In Borne, a young woman named Rachel survives as a scavenger in a ruined city half destroyed by drought and conflict. The city is dangerous, littered with discarded experiments from the Companya biotech firm now derelictand punished by the unpredictable predations of a giant bear. Rachel ekes out an existence in the shelter of a run-down sanctuary she shares with her partner, Wick, who deals his own homegrown psychoactive biotech. One day, Rachel finds Borne during a scavenging mission and takes him home. Borne as salvage is little more than a green lumpplant or animal?but exudes a strange charisma. Borne reminds Rachel of the marine life from the island nation of her birth, now lost to rising seas. There is an attachment she resents: in this world any weakness can kill you. Yet, against her instinctsand definitely against Wick’s wishesRachel keeps Borne. She cannot help herself. Borne, learning to speak, learning about the world, is fun to be with, and in a world so broken that innocence is a precious thing. For Borne makes Rachel see beauty in the desolation around her. She begins to feel a protectiveness she can ill afford. But as Borne grows, he begins to threaten the balance of power in the city and to put the security of her sanctuary with Wick at risk. For the Company, it seems, may not be truly dead, and new enemies are creeping in. What Borne will lay bare to Rachel as he changes is how precarious her existence has been, and how dependent on subterfuge and secrets. In the aftermath, nothing may ever be the same.
Review
"Creepy and fascinating."-- "Stephen King, #1 New York Times bestselling author"
"Reading like a dispatch from a world lodged somewhere between science fiction, myth, and a video game...Something more than just weird fiction: weird literature."-- "Publishers Weekly (starred review)"
"Superb: a protagonist and a tale sure to please fans of smart, literate fantasy and science fiction."-- "Kirkus Reviews (starred review)"
About the Author
Jeff VanderMeer is an award-winning novelist and editor. His fiction has been translated into twenty languages and has appeared in the Library of Americas American Fantastic Tales and in multiple anthologies. VanderMeer also writes for the Guardian, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and New York Times Book Review, among others. He grew up in the Fiji Islands and now lives in Tallahassee, Florida, with his wife.
Literature & FictionLiteraryScience Fiction & FantasyFantasyScience FictionDystopian
Jeff VanderMeer is a writer and editor whose fiction merges elements of science fiction, fantasy, and the weird. His stories frequently examine the intricate connection between humanity and the natural world, uncovering strange and sometimes unsettling phenomena. He is widely recognized for the Southern Reach trilogy, which delves into the enigma of Area X, a cryptic and potentially extraterrestrial zone. Beyond this series, his novels such as Borne, Hummingbird Salamander, and Dead Astronauts depict futures shaped by biotechnology, environmental collapse, and the rise of unusual new lifeforms. VanderMeer has also co-edited several notable anthologies, including The New Weird, The Weird, and The Big Book of Science Fiction, often working alongside his wife, Ann VanderMeer.
In Borne, a young woman named Rachel survives as a scavenger in a ruined city half destroyed by drought and conflict. The city is dangerous, littered with discarded experiments from the Companya biotech firm now derelictand punished by the unpredictable predations of a giant bear. Rachel ekes out an existence in the shelter of a run-down sanctuary she shares with her partner, Wick, who deals his own homegrown psychoactive biotech. One day, Rachel finds Borne during a scavenging mission and takes him home. Borne as salvage is little more than a green lumpplant or animal?but exudes a strange charisma. Borne reminds Rachel of the marine life from the island nation of her birth, now lost to rising seas. There is an attachment she resents: in this world any weakness can kill you. Yet, against her instinctsand definitely against Wick’s wishesRachel keeps Borne. She cannot help herself. Borne, learning to speak, learning about the world, is fun to be with, and in a world so broken that innocence is a precious thing. For Borne makes Rachel see beauty in the desolation around her. She begins to feel a protectiveness she can ill afford. But as Borne grows, he begins to threaten the balance of power in the city and to put the security of her sanctuary with Wick at risk. For the Company, it seems, may not be truly dead, and new enemies are creeping in. What Borne will lay bare to Rachel as he changes is how precarious her existence has been, and how dependent on subterfuge and secrets. In the aftermath, nothing may ever be the same.
Review
"Creepy and fascinating."-- "Stephen King, #1 New York Times bestselling author"
"Reading like a dispatch from a world lodged somewhere between science fiction, myth, and a video game...Something more than just weird fiction: weird literature."-- "Publishers Weekly (starred review)"
"Superb: a protagonist and a tale sure to please fans of smart, literate fantasy and science fiction."-- "Kirkus Reviews (starred review)"
About the Author
Jeff VanderMeer is an award-winning novelist and editor. His fiction has been translated into twenty languages and has appeared in the Library of Americas American Fantastic Tales and in multiple anthologies. VanderMeer also writes for the Guardian, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and New York Times Book Review, among others. He grew up in the Fiji Islands and now lives in Tallahassee, Florida, with his wife.
Literature & FictionLiteraryScience Fiction & FantasyFantasyScience FictionDystopianPost-Apocalyptic
Jeff VanderMeer is a writer and editor whose fiction merges elements of science fiction, fantasy, and the weird. His stories frequently examine the intricate connection between humanity and the natural world, uncovering strange and sometimes unsettling phenomena. He is widely recognized for the Southern Reach trilogy, which delves into the enigma of Area X, a cryptic and potentially extraterrestrial zone. Beyond this series, his novels such as Borne, Hummingbird Salamander, and Dead Astronauts depict futures shaped by biotechnology, environmental collapse, and the rise of unusual new lifeforms. VanderMeer has also co-edited several notable anthologies, including The New Weird, The Weird, and The Big Book of Science Fiction, often working alongside his wife, Ann VanderMeer.