Borne by Jeff Vandermeer...book review

Borne by Jeff Vandermeer (2017)

This is the most recent version of cover art, but the thing on the front does not really seem to me like the creature that is described in the book.

I heard about this book from various literary sources as a hot title for 2017, and after reading the sample on my kindle decided to continue on and read the whole book. This is probably one of the weirdest books I've ever read besides Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick. You have to be able to suspend all logical belief and accept bizarre realities when you delve into this post-apocalyptic, eco-disaster type of book that seems like a melding of Science Fiction and Fantasy put together. 

Depiction of the giant murderous bear Mord.

In this book you will find a giant Godzilla type flying monster bear, memory beetles, alcohol minnows, bio tech run amok, scenes of pollution and desolation and a blobby anemone type creature that learns to talk and can't stop "sampling" any kind of life it encounters. The dialogue between the books narrator, Rachel, and the blobby creature Borne (which is where the book gets its title) is entertaining, heart warming and heart breaking at the same time. 

An entry in the Bourne art contest, from the author's blog.

Overall, this book has a dark tone and its rather like a grizzly auto accident that you can't look away from. It makes you think, makes you depressed, and tends to drag a bit in the middle by almost being too morose. 

The ending did satisfy me but it certainly did not tie up all the loose ends that were brought up in the book as the story unfolds, if it had been too neatly explained at the end it would have ruined the books impact in my opinion. Vandermeer fans will enjoy the descriptive, lyrical writing of the author but be prepared for some emotional baggage as you read it. I can't figure out if I liked reading it or regret it. I am not in a hurry to read more books by this author, but he does have a fantastic imagination and a talent for pulling you into the world in the book. During the reading I was recovering from a partial disability so it fit with the emotional zone I was in at the time.