This was a different genre for me but I really enjoyed it. It is very prosaic and well written.
Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Vanished Birds is the debut novel from short fiction author Simon Jimenez. It was not a book on my radar at first (although one of my favorite authors blurbed it, so it might've been later), but after a review of another book by the same publisher, that publisher (Del-Rey) offered it to me for a preview if I wanted it on Netgalley, so I figured I'd give it a shot.

I'm really glad I did, because The Vanished Birds is a fascinating Sci-Fi novel about the trade-offs and sacrifices made and chosen when one pursues one's professional - and sometimes non-professional, dreams, especially the sacrifices of one's family, loved ones and personal connections. It's a story of selfishness and searches for redemption, and of characters who are very three dimensional and conflicted from beginning to end. I use the word "interesting" or "fascinating" quite a bit on this blog, but The Vanished Birds truly deserves these labels, and if it doesn't succeed at hitting every theme/idea it touches, it does a pretty good job exploring most of them and is a book I should really reread a second time to get the most out of it.
---------------------------------------------------Plot Summary----------------------------------------------
Kaeda was a man from a small farming world, on the fringes of galactic civilization, who fell in love with a woman from the stars, a captain named Nia Imani, who came back every 15 years or so, only a bit older, to trade for their product. And when a boy from the stars crash lands on the planet, Kaeda can think of nothing to do but give the boy - a boy who loves music - to Nia to return to the stars.

Nia Imani was a captain on the independent trade ship Debby, with a past she's escaped and a crew she somewhat thinks of as family, and who was used to leaving and coming back to places with time barely moving for her and years passing for everyone else. But having the boy aboard seems to change something for Nia, even as it puts her at odds with her crew, as she can't seem to part with him.

Fumiko Nakajima was born a thousand years ago, when she cast aside her one moment of love to work for a soulless corporation on the project that would send humans to space. Now, as that corporation controls and restricts all it touches, and seeks further expansion into the galaxy, Fumiko acts publicly as a celebrity, but secretly wishes to find some redemption. And when she discovers the boy and his connection to Nia, she sees a chance to act, providing Nia with a new crew and a mission of caring for the boy as he grows up.

For the boy, who seems at first mute, may possess a power that could transform humankind, and Nia and her new crew must teach him as he grows so that he can bring that power to fruition. But as the years go by, Nia, the boy, and the rest of the crew's loves change, bringing a confrontation that will change the Galaxy - and more importantly the lives of Nia, Fumiko, and the Boy, forever.
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The Vanished Birds is a fascinating book in many ways, one of which is its structure, which jumps perspectives from chapter to chapter, often taking the perspectives of characters whose stories we may never see again - including that of the first chapter. At one point in fact, the book's narrative follows the diary entries of a side character for a particularly long chapter out of nowhere, and then never returns to that perspective or diary again. The book is not at all about a single overarching plotline, really, so this works really well to carry the story and the reader's interest.

Instead it's a book about people, their choices and the costs of those choices, particularly in what they give up to make them. Multiple members of the cast all have moments in their past, most notably Fumiko and Nia, where they make choices to further their futures at the expense of the loves and families they've already found. In the case of Nia - who's our most prominent character - that first involved deserting her family and later involved her taking actions in her seemingly selfish desire to protect the boy that ostracize her from the crew members she has come to trust, particularly one such member she was really close with. In the case of Fumiko, she found her one true love just before she was ready to start the job that would eventually change the galaxy, only to choose that job over her love....causing her to feel miserable and lonely, and to try and make up for it all over the years by trying to save people similarly wrecked. The rest of the major cast has similar such backstories and choices, for instance, and its a fascinating use of this science fiction story to show personal costs of chasing desires, professional and otherwise, and how hard it can be. There are no easy answers here by the way.

Then of course there's the one character who doesn't quite fit this framework, the Boy himself, who hasn't yet made those ill-fated choices just yet. Over the course of this book, he comes of age, and minor spoiler, he'll begin to find himself wanting to make such a choice, as the only other option is to be restricted in captivity with Nia and her crew. His choices and his bonds to the others, particularly Nia, drive everything in the end towards the book's introspective conclusion, as they drive the other characters to also make choices when it all comes to a head that take them down their own final paths, for good or for ill. It's really fascinating to read.

If I have an issue with The Vanished Birds it's that not all of its ideas are really followed up upon to their fullest. The oppressive soulless corporation provides a strong backdrop for the setting and much of the conflict, but still almost feels out of place in a book dealing more with personal relations and desires and professional dreams and the sacrifices of existing loves and families - yeah it's an example of the sheer coldness of it all, but its existence as a clear enemy just seems unexplored and unnecessary.

Still, it's a minor issue, and The Vanished Birds in the end is such an interesting book - one that could definitely inspire a whole essay or two on its exploration of these ideas. I am....not the writer to make such an essay, but I greatly encourage you to give it a try for a really interesting use of the genre, so that you can see and think about these ideas yourself.

The Vanished Birds tells a story of love, friendship, family, betrayal, and music. It’s the story of Nia, a broken captain who finds a connection with a boy Ahro, and how far she will go to protect him. It’s the story of Ahro and his connection to music and how it connects him to those around him. Set against the backdrop of the stars, The Vanished Birds will capture your heart and imagination.

I loved Nia, the rough captain with baggage to last centuries. I also loved her crews she had, and how she made the Debby feel like a family. I’m a sucker for space families. Ahro was adorable, and I enjoyed seeing him grow up. The theme of music throughout the book was wonderful, and the lyrical quality of the book makes the story perfect.

The world building was unique and fascinating. I’m always fascinated by new worlds that are concocted in the minds of authors, and the worlds of The Vanished Birds is no exception. I love the concept of the Pelican, and Umbai is about as sinister as Weyland-Yutani from the Alien movies.

As much as I love the book, it was a bit confusing at first. The first part of the book plays out like a novella, and I’m still not sure that much of the book needed to be dedicated to showing Nia’s connection to Umbai V. I know part of this is to show the passing of time in relation to what happens later in the story, but it still felt like a completely different story. There were other parts of the book I felt could have been tightened up as well, such as Fumiko’s story. The main characters are supposed to be Nia and Ahro, so the change in point of views to other characters was welcome in some areas, but fell flat in others despite the purpose it may have served.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. 2020 science fiction is off to a fantastic start with The Vanished Birds!
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book as an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was on the fence about reviewing The Vanished Birds. To make up my mind, I read the first four reviews on Goodreads. That is something I never do, but I was conflicted. The reviews were evenly conflicted about the book. So, I decided to take a chance on it. For the most part, it was a good book. But some parts made me wonder why they were written, even after finishing the book.

The Vanished Birds had a slow to a medium-paced plotline. When the book focused on Nia and her relationship with Ahro/their travels until he was 16, the book moved at a medium-paced. But, when the book focused on Fumiko Nakajima (past and present) and her travels, it slowed to a crawl. I will be honest; I skimmed over a large part of her story. I started paying attention when she was on the secret base and the events afterward.

I enjoyed reading about the type of space travel that Nia used to go between planets. It fascinated me. I couldn’t imagine being in space for what I would have thought would be a few months and to find out that 15 years have passed.

Nia was a tough cookie to like during the book. She made some questionable decisions that affected the people around her. Nia kept people are arm’s length. She did unbend, slightly, when she met Ahro. She unbent, even more, when Fumiko asked her to keep him safe for 15 years. But, I couldn’t quite bring myself to like her.

When Fumiko was introduced in The Vanished Birds, I didn’t understand what her role was. I mean, it was explained relatively early on that she was the founder of the colonies in space, and she invented the engine that allowed space travel. But I didn’t know why her backstory was being told. It didn’t go with the flow of Nia’s story. Even when her story was brought to the present, I still wondered: “Why?” I also wondered why she was so invested in Ahro. It was explained, and it didn’t show her in a good light.

I loved Ahro. I loved seeing his character growth throughout the book. I wasn’t prepared for what his secret was, though. I honestly thought that it had something to do with music and his affinity for it. So, when it was revealed, I was shocked. I loved watching his relationship with Nia and her crew grow, which made what happened and who caused it such a shock.

I do wish that more time had been spent on the times they visited the planets. There were so many locations!!! All exotic and all made me want more. But that didn’t happen.

I wasn’t a fan of the last half of the book. I had questions about what was going to happen to Nia and Ahro once the dust settles. I also had questions about Fumiko. I can only assume what happened to her. And then there is the question about where Ahro originally came from and who The Kind One was.

Life is very strange for Nia Imani. She traveled through time while in stasis. Still young and feeling like only a few months have passed, she is left with nothing but work as her family and friends have all passed on. One day a young boy falls from the sky, only able to communicate with music. Nia is happy to take him in as her own, but something is yearning to tear them apart.

While this is a powerful book, it didn't really strike a cord with me. I feel like a devoted science fiction fan would really enjoy this book.

A mute child appears mysteriously on a planet and finds himself placed in the care of a ship’s captain. The pair forming a solid bond on the short trip to their next company stop. As a result, Captain Imani finds herself agreeing to a strange and dangerous contract to keep the boy--who may wield an astonishing power—safe. It’s a dystopia and space opera, as well as a story of found and made family and about the choices that shape lives.

Nia's life is arranged to minimize emotional baggage. She and her crew collect the harvest of a backwater world and deliver it to civilization, their repeated journeys through pocket space meaning the decades pass in a blink. Then a mysterious mute boy appears on the isolated planet and the unnerved locals foist him off on Nia. Their surprising bond is so strong she accepts an absurd contract just to keep him. If he's as special as her employer believes, the boy could change humanity forever, but Nia just wants to keep her little family safe. A lovely blend of myth and scifi.

The Vanishing Birds
by Simon Jimenez


This is a truly epic science fiction adventure across time and space. A large cast of characters, lots of political drama, serious issues and 400 pages. Sigh. 400 pages that dragged and wandered all over the rather slim plot. Maybe I completely missed the point of it all. Only in the last 50 pages did Simon Jimenez's novel come alive. I read The Vanishing Birds courtesy of NetGalley and Penguin Random House Publishers. I appreciated the opportunity, I just wish the book lived up to its advanced reviews.

The premise of the book is intriguing. A young boy falls from space. He is naked, appears mute, and is unhurt.A woman, who captains a commercial space transport capable of jumping through time, takes the mysterious boy in to live amongst her crew. Their story, and that of many other who connect with the boy, fills the windy, winding novel. I was tempted to give up about a quarter of the way in, but after coming that far, I will still hoping the novel would be much more that the sum of its vast parts. It wasn't.

A Sci-Fi adventure.

Nia Imani travels through time. Years are like months for her, but not for the people she has loved and known. They age, they die, but not Nia. Solitary Nia.

But on one of her stops, she meets a boy that fell from the sky. The people in the area would just as soon see him gone. He doesn't speak, just plays the flute that long ago Nia gave to a man.

When Nia leaves she takes the boy with her and together they travel the skies, each filling in the empty spots in each others life.  They become a family. But that is also threatened. The past wants the boy back and what will Nia do when it finds him?

Good Read.

NetGalley/ January 14th, 2020 by Del Rey Books

At first time the story about mute, naked boy who recently fell from the sky and found himself at the doorstep of the village leader Kaeda’s house attracted my attention. The mute boy’s way of using communication is using a wooden flute to create his magical music.

Kaeda protects the boy and shelters him till the next scheduled Nia’s ship when the village suffering from an uproar.
I mostly enjoyed the lyrical depictions and way of story-telling of the author ( I think he has a great potential and he is gonna be one of a successful sci-fi writers in the fear future. It could be easily seen by his choices about the words and gift of combining the different stories) but when it comes to Nia’s ship crew and Pelican Station parts, I started to lose my attention and began to yawn because slowly this book turned into my obligation to finish which I didn’t like it.

It includes militarism, power games, metaphysical elements, family bounding, communal problems, space traveling. It’s a great start for the debut writer but not my kind of favorite reading. Especially after the middle parts, I was about dropping out but for my respect to the author’s efforts I finished it.
I’m still looking forward to read the upcoming projects of the author.

Thanks to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for sharing this ARC COPY in exchange my honest review.

This book blew me away. Easily a favorite book of the year. And honestly, its the kinda of book one should go into blind, It's Sci-fi, but not overly technical, it reads more like a dream than science class, so if your looking for a jumping in point for Sci-fi this is it. Beautiful and haunting. The Vanished Birds is a stunning debut novel about what it is to be human on a grand scale and touching on issues of today. It's exactly the book I didn't know I needed, and one that will stay in your mind long after you close the cover.

This was a great science fiction blended with the past. Wonder and magic come head to head in this great story. This wasn't what I expected but everything I fell in love with. The tale set across time was one that will make you think where the story is going only to surprise you in the end. With a multitude of characters and one killer story I am excited to see what else this author has for us. This was a great debut!

Well written with both rich characters and rich world building. The story, while too slow for me at times, is so well done, you won't mind the slow bits much.

The Vanished Birds is a piece of beautiful and precise writing that is rare in a debut novel. Jimenez has crafted words and characters that draw you in and make you care for the characters, specifically for a unique child and his guardian. As the story unfolds, the bond that develops between them strengthens and slowly adds insight to how it all might fit together. This reader found Nia, the boy's guardian, most fascinating because she was a common thread through time and space and often questioned her choices while wanting the best for everyone she worked with. At times I wasn't quite sure what direction the story was heading, however the entire story comes together by the end. I look forward to more from Simon Jimenez in the future.

Excellent read. I wasn’t sure where it was going but stuck with it to the very bitter end! Well worth it.

I received a copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. I’ll start by saying that I look forward to this author’s next book. Sections of this book hint at great talent, particularly the middle, but overall I found this book frustrating and the style inconsistent. The beginning and end read like a fable, while the middle is more hard science fiction, with a lovely found-family story running through it. I go back and forth between thinking this book needed stricter editing and thinking it needed to be expanded. More of a miss overall than a hit but, again, I'm very interested in seeing what Jimenez comes up with next.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Set in the future, the novel follows some fearless career women who are torn between progress and following their hearts.

I appreciate the poetic writing style of the author. The words come from a very talented person. They paint an elaborate picture of the world and space. The characters are dynamic and alive. Mr. Jimenez clearly has great potential as an author.

Unfortunately, I was unable to finish the book. This is not my style of reading. I don't need to read about someone's pubic hair nor the intimate things people do with each other. For me, this is a non-recommend. I see this book making a big splash, though, with modern readers.

This was one of the creepiest "life at a private school" stories I have read. I *loved* it!!!! It held my attention from the first sentence and I was sad when it was over, glad to be able to breathe again but sad it was done.

This book was intriguing...and baffling. I liked the first half fine, but it got weird once they got to the spaceship. I stayed confused from then on. Right until the last few pages. It came together in the end.

It's a journey and a heartbreak all in one.

Due only to my immense confusion during most of the book I am giving it 3 stars. It's closer to 3.8, to be honest. I don't think I can say too much more without spoilers.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book.