Cover Image: Borne

Borne

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Member Reviews

This was a really weird book. But worth reading, if you like your novels to be really unusual, well written and totally unlike anything you have ever read before!
It must be hard to put this book into a single category - is it fantasy? Scifi? Dystopian? Post-apocalyptic? Horror? Metaphysical? Or all of these, probably.
Anyway, I enjoyed it, I will remember it, and it was really, really weird! Yet interesting.

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I love sci fi and fantasy but for some reason this was just a little off the mark for me. I went into this with high hopes because quite a few people on my good reads enjoyed this but I just don’t think that it’s for me. The writing was mystical and the plot was strange and it had everything that I like but I just couldn’t get into it.

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Not my type of book I think. DNDd at 30%, maybe it wasn't the right time to read it, going to try again some other time.

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I read this a few years ago and really enjoyed it. It was emotional and heart-wrenching, much more than I expected from quite hard sci-fi.

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I really liked the setting, the ideas and the dark humour in this book. I did have trouble 'seeing' the world and integrating it all in my head but that's my failing, I'm not a very visual thinker which is probably why I don't often read fantasy/scifi. I would definitely recommend it to fans of these genres though.

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I'm a huge fan of VanderMeer's Souther Reach Trilogy.
Borne, sadly, doesn't hold a candle to those books!
It's an imaginative dystopia, it's weird enough. It's got great characters and plot. I also loved the vagueness of the world and that there isn't a real explanation for it all.
Honestly, I can't really pinpoint it, but it didn't move me.
Fun read, but I simply expected more.

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Who knew a serial killing shape-changing blob named Borne could be so endearing?

I enjoyed this just as much as Annihilation, the characters Rachel and Borne were more relatable and likeable than those in the Southern Reach Trilogy, and although equally as weird I think I found Annihilation more unsettling.

One to read at a slightly slower pace than usual and savour the beautifully terrifying wackiness that VanderMeer conjures.

(ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley)

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This is an extraordinary book, touching on what it means to be human, through an utterly alien bioengineering experiment/organism discovered in a post apocalyptic cityscape, stuck to the fur of an enormous angry experiment-gone-wrong megabear who claims the city like Godzilla.

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Borne has many of the elements of a vanderMeer novel-amazing prose, imaginative world, a strangeness hard to define but did suffer a bit in terms of pacing.

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As a big fan of all things post-apocalyptic when it comes to fiction, I was intrigued by this tale of two survivors of a biotech apocalypse, eking out a pitiful existence amongst warring factions led by The Magician and her army of psychotic children and Mord, a giant savage bear created by The Company who went rogue, and his swathes of mini-me proxies.
Rachel and Wick inhabit the Balcony Cliffs, doing their best to survive day-to-day on the scant resources left on the land, while avoiding marauding evil in its many forms. One day, Rachel discovers a weird squid-like plant hybrid stuck to Mord's fur, which she brings home. Initially thinking it's some kind of pot plant, when it starts to move around their apartments, she realises there's more to her find than meets the eye. She names it Borne, and begins interacting with it as if it were her child.
As Borne begins to grow and sneak out into the cruel outside world, it sets in motion a sequence of events that threaten their already seemingly impossible existence, taking them to the heart of The Company and into the worlds of the Magician and Mord.
Part fantasy, part dystopian, part post apocalyptic disaster, this is so much more than the sum of its parts. At its heart is a totally endearing tale of maternal love between Rachel and Borne, her quasi-adopted child, set against a bleak and unforgiving world. Hugely recommended. I absolutely loved this book!

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A very different take on the Sci-Fi genre... For me anyway. I was quite taken by this. A strong female protagonist - and her femininity is relevant - but not in any tiresome stereotypical way. Weird inexplicable life-forms, complex emotional tangles. Different, but good different. Maybe others have read similar tales and there are elements that were familiar even to me (not least the PKD-like battles of what makes people people, what does memory actually mean and all that mind-melting stuff!). Well worth a read if you're tired of space ships and phasers based 'cowboys in space' stories.

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Rachel and Wick are doing all they can to survive in the Balcony Cliffs in this new dystopian earth. When scavenging on Mord's giant body, Rachel finds Borne. As Rachel becomes maternal towards Borne and Wick becomes suspicious, their survival may start to crumble away. Will their safety be compromised or heightened with Borne in tow?

One word to describe Borne is weird. It took me a lot longer than expected to read this book as I had to get my head around the world, the history, and Borne himself. The book starts off wondering what and who is Borne straight away. Throughout the book it's a looming question over the action and excitement. The advanced bio-technology throughout the book was wonderfully described. I felt entranced by this desolate yet advanced society and how they had learnt to survive.

Balcony Cliffs reminded me a lot of a rabbit den, full of twists, turns and traps. When within it's walls, there was a sense of home even through the clutter. Vandermeer perfectly writes about a dystopian world which feels real. Although it was highly outlandish, there was also an underlying feeling of a threat. It was as if there was always a possibility of walking round a corner into the arms of an enemy.

There's multiple antagonists within Borne. There's the company created Mord and then a shadowy figure called the Magician. These two also oppose one another. We learn about the Magician as the book progresses but I wish we had known a bit more about Mord. We only get small glimpses into the giant bears past and creation.

The only negative thing about Borne was that we spent a lot of time watching him grow up. Although this time hinted forward at future instances, it could have skipped ahead without too much confusion. It added to my read time as I kept putting it down. But overall it's a good book which I would gladly read again to pick up on missed hints for future chapters.

I received Borne* by Jeff Vandermeer as an e-book from the publisher via Netgalley. This is an unbiased and honest review.

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Another post apocalyptic world with everyone fighting for survival ion one way or another. Full of biologically engineered beings that prey on each other and the remaining humans, cities destroyed and living on the edge. Difficult book to assimilate as it moved so slowly and required a lot of effort but well worth reading.

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VanderMeer is not just an author with the coolest name around, but he also writes the most beautiful words. Reading his books is like daydreaming in HDR. This is my second foray into his work (after reading Annihilation, also excellent, and soon to become a film apparently), and it didn’t disappoint. His depiction of Borne the green lump who becomes something so much bigger, is stunning. Borne is a child – a powerful, different child, one that holds the ability to change the world – and for me, his experience is the most profound in the book. Seeing the world through his responses qualifies the hardships and traumas of the main characters. It adds a perspective so little seen in such dark settings. It reminds me of Atwood’s Oryx and Crake series. It’s beautiful, horrendous, and ultimately one of the happiest books I’ve read in a long time. To be fair, I might have a warped view of happiness, but read it for yourself and we’ll see.

Favourite line: “I mourned the child I had known who was kind and sweet and curious, and yet could not stop killing.”

Read if: You want a beautifully rendered vision of a harsh future reality, a biotech apocalypse, laced with hope.

Read with: Your child, your pet, or your Tamagotchi. Whichever you have to hand. And treat them well.

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Two beautiful book editions, a renowned author, and a unique sounding plot all culminated in my anticipating great things from this. Unfortunately, I think this may have been a case of expectations too highly placed.

Whilst not at all a horrible book, there was something about the writing quality that perpetually kept me at a distance from feeling anything about this book or for its characters. The actual bones of the plot were individual enough to keep me intrigued but I can't say that I was ever emotionally invested in the events. And, sadly, I also found that once the story I had been keen to discover more on had been introduced, little else of note occurred until the novel's close. The polarising effect this book has had on its readers made me eager to discover what exactly it was that affronts some and romanticises others and, unfortunately, I have yet to discover the latter.

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A fascinating work of 'thinking' science fiction. The characters are well rounded and the overall setting and situations keep you reading right until the end. I really enjoyed this story.

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Borne is quintessential VanderMeer (review copy from 4th Estate). It is a subtle, slippery, tricksy novel, expertly telling a small story against the backdrop of a big world.

Rachel is a scavenger, living in a post-apocalyptic world blighted by mutated, out of control products of bio-engineering from The Company. Chief among them is Mord, a giant psychotic flying bear that terrorises the residents of the city. Rachel picks out a living at the margins of society, finding enough recoverable materials to eke out an existence, or to trade for food, water and other goods. She lives with her lover, Wick, a former Company bio-engineer who spends his time making and fixing products, trading on his expertise and skills.

One day Rachel finds a strange creature entangled in Mord's fur. It's an amorphous lump resembling a sea anemone. Rachel brings it home, and names it Borne. As Borne consumes he learns and grows, becoming an integral part of Rachel and Wick's family, as well as the cause of tension between them. But Borne is also the key and the catalyst for Rachel and Wick to get to the heart of the Company's secrets with a view to finding a way out of their marginal existence.

VanderMeer's regular themes of environmental change and the indifference of nature to humanity are highly prevalent in Borne. The landscape in which Rachel and Wick live is a product of humanity's actions and the damage caused by industry and uncontrolled bio-engineering. Humanity is no longer the apex predator, and the natural world is not something for it exploit in pursuit of a comfortable standard of living and convenience. Humanity must instead scratch a living in amongst the pollution and scarcity that its actions have created. Ultimately, it must learn to live in harmony with this changing world, rather than seeking to change it further or escape it.

But Borne is also a story about memory and communication and our relationships with one another. The novel is characterised by moments of misunderstanding, and the gulfs created between people by their unique histories and the difference of meaning and interpretation those lead to. Our memories are fallible and we conceal as much about ourselves as we reveal to one another, even those we are closest to. But the way we relate to one another can have profound effects. Rachel's parenting and raising of Borne shapes his world-view. The ultimate blank canvas, he absorbs his values and view of the world from her and those ultimately come to guide his actions.

Jeff VanderMeer is one of my favourite writers of speculative fiction and I've been following his career with interest, ever since I picked up City of Saints and Madmen many years ago. Always with a literary touch, he reveals deep truths about people and our relationships with each other and the world we live in. Borne is another jewel he has added to the crown of genre fiction.

Goodreads rating: 5*

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Some time ago I tried to read 'Annihilation', an earlier novel of VanderMeer's - and gave up. I'm now going to find it again and try again. This novel is stunning - a love story amidst ruin, and wise about the ways of human love - however human or a mix of biotech and human you migh be .. the voice telling us the tale of Borne - an unlikely attachment found on the body of this civilisation's worst enemy - 'it' becomes almost a child that evolves to challenge in a monumental way the destruction the Corporation has foisted on the world. In the ruins, teeming life and the variety of ways the persons or entities work to overcome the damage is illuminating - the voice is beguiling and engaging, and I was sorry when the book ended. Really gorgeous (reminds me of Brian Aldiss too . I know it's supposed to remind me of steam punk but this is better, more lush and romantic).

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So many people had recommended this book to me and I jumped at the chance to review it (thank you NetGalley). However, after about 20 pages or so I realised it was not for me. I don’t know if it’s because I had just finished a thriller and i was not prepared for the highly descriptive writing but I knew that if I continued it would lead to a huge reading slump.
My rating has nothing to do with the story or themes of the book, it is purely down to my personal reading preferences. I found the book was taking me a lot longer to get through than it should have and found myself putting off reading. The only reasoning that I have been that the writing style was not what I was looking for. I would like to try to read it again in the future but as for now it will remain DNF.

Overall it was a 2 STAR read.

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OK, I have to admit it straight out - I am shallow and got this mostly because of the cover. I mean, how gorgeous is that? Mesmerising, really. And such a contrast to the world created here, which is completely bleak.

I had read a <a href="https://anaslair.wordpress.com/2015/10/11/annihilation-southern-reach-1-2/">previous book by the author</a> and I ended up having much of the same feelings while reading <i>Borne</i>. You see, Mr VanderMeer wants to take you on a journey to discover and experience the wonderful worlds he creates and at times I felt completely enthralled. I particularly really loved Borne's personality. So like a child, eager to know what was around him.

However, in other instances the writing threw me off and again I wished I had had more explanations. Rachel's narration style could be quite odd in my opinion and I especially disliked her soliloquy about being a ghost and constantly referring to herself in the third person - or rather this other side of her. It wore me out after a while. As this example, there were some parts I could have done without, as I felt they dragged the book on. Still, there is beauty in all.

As my previous experience, as we come towards the end of the book explanations are hinted at but not given and that also left me unsatisfied.
Still, it was an incredibly imaginative world, with biotech and modified creatures and children - there's even a flying bear in it, for crying out loud, and the author manages to not make it look silly - and you cannot help to be sucked in by the amazingly complex writing, that carries so much meaning, albeit taking quite a lot longer to go through than I had expected.

Recommended.

<i>Disclaimer: I would like to thank the publisher and Netgalley for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.</i>

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