Borne is the story of Rachel, a scavenger in a ruined world populated by bizarre 'biotech' - failed experiments left to rampage around terrorising what's left of humanity. Rachel comes across a weird plant/sea creature thingy,names it Borne, takes it in, watches it grow, becomes its mummy and then starts to question Borne's role in her life and in the wider world.

The main strengths of this book are VanderMeer's wild and weird ideas. Early on we are introduced to Mord, a kong-sized bear who wanders around smashing the shit out of buildings and murdering any life forms he comes across. Cool. Oh, and he can fly. That alone should guarantee a 5-star review.

But...the book has problems. I felt pacing was a real issue - after buying in to the world and it's inhabitants early on and being intrigued by what was ahead, I felt things got very bogged down in the middle section and there wasn't a strong narrative drive. I also felt some of the action scenes fell a little flat.

I'm glad I read Borne, and the imagery is strong enough to linger post-read but the slow pace prevented it from being a great read.

This was unfortunately not for me. Somehow the story coudnt grab me, even though I really liked the premise and the general 'weirdness' of the setting.

This is very dreamy , it feels dissociated but yet very specific.
The book reminds me a little of Jeff Noon it continues to move and develop as the story continues. and it is very interesting and very charged .

I felt at times it was too difficult to grab a footing in the text ,but it is propulsive and interesting and will make you wonder which has to be a good thing

This story takes place in an almost derelict city in the future. The Company, through experimentation and biotechnology, has produced monstrosities, including a huge bear which terrorises those still eking an existence there. Rachel, a scavenger, finds a plant-like creature in the bear’s fur and brings it home. She calls it Borne and as it grows and exhibits intelligence, she realises she loves it/him like a child of her own. Other powers are at work in the city but the existence of Borne changes the balance.

I found this book thoroughly gripping from the very first. It reminded me of science fiction stories of my younger days which were able to take me out of my own world and into one completely different, and usually far more horrific. The style was thoughtful, occasionally lyrical and always totally entertaining. Heartily recommended.