I thought I was going to really like this book but it just wasn’t really for me… thank you so much to NetGalley for sending me a copy of this book!

.This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year. I loved summer sons and couldn't wait to get into another of Mandelos' worlds. This, however, wasn't my favorite. I hated the main character and her wife so much, and it was hard to Handel. The actual plot of the story was really interesting, and I loved the queer relationships and drama.

This book was a short strange ride into an interesting world and worth picking up

A surprisingly heartfelt story that is less on blood and more on societal commentary. An unexpected story that forces the reader to think about their place in the world compared to the animals that are supposedly less evolved.

This one felt like it belongs in a particular genre of eerie sapphic literary fiction that’s been coming out recently, and I’m super on board with it. What an absolutely manic read (or, listen, as the case is here). Feed Them Silence felt very topical with climate change and humans destroying animal habitats of keystone species, and the ethical debate of science vs. industry applications. I really enjoyed it—even the end, which depressed me and was kind of upsetting, but in a way that feels very real and embodies the attitude of “whatever we as individuals try to do to change the world, it will never make an impact without corporations following suit” kind of depressing vibe.

I usually feel like novellas are a little incomplete, but this one did a great job fleshing out the story incredibly well. The premise is uncomfortable, and I think it’s meant to be. It’s unsettling and raw and weirdly intimate — very much recommend.

This was a weird book. Set in a near future where many species are dying off, our protagonist is head of a research project at a university to study the last pack of wild wolves. This research is done via neurological interface that allows her to experience what one of the wolves is experiencing/feeling. I can only imagine what that would be like. This obviously causes some issues, both within the project and with in Sean’s marriage.

It was interesting to see the marriage in trouble trope being worked into this near future sort-of horror story.

Overall I do enjoy Mandelo’s writing, and I found this one to be really thought provoking, though I didn’t enjoy it as much as I did Summer Sons. A solid book with an interesting premise.

Actual rating: 3.75

Feed Them Silence was a short but powerful read that will be enjoyed by people who want topical, speculative fiction that asks questions and leaves it up to the reader to answer them. Our narrator is unlikeable and selfish - by design - and yet it's still impossible to dislike her in full, living in her mind, as we do.

The topics discussed and suggested in Feed Them Silence are important and necessary, and the story is thought-provoking and will appeal to readers looking for a novella to challenge them.

Ultimately, I went into Feed Them Silence expecting a very different book - with more focus on the speculative elements, rather than social discourse - and as such, it didn't hit the mark with me. It most certainly will with other readers.

“What else was she, really, but another animal body afraid of being alone in the cold?”

I will never say no to fucked up sapphics communing with nature, but Lee Mandelo has me shouting HELL YES. FEED THEM SILENCE is a novella about Sean, an ambitious, mid-fifties researcher who has finally received funding for the project of her dreams: inserting twin neurological interfaces in herself and a wolf’s brain in order to feel everything the wolf feels. Sean gets more and more enmeshed in the life of Kate (her chosen wolf) as her pack struggles to survive the frozen Minnesota winter in an increasingly barren ecosystem, neglecting her already fraught relationship with her wife and ultimately sacrificing her work in her pursuit of that which she has always desired: a sense of belonging.

I really liked this book. I’ve been mildly obsessed with Mandelo ever since I read his debut SUMMER SONS, and this novella pulls on many of the same threads: the horrors of academia, racial tensions between queers, powerful feelings of isolation even when community is seemingly there for the taking. Mandelo isn’t afraid of leaning into messy, primal sexual desires and their connections to other aspects of life. This novella also touches on the ethics of research and the broader interplay between humanity and the environment we live in and so often, irreparably corrupt. As with many novellas, this one only scratches the surface of big concepts, and at the end I found myself still wanting more; the narrative arc feels unresolved. Will definitely continue to read absolutely anything that Mandelo publishes. Thanks to Tordotcom and Dreamscape Media for the review copies!

Content warnings: animal injury and death, medical procedures, blood/gore, infidelity, racism/sexism

I feel a bit torn about Feed Them Silence. While on the one hand this was a short book about the true horror of humanity and how we treat each other, the execution fell a bit flat. I was so focused on getting a resolution to what happened that I was left a tad disappointed when we never really got one (though I guess this comes down to reader expectations). However, the narrator was incredible and I was definitely drawn in by the strong, enchanting voice. Maybe this could have benefitted from a few more pages.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I understand the objective, however, I think the story felt very flat to me. This is one of those “metaphorical horror” stories where the true horror is how people treat one another. I think if you enjoy “wait what happened” horror books with no concrete resolution you’d enjoy.

I’m not crazy about “cheating” plot lines in general. I also did not enjoy Summer Sons so take my review with a grain of salt.

This was short, I'm not sure how to feel about it book. The base of the book is Dr. Sean develops a neurological "mind-swipe" or gain a perspective of a wolf. She can connect with the wolf and be in her mind, feel everything she feels etc. But her research meets challenges, Sean's relationship wife gets worse, and VC funders are seeing the unpredictable side of her experiment and wanting to put restriction on her research. It's the unkind and unfair struggle we face in life that can be very relatable. But did I enjoy reading it? not so much.

What an interesting concept, connecting the minds of a human with that of a wolf. As someone who loves animals I cannot imagine how amazing it would be to be able to feel everything from their perspective. It was great to learn what else was going on in Sean’s life, but I wish there had been more of a focus on her time connecting with the wolves. The scientific focus on preservation and the best way to go about it and the debate over what is right and wrong we’re what really hooked me in. Loved the LGBTQIA+ inclusivity! A short and quick read.

Thank you Net Galley for an audio copy of Feed Them Silence by Lee Mandelo. This is a queer so-fi, that I found fascinating. The research the main character was doing, was fun to read. I flew through this in one sitting.

This was unusual and I don't really know how I feel about it. I can tell a lot of research and effort went into the science side of things and learning about wolves. I do think this is more of a sci-fi drama than a horror as it focuses more on Sean's work and how this is affecting her marriage than anything else. I think this was a well written book with a really interesting premise but I don't think this is for everyone but if you want to read a unique sci-fi I would recommend this.

This Sci-Fi novella follows a workaholic scientist, Dr. Sean Kell-Luddon, who just discovered a way to connect a person's mind to the one of a wild wolf. This neurological connection allows the human to view life through the eyes of the animal and to better study and understand them. And of course, Sean subjects herself to this, and things take unexpected turns.

With that being said, to me, this book was more of a character study, with a strong focus on Sean's relationship with her wife as it slowly falls apart.

And I adored every page! The audiobook narrator (Natalie Naudus, who quickly became a favourite of mine) did a fantastic job.

If you're looking for a quick, unique, character-driven queer Sci-Fi, then this is the book for you.

This is an unusual story, that really made me think about how far you can go for research.
It is a bit of a depressing read and I wasn't very invested in the relationship probably because I didn't really like the main character.
But the wolf part was very interesting to read.

I really enjoy what I’ve read from Lee Mandelo so far. This was an easily accessible sci-if novella that did a great job using the juxtaposition between Sean’s family and work loves to show how imbalances in either can affect your presence in the other.

Feed Them Silence is a sci-fi novella set in a near future. Where middle aged scientist Sean has managed to create a neurolink with a wolf allowing her to feel what the wolf feels and see what the wolf sees. She becomes an unknown passenger to the wolf's psykey. The story brings up the ethics in research from the inside perspective how gray areas easily are exploited. Parallel or more correctly intertwined with Sean’s relationship with the wolf we follow her crumbling relationship with her wife. Where Sean is a textbook example of a workaholic.

My thoughts on this story was that it was fascinating but at times a bit slow. I got frustrated a lot with Sean who did not have any regard for her wife. Who took her for granted and got surprised when she got mad for her doing that. The parts where we got to follow the wolf through its eyes were my favorite. The descriptions made it feel believable that this is how a wolf sees the world. I listened to the audiobook which I can recommend as it was a great storyteller. Overall, I recommend this book to anyone wanting to read a unique story about wolves and crumbling marriages.
Thank you NetGalley for giving me a copy to review.

This isn’t my usual type of novel, but I loved Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo so wanted to give this a shot. The writing is impeccable. The characters are firmly planted in their narrative and in their journey. The ethics of the work Sean does is challenged and explored to the fullest. Overall, this book wasn’t for me, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a great book! Such an interesting concept and some ethical considerations that I’m sure we’ll face as a species at some point.

3 stars

Published: March 14, 2023
**ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**
#FeedThemSilence #NetGalley

Basics
Author: he/they, US
Genre: fiction, sci-fi, novella
Themes: family, connection
Mood: tiredness, longing

Characters
Sean: scientist studying wolves via neural link
Riya: Sean's academic wife
Kate: the wolf linked to Sean

Pros
+ love the human-animal neural link aspect (personally I'd choose whales because you know they've seen some weird beautiful wonders)
+ LGBT rep: f/f, lesbian, nb character who uses "they"

Neutral
/ I understand the point the author is making... that even though lessons should have been learned and a path for "redemption/atonement" is on the table, selfish humans can only see from their POV to the utter annihilation of other species and their own relationships and connections--something a wolf would never do. However, it didn't "go there" so I'm left somewhat neutral on the whole.

Cons
- the disintegration of their marriage is not a topic I'm interested in AT ALL. If the "dark" part of this book is their divorce I'm going to be quite let down.
- I wish the person connected to the wolves (and their care/cuddling/grooming) was the partner who should deserve it NOT Sean who is a selfish partner
- Sean longs for people in her life to care for/about her but doesn't do anything to care for/about others, especially her wife. Really hate her as a character.
- the end, while dark in a humans-are-the-worst way, was nowhere near the dark grey to vanta black I like.

Comp Recs
+ Eva - Peter Dickinson (animal-human neural link in a different way)

TW: surgery, cheating, animal death