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Borne

By: Jeff VanderMeer
Narrated by: Bahni Turpin
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Publisher's Summary

A FINANCIAL TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR

The dark, dangerous, funny and uplifting new novel from the author of Annihilation, the inspiration for the major motion picture directed by Alex Garland.

‘Neither of us had control of our monsters anymore’

In a ruined city of the future, Rachel scavenges a strange creature from the fur of a despotic bear.

She names him Borne.

He reminds her of her homeland lost to rising seas, but her lover Wick is intent on rendering him down as raw material for the special drugs he sells. Nothing is quite what it seems, and if Wick is hiding secrets, so too is Rachel – and Borne most of all.

©2017 VanderMeer Creative Inc. (P)2017 Blackstone Audio

Critic Reviews

‘Jeff VanderMeer’s Southern Reach Trilogy was an ever-creeping map of the apocalypse; with Borne he continues his investigation into the malevolent grace of the world, and it's a thorough marvel’ Colson Whitehead

‘Jeff VanderMeer’s deeply strange and brilliant new novel extends the meditation on the central question of non-human sentience in his earlier work … No one writes a post-apocalyptic landscape like VanderMeer, so detailed and strange in all its lineaments and topography’ Neel Mukherjee, Guardian

‘From being a very successful SF writer, VanderMeer will become mainstream – and Borne is full of signs that he is already thinking ahead of that easy transition, and perhaps subverting it’ Toby Litt, New Statesman

‘No one writes a post-apocalyptic landscape like VanderMeer, so detailed and strange in all its lineaments and topography, at once a wasteland and yet seething with the weirdest kind of flora, fauna and biotech’ Neel Mukherjee, Observer

‘As Borne grows and evolves, so develops a weird family dynamic in a novel that is as much of a fascinating hybrid as its title character, both an enthralling fantasy adventure and a bleak eco-dystopic admonition’ James Lovegrove, Financial Times

‘Borne is a fantastic read, a vivid vision of an apocalyptic future that defies expectations and challenges any preconceptions as to how events are going to unfold. It can be disturbing at times – there are some chilling moments that wouldn’t be out of place in a horror novel – but it’s a book that ultimately transcends genre, offering its reader a range of emotions and a finale that provides more than one twist, all of which should be applauded. Rachel’s story is one that will stay in the memory for a long time; VanderMeer shares her hopes and dreams with us, as well as her failures and concerns, making Borne an intimate portrayal that appeals on a multitude of levels’ Starburst

What listeners say about Borne

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VanderMeer is a Wizard

J.V has an amazing voice as a story teller. Definitely give this or any of his works a listen!

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great

good biotech science fiction story, good characters and world building.
really enjoyed it, will be looking at other books by Jeff.

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Great, just not for me.

I think an excellent book, but a little bit too uncomfortable for my personal taste. If you enjoy a challenging read I think you'd like this more.

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Compelling writing

Not really my kind of sci fi, but within the realms of plausibility. Most importantly, this is a deeply human description at of our most open best.

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1 person found this helpful

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Disarmingly charming

The world and the relationships in this book really surprised me. It was such a rich and terrible landscape of creatures and emotions. Its more profound that it at first appears.

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Weird

A masterwork of Weird fiction. More creative than Lovecraft, and with a social conscience. Creative, bizarre, fun, and very Weird.

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I really enjoyed Borne

I really enjoyed Borne. If you like weird and wonderful Sci Fi then this is for you.

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.......ummm what did I read!?!

this book will make you think, it will also make you wonder half the time what did I just read. it gave me the mixed feelings of love and hate! kept me interested.

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not as good as his previous work.

Bourne starts great but towards the end it just seemed rushed and uninteresting. I more then likely won't bother with the next two installments.

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