and the long-term consequences to the environment. Contrary to a lot of books handling similar topics, I felt VanderMeer was less obvious with his messaging.
Overall, I enjoyed the reading experience and felt the buddy read aspect helped me keep on track (it's fairly slow-paced). I'll probably pick up the second in the series but it won't be for a while.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death and Blood