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Borne

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Borne

By: Jeff VanderMeer
Narrated by: Bahni Turpin
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About this listen

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.

Fantasy Fiction Genre Fiction Horror Literary Fiction Post-Apocalyptic Science Fiction Steampunk Scary Heartfelt Mind-bending Emotionally Gripping

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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

All stars
Most relevant
Brilliant New Weird story with a heartwarming cast and great narration from Bahni Turpin.

Wonderful narrator for a wonderful story

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Mad, beautiful, gross, funny and sad…
I’d recommend this book to any soft sci-fi fan or anyone with an interest in biology, climate and the future of our planet. Although, if you haven’t already, perhaps read the Southern Reach trilogy first because this book seems to exist in a similar universe. It seems less serious than the Southern Reach trilogy, more tongue-in-cheek and sometimes consciously silly but the themes discussed and concerns raised are significant.

In some of the more despairing moments I wondered if I could continue listening through the apparent hopelessness of it all but I couldn’t leave it for long without knowing more about Borne. The end is a little ‘safe’ but overall this book is worth your time.

Bizarre, fascinating…

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I love Jeff VanderMeer's mind - his imagination is extraordinary. He writes beautifully, and empathically, and although Borne is set in a bleak and frightening a post apocalyptic landscape it ends on a note of profound optimism.

This lyrical, hopeful book asks: What is consciousness? What is a person? What is it to be human and non human? VanderMeer explores profound issues of identity in a novel which is superbly structured, with not a word out of place, with characters that matter to the reader, and with a message of redemption.

All this, and it's read perfectly, gorgeously, by Bahni Turpin.

Personally I couldn't ask for more.

There May Be Hope...

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A fascinating world full of strange and wonderful characters. There are parallels to some of Miéville's writing, but VanderMeer has his own unique and compelling voice. I've never liked a monster as much as I liked Borne.

Superb

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I love this style of storytelling, I can picture everything that's going on. Characters are well developed and the premise leaves you questioning the attitudes and mortality in an interesting way

Another fabulous VanderMeer

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