Another weird, wild ride from Jeff VanderMeer. I’m never quite sure if I’ve really gotten the point of the story(,though most of the time I think that’s by design,) but I can’t stop reading his books. Love seeing what his mind comes up with next.

Thanks to NetGalley and Publisher for an audio-arc of this book.

VanderMeer's signature weird fiction is on full display in his first book. Anyone familiar with his more popular fiction, including the adapted Annihilation, will be familiar with his style. It is as weird and confusing as ever in this work that is almost like three interwoven novellas. It exists within this world of bioengineering and underground societies. I don't think this book is bad--it's just too confusing for me to follow much of the time. I love the style and tone, but the story was a bit over my head. In the introduction, it talks about VanderMeers approach of breaking the traditional mold that writers use to take a world we know and tweak it and instead opting to create an entirely alien world that feels fully separate from our in. It is intriguing but fundamentally disconcerting.

The audiobook was great though. The three perspectives we get has their own narrator, and each were top tier. If you are going to give this a go, I think the audio is a great way to consume it.

2.5 stars rounded up
Trigger warning for multiple graphic animal torture scenes.
I wish I understood this. Because so many people love it, but to me it was just... fine?
The writing style is interesting, the content is at times interesting, disturbing, and boring. The characters are fine. It just doesn't feel like there is anything to make me really care about this book. Rather it feels like the author is trying to create something edgy and cool and smart, but instead of feeling those things, I can just sense how hard the author is tying. It's like listening to someone who thinks they're really smart talk; I honestly had to roll my eyes multiple times while reading.
I found it especially annoying after the over congratulatory forward by Charles Yu. I don't see why it was necessary to include that as part of the book. In the forward, Yu talks about how amazing and genius VanderMeer is, how much of a pioneer. Maybe it's meant for the fans of his work, but as someone new to VanderMeer it threw me off. You don't need to convince me to read the book, I'm already reading it. And why are you telling me how incredible this book and VanderMeer are, can't I form that opinion myself after reading it? It doesn't add anything to the story, and instead feels weird when it is included in VanderMeer's own book (like look how amazing I am, this other author says I'm super smart and good at writing). Usually forwards add context to the story, no? They're usually not just an extended review of the book we haven't read yet. It's just a weird way to start a book, especially for an author that is still alive and well.
I read that this was his first novel (and is being reprinted), so maybe that's why it came off as overdone, with a focus on style at the expense of substance. (I won't say no substance, because there were some interesting thoughts explored here, they just get lost in the woods of the stylistic choices). The different parts being different POVs (first, second, and third person POVs) was an interesting enough choice, I didn't dislike it, I just don't understand why it was necessary for the story other than to be unique. This feels harsh to say because I found the book easy to read and I don't think it was wholly unsuccessful but the focus on style reminds me of activities I've done in writing classes.
This is my first VanderMeer as well and I'm honestly pretty let down. I will give Annihilation a try though before I fully write off this this author for me.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Veniss Underground is the story of three characters, Nicholas, his sister Nicola, and her lover Shadrach. Nicholas unintentionally makes a deal with the devil which sends his sister on a search to find him. When Nicola similarly disappears, Shadrach searches for her.

We wind our way through this dystopian future, full of artificial life (including assassin meerkats!) on our search for Nicholas and Nicola. There is a tremendous amount of description of the city and underwood that VanderMeer builds up. I haven't read him before but this is an intriguing first read that has me considering reaching for another VanderMeer title.

I really enjoyed reading Borne, but this title didn't draw me in quite as much. I love VanderMeer's ability to create wild, speculative worlds, yet I was confused by this one. I had trouble keeping the characters straight while listening on the audiobook and didn't quite connect with any of their stories. Also, one of the character's name constantly sounded like <spoiler> "ballsack" </spoiler> when read aloud in the audiobook, which was very annoying.

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced audiobook copy in exchange for my honest review.

WTF did I just spend 8.5 hours listening to?

Orpheus and Eurydice meets The Island of Dr. Moreau, meets "The Matrix" written by Philip K. Dick.

The narrator of "Veniss Underground" was great. I didn't enjoy the book, though, and I didn't finish it. The plot was threadbare, and the characters weren't written well, particularly the woman. This book wasn't for me.

Well-written, not my cup of tea.

Part Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (and part Bladerunner), part Dante's Inferno, part Orpheus & Euridice, part Island of Doctor Moreau, part Michael Crichton's Next, part that one episode of Futurama where Fry falls into the mutating sewer waters.

In a future society - far more advanced than ours, but just familiar enough to make a body nervous - bioengineering animals has become a trend and a way of life, with rich people falling over themselves to acquire a magnificent new meerkat servant, and the restless masses trying to concoct their own new pets using DIY kits on the kitchen table. A small group of people with loose ties to the mad genius behind this technology get tangled up in their own personal dramas in ways that risk life and limb and sanity.

This book was interesting, but I did not actually enjoy it. The story of people creating new life through processes utterly devoid of compassion left me feeling squeamish and uncomfortable. I almost stopped reading when Nicolas created the kitten thing that Nicola had to destroy because of its obvious suffering. I don't understand how that world comes to be, and not much is offered by way of explanation. Almost all of the first half of the novel is worldbuilding rather than storytelling, but if the "how" of this society's existence is included, I was too distracted by the unpleasantness of it to notice.

The third section, where Shadrach goes searching for Nicola in the underworld, was likewise laced with horrors, but here the plot finally took hold and several very beautiful images emerged to balance out a little of the darkness. The novella included with this edition was probably my favorite storytelling in the set, but as a continuation of the world created in Veniss, it remained unpleasantly focused on a society where bioengineered animals have essentially destroyed the humanity of those who created them.

I loved VanderMeer's Southern Reach trilogy, and (from following him on social media) really enjoy him as a human being, as well. This book, however, trod too closely to my (admittedly irrational) inability to observe animals - even fictional, monstrous animals - suffering. The morals the tale wished to impart are already firmly embedded in my psyche. This novel didn't make me THINK, perse, except to wonder what kind of people might need such a cautionary tale.

A solid 3.75.

VanderMeer's earliest work, Veniss grants glimpses of the viscous Wonderland that has hallmarked his more popular works. With a imaginative (read disturbed) world where genetic manipulation has become child's play, and the height of the artistic world, what happens when creatures created band together?

While not his strongest story (I loved Hummingbird, Salamander, personally), I did thoroughly enjoy this romp and its collected short stories.

I listed to a new release ausiobook collecting this and other associated works, and the cast of audiobook constants did a wonderful job highlighting the spooky, cyclopean feel of thie seminal work.

My thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I liked it more then I I though when I started. It was a little philosphical and I was not sure who we were following, once I put all together I could not stop listening. Well said story of future if we let scientist experiment with humans and AI - what are we and who are we. It would be great discussion of the book. If you liked Ready Player One this one is yours just without thowback references .

I just don’t think this kind of writing is for me. I just couldn’t really get into the story. I know there is an audience for this kind of book but unfortunately it just wasn’t for me.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ALC.

This is a new audio recording (with several narrators for different character points of view) of the 2003 novel. The audio is very well done and I particularly enjoyed Bronson Pinchot's creepy Shadrach sections.

As far as the book goes, there were aspects that I really enjoyed - the creativity of the author is evident in the creatures he imagines (some of them are down right terrifying!). But the overall story is not very compelling and it's fairly obvious this was an early publication by the author. The short story at the end doesn't really add much to the story.

At some point, I want to revisit it to see if I have the same experience or I'm am to pick out things I missed in the audio. Very few audio books make me want to read the actual book though, so more of VanderMeer's books will be added to my book shelf very soon.

one of my reading goals for this year was to read more vandermeer books. in 2018 while i was hiking camino, i devoured his first southern reach novel 'annihilation' and decided i'd continue the series when i returned home. however i quickly forgot and never picked up another one of his books. when i saw that his first novel, 'veniss underground', was getting republished, i knew this was the perfect opportunity to continue with this author.

this novel is set in the mysterious & magical city of veniss, a place that sits on top of an underground maze of tunnels. in this book, we follow three characters: an artist named nicholas, his twin sister nicola, and nicola's former boyfriend shadrach. with them, we not only get to explore the surreal future world that vandermeer has created below the surface of the earth, one where all sorts of forms of artificial intelligence exist, but we also go on a journey full of grotesque creatures, talking meercat heads, and a villain living inside a massive fish. it's a masterfully imagined world, and while i wasn't as compelled by this story as i remember being by 'annihilation', this was so great to see where vandermeer started, and know that it will only get better from here.

So I oddly got a book from Net Galley that was originally published 20 years ago, so there must be some kind of time travel at play. It is VanderMeer so that would totally check out. It is pretty shocking to think that this is just his first novel. It is so complex and he never loses the thread. There are never any moments of "Wait, that contradicts something in part 1" moments. He switches to second person for a while, which is, never easy, but he pulls it off.

I requested this one because it might be an upcoming title I would like to review on my Youtube Channel. However, after reading the first several chapters I have determined that this book does not suit my tastes. So I decided to DNF this one.

Veniss Underground follows three narrators: Shadrach, Nicola, and Nick. Each of these narrators is told from a different perspective, and follows these characters through the underground levels of a city that consistently grow darker and darker in theme. As Nicola searches for her twin, we are shown a complex society that is interwoven with biotechnology that forces the reader to use their imagination to its fullest extent. While I was initially worried the changing of perspectives would be a bit much, I found that really highlighted Jeff Vandermeer’s raw talent for writing. As for world building, I was amazed at the level of detail and complexity Vandermeer was able to achieve in his first novel. It’s clear to me that path from this book to Annihilation and Borne, but wow it was absolutely fantastic to read. The voice actors were also incredible and were able to capture their characters perfectly.

Come for the cover, stay for the insanity! This was my first Vandermeer novel, so I went in not knowing what to expect. I’m glad I read this one first, because it’s his debut and maps out an environment relevant to his other works (including Ambergris, which I own and will probably be my next Vandermeer novel).
The story is told in 3 parts by 3 different people using 3 narrative styles. This journey follows the characters through underground labyrinths akin to Dante’s inferno. One thing I like about this novel is that Vandermeer paints a picture just enough for you to visualize what is happening, but still leaves a lot of it to your imagination. There’s sentient meerkats, elephant men, a mountain of legs, and so much body horror you could shake a deformed, clawed arm at. The language along with the unique elements makes this book a fever dream in the best possible way.

The audiobook contains lots of new Vandermeer extras, and I appreciated each character viewpoint being narrated by a different person.

Genre: Dystopian, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Horror
Format: Audiobook
Rating: 4.25/5
Pub Date: April 11 2023

Thank you NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the ALC. All opinions in this review are my own.

#NetGalley #VenissUnderground #JeffVandermeer

Jeff VanderMeer's Veniss Underground, is a strange and bizarre place where those who live underground are trapped in the inertia of a decayed system and those privileged to live where there is sunlight, are searching for the latest bio-spliced creatures. The novel is focused on three adults, the twin siblings Nicola and Nicholas (Nick) and Nicola's former romantic partner and fixer for Quin, Shadrach.

Nick is a struggling artist who has just had all his works stolen from him, already heavily in debt he thinks his problems will be solved if he can just get a bioengineered meerkat. He asks Shadrach for help and is directed to the mysterious Quin who seemingly rules the underworld. He swiftly gets in over his head. Nicola, after Nick misses a meeting, begins to search for him, and she too gets in over her head. This leaves Shadrach to pick up the pieces, descend into the underworld to try to save them or have revenge against those that harmed them.

It is an interesting twist on the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice or traditional tales of heaven and hell or even just an unequal society. VanderMeer's Veniss, below the surface is a sad decrepit place. There are miners continuing to mine out of tradition, groups of people living on what can be scrounged or recycled from the trash, a medical center full of butchered body parts that serves as an organ bank for the wealthy. Quin's realm is full of bioengineered creatures, including Quin himself. Creatures molded together from several different species.

I listened to the 2023 audiobook edition. Each of the characters had their own narrator who differentiated their voices wonderful, making it very easy to know who was speaking. This edition also had an afterword by VanderMeer and some story scraps that he wrote to build his way to this world, expanding on some of the featured charachter's back stories or motivations.

A frightening fantastical descent into the underworld in search of rescue or redemption. A concise heroes journey.

I seriously had no idea what I was getting myself into when I started listening to this audiobook, but holy moly were my expectations blown out of the WATER! I am so thankful to Jeff VanderMeer, NetGalley, and Blackstone Audio for granting me advanced access to this edition of Veniss Underground before it publishes on April 11, 2023.

This post-apocalyptic mad-max era underworld is highly dependent on street smarts and survival, what with steam punk zombie science taking place and assassin meerkats running around. Does that sound bizarre to you??? Imagine listening to this Sci-Fi madness!

<b>Review of the audiobook:</b>
4/5 stars
All of the narrators did a fantastic job, and it was a great decision to have each part of the novel (each different pov) be narrated by someone different, it helped give each of the characters a dynamic existence.


<b>Review of the book:</b>
3/5
Veniss Underground is a story told through three povs, three characters whose paths cross and link as we get deeper into the universe they live in. <i>(Two of them have the same name by the way, because why do simple when you can do complicated.)</i>

I've read a few other Jeff VanderMeer books and what I've really enjoyed of his style didn't feature as much in Veniss Underground. Because of how short the narrative is, and how full of dialogue and conflict between the characters it is, we don't get as many descriptions of the environment (one of VanderMeer's strengths in my opinion) and the world building doesn't feel as strong as it could have been. I also found the characters to be lacking the depth and intricate mental world that can be found in his other works (I'm thinking, for example, of The Biologist). In comparison, their motivations and thoughts didn't feel as developed (or as interesting honestly).

That said, Veniss Underground is Jeff VanderMeer's first published novel. Reading his others books has felt very "Wow, I've never read anything like this" while this one is like testing the waters of a style and universe, not fully yet as visually descriptive or "different" as the Southern Reach trilogy or Dead Astronauts. It was interesting to see some ideas being mentioned in Veniss Underground that later became fully fledged in other works.

Finally, the extra story added in the last 20% of the audiobook didn't really fit in the same book, especially without an introduction. It's quite surprising to have the book end at 77% of the audiobook with the Afterword and then there's still 2 hours left of the recording which wasn't announced at the beginning. It would have probably been less jarring in the physical book format, but I would have kept that story as a separate book anyways.


Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the opportunity to listen to this eARC.