Borne

There are parts of this book that are absolutely amazing, usually the more actiony sequences. Although I admire VanderMeer's melding of character-driven literary fiction and dystopian sci-fi, I'd really love to see him write a more traditional genre novel. I think it would be fantastic.

My struggle in reading and fully enjoying this novel came from the main character, Rachel. Rachel is a scavenger, scouring a dangerous wasteland for anything that will help her and her boyfriend Wick survive a little while longer. My problem with Rachel is that she is the most boring character in the book. Wick is a brooding and secretive bio-engineer/drug dealer. Rachel has a sentient shape-shifting plant thing named Borne. A giant flying murderous bear is battling a magician for control of the wasteland. The bear has even more murderous little bears and the magician has equally murderous modified children fighting for her. There's also a mysterious Company, the presumptive source of the apocalypse that led to this post-apocalyptic wasteland. But most of the novel focuses on Rachel and her attempts to act as a sort of parent to Borne.

I hate to say it, but I think I would have enjoyed this novel more if it had featured the alternating point of view structure (the Gone Girl, if you will) that I am otherwise growing tired of because ever other book is using it. I wanted to see more of the world of the novel, more of the giant murderous bear, more of the magician. But Rachel spends a great deal of the novel hiding in her apartment. This is perfectly understandable and believable (THERE'S A GIANT BEAR FLYING AROUND!), but it left me wanting more (HOW CAN THE GIANT BEAR FLY!?!)