Who Would Like This Book:
If you love your sci-fi emotionally charged, lyrical, and more about people than space battles, this book is for you! Jimenez weaves a tale that’s as much about connection, loss, and the search for meaning as it is about spaceships and corporate greed. The world-building is creative and immersive, the prose is beautiful, and the characters are wonderfully complex, flawed, and diverse. Fans of found family stories, character-driven narratives, and meditations on love in all its forms will find a lot to savor here. It’s perfect for readers who enjoy Becky Chambers but are open to something a bit more literary and bittersweet.
Who May Not Like This Book:
If you’re in the mood for fast-paced, plot-heavy space adventures, this one might test your patience - the story unfolds slowly and often focuses on character emotions over action. Some found the narrative structure - jumping between timelines and perspectives - confusing or jarring. Others had trouble connecting with the book’s more poetic and somber tone, or wished for a little more sense-making in the underlying worldbuilding and a neater conclusion. If you don’t enjoy books that lean heavily into literary style or that don’t shy away from bleakness, this may not be your cup of tea.
About:
In a future world where interstellar travel is possible but time dilation leaves colonies stranded, 'The Vanished Birds' follows the story of a woman mathematician hoping to revolutionize space travel, a boy with a mysterious genetic mutation, and a spaceship crew navigating vast distances through time and space. The novel delves into themes of trauma, dehumanization, and the consequences of greed, offering a poignant exploration of love in its various forms amidst a backdrop of capitalism, colonization, and corporations.
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Notes:
Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
The book contains themes of corporate violence, loss, and emotional trauma that may be distressing for some readers.
Has Romance?
There is a medium level of romance, with various forms of love explored throughout the novel.
From The Publisher:
A "highly imaginative and utterly exhilarating" (Thrillist) debut that is "the best of what science fiction can be: a thought-provoking, heartrending story about the choices that define our lives" (Kirkus Reviews, Best Debut Fiction and Best Science Fiction & Fantasy of the Year).
FINALIST FOR THE LOCUS AWARD
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY TORDOTCOM AND KIRKUS REVIEWS
A mysterious child lands in the care of a solitary woman, changing both of their lives forever.
I expected many things from this trip. I did not expect a family.
A ship captain, unfettered from time. A mute child, burdened with unimaginable power. A millennia-old woman, haunted by lifetimes of mistakes. In this captivating debut of connection across space and time, these outsiders will find in each other the things they lack: a place of love and belonging. A safe haven. A new beginning.
But the past hungers for them, and when it catches up, it threatens to tear this makeshift family apart.
Praise for The Vanished Birds
"This is the most impressive debut of 2020."-Locus
"This extraordinary science fiction epic, which delves deep into the perils of failing to learn from one's mistakes, is perfect for fans of big ideas and intimate reflections."-Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"A lyrical and moving narrative of space travel, found families, and lost loves set against an evocative space-opera background."-Booklist (starred review)
"The Vanished Birds finds an intimate heartbeat of longing in a saga of galactic progress and its crushing fallout. . . . A novel of vast scope that yet makes time for compassion, wonder, and poetry."-Indra Das, author of The Devourers
Ratings (9)
Incredible (2) | |
Loved It (2) | |
Liked It (4) | |
Did Not Like (1) |
Reader Stats (86):
Read It (9) | |
Currently Reading (1) | |
Want To Read (61) | |
Did Not Finish (1) | |
Not Interested (14) |
1 comment(s)
This author definitely believes in taking his time in creating a grand finale. I'm not mad at it. I skimmed through a singular page as I didn't feel I needed to know a specific characters point of view (the story is told in multiple points of view) and wanted to get to the much anticipated ending. It was amazing. This is my second Simon Jimenez book, and I think I prefer this over his second work.
What can you read after
The Vanished Birds?
About the Author:
Simon Jimenez is the author of The Vanished Birds. His short fiction has appeared in Canyon Voices and 100 Word Story's anthology of flash fiction, Nothing Short Of. He received his MFA from Emerson College.
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