I did not like this book. I would have only given it one star, but I was feeling generous because I really like the cover. It was too scientific and detailed and the plot felt very convoluted. I also hated Jane... who gives up their whole life to chase some weird, cryptic messages and a dead woman?

Despite my assumption that I would enjoy this book based on my enjoyment of Annihilation, I had a very hard getting into it. Literally, it took my several days just to read the first 20 or so pages. But this book rewards patience, and eventually I became engrossed.

The main character, mainly called "Jane" but never actually named, is inscrutable by design. She is complex, but her primary traits are persistence, gruffness, and being emotionally unavailable. None of this changes, even as we get more backstory, so it's no surprise as her involvement in the central -- and so very improbable! -- mystery take her away from the family that she probably shouldn't have had in the first place, and the job that isn't ever defined about from Office something Security something something. If you can get past all this, you might enjoy the ride. The book also makes its points about environmental degradation without beating one over the head.

This is a mystery novel set in a slightly future sci-fi environment, and it's a mistake to go into it expecting a sci-fi novel with mystery plot. That's an easy mistake to make, considering the author's previous work as well as the marketing.

Ultimately I liked but didn't love it. Your mileage may vary.

Annihilation was one of my favorite reads and I went into this with high hopes. While I absolutely adore VanderMeer's writing this story just wasn't for me. I wish I had read this sooner, at this point in my life I lean more towards romance and I feel like I was just not vibing with this book

This is not an easy read. I'd almost say it's a complex one. But then, trying to protect the environment and prevent the extinction of species on a global basis would definitely be complex. The author makes a statement with his story of how even someone not trained nor even looking to make a difference, can indeed influence their surroundings. VanderMeer is obviously using his considerable talents to stop the progress of destruction while also trying to educate readers. This book will leave you wondering if there is more that you could do....there is.

Hummingbird Salamander is a speculative thriller that follows a security consultant called “Jane Smith” as she attempts to unravel a mystery. Jane receives an envelope with a key that leads her to a storage unit where she finds a taxidermied hummingbird and clues mentioning a taxidermied salamander. By taking the hummingbird, Jane launches herself into a world of secrets and danger. This was an odd book that had it's thriller moments, but also included ecoterrorism. I will definitely be reading more from Jeff VanderMeer!

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

I selected this because since I enjoyed the movie Annihilation, I thought I might like a book by the author of the book (although I never read the novel the film was based on). It wasn't a bad read, but at the same time I just couldn't get into it as much as I wanted.

VanderMeer goes eco-sci-fi-noir-thriller: Our enigmatic narrator is a cybersecurity expert named (of course) "Jane Smith", who ponders a coded message left behind by potential eco-terrorist and wealthy heiress to an Argentinian fortune, Silvina. The message consists of a taxidermic hummingbird, which was the last of its kind, and the word salamander, hence the book title. As the mystery unfolds, Jane uncovers the tracks of those who thrive on the exploitation of the planet. The apocalypse is near (this is VanderMeer, guys): Homo sapiens is destroying its own habitat, it pushes its own extinction.

What makes VanderMeer so intriguing is that he writes deeply moral books about human stupidity, but he does not stop there: His imagination, his talent for intense atmospheres, and his daring plotting render his experimental writing captivating and unusual. His voice is highly recognizable, and his message comes across not despite, but because of the fact that it isn't force-fed to readers: This author internalized the principle of show, don't tell. VanderMeer writes like a man who is convinced that his readers are intelligent, and I appreciate that.

While I found this one a little too reliant on noir / spy novel tropes and I generally like VanderMeer's really strange, puzzling stuff better (see Dead Astronauts), "Hummingbird Salamander" is worthwhile. How in the world have I not yet read Area X: The Southern Reach Trilogy???

A novel unto its own, quite unlike anything I've ever read. It's a tough read not only because it requires a particular kind of attention and engagement on the part of the reader (for example, the protagonist inspires no empathy whatsoever, but in a way that I personally loved), but also because it's a genuinely painful novel, one that tries to map or perhaps invent new modes of affect for a world that is coming apart at the seams.
Absolutely recommended to the audacious.

To Jane—and perhaps to VanderMeer—this hope is not a happy prospect. Hope means a hard evolution: to biology, change means death. It’s awful and awe-full, once Jane starts thinking on that sublime scale and realizes how wonder, but not joy, can persist even as our institutions implode. Governments and corporations are empty, family will fail us, and yet we will endure. Or something sufficiently like us, transformed by the consequences of our persistence.

Christina Ladd

I read this book back in 2021 but forgot to write a review - Overall, this book fell a bit short for me. It was promoted as a sci-fi read, which I very much enjoy and hyped myself for. However, after realizing and accepting that this was not a sci-fi read, I still enjoyed the plot and twists overall.

This was an interesting read, out of my usual genre reads.
Was a bit hard for me to get into, I am probably not the right audience for this novel. What first caught my attention was the cover, so beautifully done I had to see what was inside.

In true Jeff Vandermeer form, when you finished the book you say to yourself, “WTF did I just read?” I loved every minute of it. I really enjoyed the environmental aspect- nature is awesome.

I did not realize when I requested this book that it would be best to read it after having read some of the author's other titles. Until I do so, I will not be submitting a review.

A++ for cover design.

I chose this book to read mainly because my mother was a huge hummingbird lover and always had a hummingbird feeder on her front porch, so the cover plus title drew me in. I'd have to say that's where my love of this book ended.

Jane is a "normal" person with nothing in particular special about her until she gets a gift from someone that has in the package, among other things, a preserved hummingbird. Jane is super intrigued because it's the last of its kind so she's determined to discover the ecoterrorist named Silvina Vilcacampa, who had signed the note that came with the gift. She's forced into doing things she doesn't want to but that doesn't deter her from still wanting to find out about this hummingbird and Silvina. I thought the writing itself was good but I didn't find it exciting or suspenseful. The plot and characters didn't truly engage me and for that reason I gave it 3 stars. It might not have helped that sci-fi is very hit and miss with me.

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an e-ARC in exchange for my honest opinion which I have given.

Such a beautiful cover, and fantastic premise combining thriller and ecology, but the book itself was hard to follow. Perhaps in paper version or read in a discussion group I would have gotten more out of it.

dnf @ 11%

i was going to try to push to the quarter mark before calling it but i was SO bored. i absolutely dreaded picking this up and couldn’t connect with the MC at all. i may have to accept that jeff vandermeer’s writing isn’t for me and that the annihilation series is the exception.

JANE. JANE. WHAT ARE YOU DOING? Let's just throw our life away because we received some random clue. I honestly don't understand what this book is trying to do. It references about 100 different things, and it just feels so jumbled.

A delightful book full of adventure, action, and thrills. Fun to read, engrossing world building, and very descriptive imagery made it feel like it was cinematic. It's hard to resist the story as it drives forward. Would recommend.

This is a complex fresh story that I wasn't anticipating.

Jane is a security systems analyst. She receives an envelope left for her in her favourite bar by a mysterious customer with a key to a storage unit that holds a stuffed hummingbird that belongs to a very rare, now extinct species and the thinnest of clues about the location of a missing reputed eco-terrorist, Silvina Vilcapampa. Jane takes up the challenge set in Silvina's note but soon gets embroiled in danger in her quest to find this person.

Jane is a cryptic narrator who plays her cards close to her chest without revealing even to the reader all the secrets she's keeping.

This is a confusing, thought-provoking book with excellent writing. The author did a great job in plotting the story but you need to give it time.
This is a 3.5-star book that I have rounded up to 4.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for sending a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.