A review by carmexfiend
The Strange Bird: A Borne Story by Jeff VanderMeer

dark reflective slow-paced

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

3.75

A good and short read. It wasn't as compelling or hitting as Borne but was still enjoyable. You learn more about the world and see it from a new perspective. Characters and events from the Borne are shown and some gaps are filled. Overall, what I liked the most about Borne was how attached I got to the characters and this book doesn't really have that going for it. I'd still recommend it if you enjoyed Borne or like to read non-human POVs.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Violence, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Body horror and Torture

There are several scenes where sapient animals are experimented on and one scene where a character is surgically mutilated without anesthesia.