Book: The Vanished Birds
Author: Simon Jimenez
Rating: 4 Out of 5 Stars

I would like to thank the publisher, Del Rey Books, for sending me an ARC.

I was honestly surprised about the direction this book went. I guess if I had read the summary a little bit closer, it would not have caught me off guard as much. I was sent an ARC because I loved The Bear and the Nightingale, so I was expecting something along those lines. Yes, it started out like that, but things changed. It really took me, but I ended up really enjoying it. I was expecting a fantasy and got a science fiction book instead.

I love the rich writing and how Simon really took the time to flesh out the world. It feels like you are experiencing the story right along with the characters and I love that. I love how much detail goes into just writing a simple scene. I could just picture the world right along with the characters. Not only that, but I was able to feel what the characters were feeling. I just love it whenever authors pour in so much raw emotion into their books.

I also liked that it was hard to tell just where the story was going. Yes, it started out feeling like a fantasy story, then we are thrown into the science fiction elements. Not only that, but there are a lot of hard questions in here. We explore the world of a designer baby and what could happen as a result of that. We have space travel and getting to see the characters in different elements. We have the question of doing what it right and easy. We also get to see loose and all of that.

This is not really the fastest paced novel. Sure, there’s a lot of stuff in here, but this is not an action packed read. This is more character based-I think it is anyway. This is one of those novels in which we get to feel things rather than actually having the fastest moving plot. It’s fine; it works very well here. Now, did I think that some parts went on for longer than they should? Yes, which is why I gave this book a four star rating. Now, did I enjoy the slower pacing? Yes.

I’m just putting this out here that this may not be the best book for everyone. It is slower paced with a really in depth world and equally detailed characters. It does have a plot, but it may not be as fast moving as what some people like.

This book doesn’t come out for a while, so you may have to wait to read it. The Vanished Birds will be released on January 14, 2020.

Youtube: https://youtu.be/_pYY4gWwhwQ

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley.

What an astonishingly deep, meaningful book--one that I fully expect to be up for awards next year. Even more remarkable that this is the author's debut. That said, I didn't find it to be a flawless work, especially at the very end.

The cover copy mentions that the book is about 'space and time,' but that minimizes the book's true genre. It ends up being straight-out space opera with very literary-style elements. The book starts out on a world that has a vibe of rural Africa or Asia, where people live and harvest and await a space transport every 15 years that will pick up their wares. A boy crash lands there. He has no ship, no clothes, and no voice. He's taken in by a man who presents him with a flute given to him by an interstellar trader. The boy becomes obsessed with the instrument. When the trader returns again--unaged, due to the nature of space flight--she agrees to take the strange child for treatment and to find out the mystery of his origins.

The book flows between many points of view, though it primarily follows Nia--the starship captain-and the boy, who comes to be known as Ahro. At times, the transitions in POV come as a bit of a jolt. The mystery around the boy continues to build: Who is he? What is he? When his mystery gains the attention of a 1000-year-old famed scientist of old Earth, the book shifts in a very unexpected way. Really, much of the book's plot comes as a surprise, which is refreshing for me as I normally can predict things a bit too well.

Like so many great science fiction books right now, <i>The Vanishes Birds</i> explores the innate nature of what defines humanity--love, found family, faith in one another--against a fascinating far-future. It's beautiful. Sometimes disturbing. And always, heart-wrenchingly human.

Then comes the ending. I won't state any spoilers, but I will say that something about the end feels... off. I can't put my finger on what I would do differently, though. I like that it's not a cookie-cutter happy ending, but a resolution that involves considerable time and work. At the same time... I don't know. It didn't ruin the book for me, not by any means, but neither did it resolve what I hoped it would resolve for all of the major characters.

This book is amazing, and I don't say that lightly. It feels like Ursula K. Le Guin at her best, perfectly spliced with the best Heinlein juvenile out there. That's not to say this is a juvenile by any stretch, but it shares some similarities, given that one of the protagonists is a child growing up throughout the novel. Also, the word novel isn't quite right, either. The story is told through a series of well connected stories that shift from one character's viewpoint to another's, often changing style completely. For example, one section is composed entirely of one of the character's diary entries.

A very unique approach, by the way, in that it helps not only to move the story along, but also to answer the many questions that crop up along the way, and whose answers aren't known by any one protagonist.

The story itself is a tragedy unfolding throughout a space ballad. The characters are all loveable, in their own way, even the very flawed ones. The universe this author created is one in which space travel and commerce are controlled by a monolithic company, and crossing light years takes little time for those traveling, but years elapse for the rest of the universe, in often unpredictable fashion.

One character, the child, may offer a solution to that time slippage problem, and is being sought after by different parties, and protected by one of the other main characters. The story draws you in, though I admit I was initially put off by the shifting viewpoints. By the third chapter, I wasn't noticing it any more, I'd been lured into the story too deeply.

Simon develops the social impact of his universe masterfully, and indeed, if this is his debut novel, I'm going to be eagerly on the lookout for his future work. If he improves from this great start, he's going to soon be challenging the established grandmasters of the genre. This is science fiction at its best, and I'm very glad I was given the opportunity to review it before its release in a few months.

I suppose everyone come up against a novel that utterly frustrates attempts at writing a review. The one which leaves you with a sense of ambiguity and no way to explain what you think about it because you still aren't sure.

World building: A

Character Depth: A

Prose: A

but...

Theme: wonders/horrors of science? colonialism? friendship and family? betrayal? the never changing flaws of society? Such a mixture of thematic elements and development.

A fresh and unusual science fiction novel that defies classification and for me, explanation.

Absorbing, haunting, and difficult to pin down.

Read in September; blog review scheduled for Dec. 30.

NetGalley/Random House
Science Fiction. Jan. 14, 2020. Print length: 400 pages.

A unique and powerful story, woven through years and miles. Poetic and yet occasionally brutal. The world the author has created is even parts hard to imagine and easy to envision. Woven through is the music which threads through the lives and hold them powerfully together. Highly recommend.

I'm sorry to say that I could not get past the halfway mark in this novel. The pacing is glacial and the author introduces several characters who simply disappear. Kaeda plays a big role in the first third of the novel, is this only to show us that Nia has almost no emotional connections to other people, or so that we see how his people live on their agricultural planet? Once Nia agrees to Nakajima's contract and takes off with the boy, the outline of the rest was coming clear and it wasn't attractive. I skipped to the end to confirm, and yes, the second half is as depressing and pointless as the first.

I really liked The Vanished Birds by Simon Jimenez. I wasn't sure I would since I don't tend to read much science fiction, but the characters were so fascinating. The story was realistic and sucked me in immediately, and while it was sometimes complicated and multi-layered, it was a book I couldn't put down. We will definitely be purchasing for our library. Thank you so much!

A beautifully written science fiction story about love, belonging, exploration, capitalism, and fear. The evolving narration is skillfully handled, bringing depth and additional perspectives to the story while keeping it focused on Nia and Ahro. The story at times moves slowly; it's character driven rather than action-driven, but the world building and character development is well done, so I never felt the book was moving too slowly. I was disappointed by a few small things at the end, but they didn't affect my enjoyment of the book. An excellent first novel overall and one that I will recommend to others. I look forward to reading more by Jimenez in the future.

I absolutely love this book. It’s realistic, futuristic, heartbreaking, understandable, and spell-binding. It was hard to put down and get back to real life. I can see such a corporate ecosystem spring up so easily... potentially even if flight is never found and we stay grounded. That combined with amazing characters, futuristic tech, and a spell binding storyline makes a fantastic read.

Fair warning: this review is a bit Adjective laden. I apologize right here and now...some things had to be expressed ... verbosely.

Well well well... This lucky find was a true work of art! It was a magnificently wrapped present that I didn't know I absolutely had to have in my life until I tore into it. It was a lot of things (mostly all sorts of awesome) but it was also somewhat tricky to whittle down to bite size pieces without giving away too much of what I believe to be spoiler material. Soooo I won't regale you with my regurgitated version of the synopsis, better writers than I have succinctly captured its essence. What I will say is that I categorically loved this read!! It beautifully showcased the literary genius that is Simon Jimenez's mind.


Let's start off with the basics. The story was primarily character driven and oh how I lost myself in their depths. The world building, on the other hand, was ethereal, resplendent, and quite impressive but the stars of the show were most definitely the Characters. The Characters were (at times) resilient, hopeful, brave, (at other times) bereft, defiant, and (always) adventurous pioneers... in other words, they were perfectly flawed human beings like the rest of us. The writing was skillful and seasoned without being pretentious. The prose, delicate and not overpowering. The way the characters and their situations were presented were both tasteful and seductive. There were interwoven vignettes that were equal parts gorgeous, traumatizing and oh so poignant. I absolutely adored each character's contribution to the finely woven tapestry, BUT I was a little confused towards the end. I'll have to revisit the last few pages to make sure I got exactly what was being intimated ... AHEM, Ahro's birth (birth mother??)--> Quiet Ship pickup... who the hell called those psychopaths onto the scene?? Anyway, I digress. The rest was A.M.A.Z.I.N.G!! It jumped around spotlighting seemingly unrelated people and illuminated their seemingly singular lives. Then, slowly, masterfully, the entwining threads of commonality amongst the group started to form a fully cohesive picture. We were constantly seeing through the different character's deliciously tinted shades of Reality and I was SO enamored with that/them/EVERYTHING!


The story was chock full of modern day societal hot topics and dilemmas such as: the dissipation of environmental resources, the ramifications of corporate greed, mass extinctions, genetic tinkering, society's toxic influence on body image, the future of tech and more. It also masterfully portrayed the splendor of Resonance, not only the instrumental kind but that of Familial harmony and the crescendo of carnal cadences as well. There was a plethora of musical accoutrements like the physical act of playing instruments and songs being sung (and internalized) but metaphors and similes and an all around reverence for its presence in the Universe as well. Jimenez colored the Cosmos with a veritable palette of music, light and emotion. It was surreal.


Another thing that made me swoon was the slew of strong female representation, it had me falling deeper in love with every turn of the page. Fummiko was scary brilliant and bucked the traditional views of what makes a Woman desireable and worthy. Nia was strong, smart, at times (reluctantly) affectionate, a loyal friend, and a kick ass Captain that never gave up on who and what she desired/needed. I even adored Dana's gossamer presence BUT I strongly recommend that you do not get too attached to the cast members, Jimenez showed no qualms about harming, mutilating or killing off his beloved characters...snuffed some right out... gone in a blink. So yes, there were times that I raged against the book and times when I coddled and cradled it in my lap. I'm not too proud to admit that there were tears shed too... tears of outrage and tears of profound happiness and best of all were the tears of personal connection. I was put through the gamut of Feels and I begged for more. The end was happy and sad and satisfying all at once (except for that one little hiccup of confusion) and ultimately, it was well worth every emotion wrung out of my storm battered heart.


Overall:

This SciFi/Space Opera/Dystopian amalgamated gem will certainly appeal to lovers of those genres but I foretell this reaching the Snubbers as well. It's true, Science Fiction...Space Operas... and Dystopian novels aren't for everyone (especially smooshed into the same book) BUT If you're a little reticent and on the fence about picking up The Vanished Birds because you've been spurned in the past by any of those genres, I say go for it anyway because it is most definitely worth the time and emotional investment!

~ Enjoy

*** I was given a copy of this book by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review ***

This is definitely one of those books that I need to subject to a reread. I tend to never read books twice, but I feel to truly understand every moving aspect of this story, I want to open it and read it again.

This book is an intricate spiderweb of intergalactic characters, plots, and politics that makes you want to crawl inside of the author's mind and ask how were you able to fit all of this in your head??.

The book is structured like many short stories woven together in a novel format. Almost like seasons in a TV series; each season presents a different story that was created by the domino effects of the previous seasons. Truly, I feel like this book is MEANT for the big screen. We have a new-and-improved Star Wars on our hands here that presents much more complicated alternatives to humans' space-travel future.

I would 20/10 recommend to read this. I will be keeping a close eye on this author for future books because truly Simon Jimenez, how did you fit this inside of your brain? It's a mystery to us all.

89 points, 4 ½ stars

Well then. The Vanished Birds left me feeling utterly and completely blindsided. This book and its ending was not what I expected, and I can't say whether I'm happy or sad about that. But I can say I enjoyed the ride by the end.

The story of The Vanished Birds starts of weirdly enough. It was a series of short stories that you could tell were in the same universe, but not of the same story. Which was interesting but made it a little hard to get into. Then it settled out into the story of a very extraordinary boy.

Something that you don't get from the blurb but you learn very early on: this is a story about rampant Capitalism. The company that finally managed to thrust humanity into the stars owns and controls everything. This idea follows every single step of the journey. Simon Jimenez shows the effects Capitalism has had on the lives of every single person we interact with. It was really well done.

The characters were the strongest part of the book. This ragtag collection of people from all walks of life are just chugging along in a capitalistic society trying to figure out how to do what they want and need to do against the strictures society places on them. There is triumph occasionally, but often there is guilt, too. I loved the characters. I loved how they reacted to the hardships put in front of them.

Then there is the whole "protect the magic boy from the evil corporation who is just going to use him" aspect of the story. Which is exactly something I wanted to read after just coming off of Anne McCaffrey's The Talent/The Tower and the Hive series. This was done absolutely perfectly, and I loved it. I loved following the boy's journey, even before I knew he had something special about him. I'm a sucker for broken characters.

However, the book never quite went where I wanted it to go. I struggled against it quite a bit, trying to break out of the confines of the story. It is a great story, very well written, well put together, everything. I just wanted it to do things in a different way than what was going on the entire time. Yet I'm glad the story went the way it did by the end. Everything went the way it went to set up for what happened, and I'm so glad I read this.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Simon Jimenez, Random House Publishing Group, Del Rey, and Netgalley for providing the opportunity to review this copy!

This book was complicated and compelling. As it marched towards the future, I couldn't wait to see where the story would lead me. Definitely not predictable, warm, and engaging while still keeping that outer space vibe. Highly recommend!

The Vanished Birds by Simon Jimenez may be destined to become a SciFi classic. It is erudite, complex, thought provoking and, to my mind, poetic. It might even be prescient, perhaps not in specific technologies but in its portrayal of humanity’s future social characteristics - more dystopian than a promised land.

Science fiction encompasses a broad range of styles and topics. Undoubtedly this work will not appeal to all fans. It will appeal to readers who appreciate the beauty of words when crafted by a talented storyteller. It is to the benefit of our genre that such a wordsmith has chosen speculative fiction to enrich the realm.

This is a love story that stretches across a millennium and encompasses a host of interesting characters with varying strengths, weaknesses and motivations. There is no single central protagonist. Three characters do dominate the story, a brilliant scientist, Fumiko Nakajima, who invents a paradigm shifting technology which allows humankind to leap across star systems. On the downside these leaps require the passengers and crew to go into a physical suspension when in transit, so while the years pass outside the ship, relatives, friends age and die as society and technology progresses.

Fumiko is a brilliant and unorthodox - to put it mildly. In the course of the narrative she goes from the most celebrated individual to the most traitorous, at least to the ruling elite.

Suddenly on a minor farming world a young boy is discovered near to where an extra terrestrial object has crashed. The boy is uncommunicative but is taken in by a local farmer. During his stay the farmer finds that the boy, while terribly withdrawn from local inhabitants does respond to the music of a flute played by this farmer protector. He becomes enchanted with this gift.

One ship that visits the community once every fifteen years is captained by Nia Imani who takes to this young boy and is willing to take him with her and away from the community who regards this as something of a blessing. The boy, as it turns out, has an ability that will once again transform intra and intergalactic travel. This turns out to be unfortunate for him.

The remainder of the story involves the consequences of the actions of all three of these primary characters and is much too complex even to summarize.

If you have been sufficiently tantalized by the foregoing then you may have as much fun reading it as I did.

A wonderful, unique story that involves the way travel in space can cause many profound effects. The author shifts from different characters points of view but is able to tie the links together.

This book took a while for me to get through. At first, it was quick reading but soon turned into a chore. I don't know really what to think. It's fantastical, character driven, and detailed. The usual things to keep my mind in the story and craving more. But I found this tale just too disjointed and twisted for my liking. It's at once beautiful and disheartening. I prefer a read that lets me escape, not leaving me tied up in knots. There's enough of that in real life.

Family, community, space travel, coming of age, self discovery, greed, power, war, military and business conglomeration.

Copy furnished by Net Galley for the price of a review.

A young boy falls from the sky.  He is mute, but eventually finds his voice with a wooden flute and the magic of music.  There is something very special about this boy.  Myriad worlds in outer space have become established now.  The blue sky overhead may very well be virtual, cherry blossoms no longer exist except in memory and fireworks.  Digital glamour is all around, artificial youth and designer babies are par for the course.  All tempered with a poisonous moon, a smell of hate, a two-tailed cat, and a city of dogs. 

Sci-Fi is not my preferred genre, but I enjoy giving it a go from time to time.  If you like Sci-Fi with a goodly dose of the metaphysical, climb on board and give this a spin.

While I'm not quite sure why the comparison was made to The Bear and the Nightingale (it wasn't really like that at all), I will say The Vanished Birds is an impressive debut. It has more of a sci-fi flavor than I typically prefer in my books, but aside from my personal preference for all fantasy all the time, The Vanished Birds is a well-written and eerie story of unique love, strange science and the connections and choices that drive people apart and bring them together. It's not a feel good story, but rather one of those poignant and somewhat painful books that leaves you with an impression even after you've finished it.
The one thing I can think of that makes it like The Bear and the Nightingale is the lack of full closure or tidy endings. It maybe has that similar mysterious quality where there are just things that will not be answered about the world structure and the characters. You don't find out the whys of several aspects (or even the full backstory of most of the characters, just glimpses), but it is clearly intentional and part of the eerie quality of the story.
The writing is beautiful, neat and clean with no wasted words and the dialogue is absolutely seamless, so the characters and their reactions, alway feel completely real, which I think is the true pull of this book. It's weird and wonderful, but Simon Jimenez did a fantastic job of crafting real, fallible people with complex relationships, although the focus is on Nia and the boy.
I don't know quite how to classify it, but yes, I would recommend it, if you'd like something a bit different.

The prose in The Vanished Birds is beautiful, lyrical even, especially for Science Fiction. The Vanished Birds is the story of a boy who seems to fallen from the sky into a village that produces special seeds for visitors from another place who show up every 16 years to buy them and take them away. The earth isn't doing so well, in spite of efforts to save off environmental disaster and people who have the skills and knowledge to design space stations are highly in demand.

If you like lyrical writing and science fiction and relationships, this is the book for you. Unfortunately, it wasn't the book for me.

A beautiful literary tale that happens to take place in space, The Vanished Birds is a story of chosen family and the lengths one would go to protect the ones they love.

The first few sections had me a bit puzzled... they seemed a bit like extraneous backstories or short stories that accompanied the main novel. Once it all came together, I mostly understood why the backstory was important but still found it a bit unnecessary.

Overall, the relationship between mother figure Nia and son figure Ahro was beautiful and worth the 400 pages. This was a beautifully written debut. I partly wanted more of an ending and wanted to see all the ends tied up but also partly thought the abrupt ending was perfect.

4.5 stars.