Dead Astronauts by Jeff Vandermeer | BOOK REVIEW

Wherein I discuss my thoughts on Jeff Vandermeer's latest novel: Dead Astronauts.

#booktube #deadastronauts #jeffvandermeer
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[AveryMMartin]

I really appreciate your approach and handle upon critique/criticism. The only thing I absolutely found myself shifting away from was the idea that storytellers, creators, have a responsibility to, more or less, be accessible. I balk at that notion. I actually think the whole idea of the book, the narrative, the story, is in fact a difficult and convoluted one. I feel like he does a lovely job of presenting, showcasing, summoning those challenging experiences, simulating the characters, by making the prose as confusing for the reader as the situation is for the character. You did say it isn’t for everyone though, which is true, but I feel like lowering a review grade for that is silly. It’s clearly a highly focused and well constructed book but also demanding of attention. I think it achieves its goals. I’d say 8

[RSEFX]

Thanks for the review. I find it very useful in considering whether I care to read more of the author's work after the SOUTHERN REACH books I've read. Personally, I feel that these experiments with time travel/structure/reality bending/consciousness fragmentation etc have become somewhat old hat after so many books, stories, movies and tv episodes have played with these things now for decades. A return to deeply-affecting, poetically-richly written, but clear cohesive storytelling would now be more of a novelty rather than more of this "what's really going on/what's real/what time is it, really etc etc" style and approach.
Thanks again. Well and clearly put.

[Paromita_M]

Interesting review. This is the one book by Vandermeer I consciously avoided because of the 'experimental ' structure.
Books I loved, even on rereads - Southern Reach (Annihilation especially), Hummingbird Salamander, Borne.
Books I liked - The Strange Bird
Books that didn't work for me - Veniss Underground (DNF) and first two books of Ambergris. The weird city aesthetic was not for me.

[rantyyustinadewi]

Hello! A bookstore here sell it for USD 2 in paperback. I never ead any Jeff Vandemeer books, usually I read classics but just started ging to SF in the last two years, a very beginner: Dune, VE Schwab. Do you think I should buy it? I'm excited! :D

[lyndenmanning]

Bro you wrote a crappy 150 page book thats sold 10 copies, 'those that cannot do, teach'