Hummingbird Salamander
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- Create Date：2021-04-07 15:51:49
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Jeff VanderMeer
- ISBN：0771094876
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Summary
From the author of Annihilation， a brilliant speculative thriller of dark conspiracy， endangered species， and the end of all things。
Software manager Jane Smith receives an envelope containing a key to a storage unit that holds a taxidermied hummingbird and salamander。 Alongside the key is a list of five other animals。 The list is signed， Love， Silvina。 Jane does not know a Silvina， and she wants nothing to do with the taxidermied animals。 The hummingbird and salamander are， it turns out， two of the most endangered species in the world。 Silvina Vilcapampa， the woman who left the note， is a reputed eco-terrorist， and the daughter of a recently deceased Argentine industrialist。 And by removing the hummingbird and the salamander from the storage unit， Jane has set into motion a series of events over which she has no control。
Instantly， Jane and her family are in danger and she finds herself alone and on the run from both Silvina's family and her eco-terrorist accomplices--along with the wildlife traffickers responsible for the strange taxidermy。 She seems fated to follow in Silvina's footsteps as she desperately seeks answers about why Silvina contacted her， and why she is now at the centre of this global conspiracy， and what exactly Silvina was planning。 Time is running out -- for her and possibly for the world。
Hummingbird Salamander is Annihilation author Jeff VanderMeer at his brilliant， cinematic best， wrapping profound questions about climate change， identity， and the world。
Software manager Jane Smith receives an envelope containing a key to a storage unit that holds a taxidermied hummingbird and salamander。 Alongside the key is a list of five other animals。 The list is signed， Love， Silvina。 Jane does not know a Silvina， and she wants nothing to do with the taxidermied animals。 The hummingbird and salamander are， it turns out， two of the most endangered species in the world。 Silvina Vilcapampa， the woman who left the note， is a reputed eco-terrorist， and the daughter of a recently deceased Argentine industrialist。 And by removing the hummingbird and the salamander from the storage unit， Jane has set into motion a series of events over which she has no control。
Instantly， Jane and her family are in danger and she finds herself alone and on the run from both Silvina's family and her eco-terrorist accomplices--along with the wildlife traffickers responsible for the strange taxidermy。 She seems fated to follow in Silvina's footsteps as she desperately seeks answers about why Silvina contacted her， and why she is now at the centre of this global conspiracy， and what exactly Silvina was planning。 Time is running out -- for her and possibly for the world。
Hummingbird Salamander is Annihilation author Jeff VanderMeer at his brilliant， cinematic best， wrapping profound questions about climate change， identity， and the world。
Reviews
Hannah
，
I don't know what to rate this。 First， what I loved: Jane， our main character， is fiercely interesting。 I loved being in the head of a competent， smart， dangerous， large， and violent woman。 It's so rare in our media and I'm so hungry for it。 I didn't like her character arc and the increasing and relentless despondency that eventually consumes the book， nor did I understand the point of it—but Jane herself I loved。I really love The Southern Reach trilogy and feel that Dead Astronauts and The Stra I don't know what to rate this。 First， what I loved: Jane， our main character， is fiercely interesting。 I loved being in the head of a competent， smart， dangerous， large， and violent woman。 It's so rare in our media and I'm so hungry for it。 I didn't like her character arc and the increasing and relentless despondency that eventually consumes the book， nor did I understand the point of it—but Jane herself I loved。I really love The Southern Reach trilogy and feel that Dead Astronauts and The Strange Bird， especially， have given me new insights into how to de-center humans in storytelling and center animals。 So I'm really disappointed that Hummingbird Salamander contains no hummingbirds and no salamanders， except as taxidermied corpses and factoids。 It is entirely about humans， and not ones I cared about to any degree。 The book is full of sociopaths， and I don't care about sociopaths， in stories or otherwise。 Even in Jeff VanderMeer's post-apocalyptic worlds， he's always found ways to root his characters in love， but not this time。 So: Loveless， animal-less， and not my thing。 I'm disappointed。 。。。more
Cassie Handford
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"Security consultant “Jane Smith” receives an envelope with a key to a storage unit that holds a taxidermied hummingbird and clues leading her to a taxidermied salamander。 Silvina， the dead woman who left the note， is a reputed ecoterrorist and the daughter of an Argentine industrialist。 By taking the hummingbird from the storage unit， Jane sets in motion a series of events that quickly spin beyond her control。Soon， Jane and her family are in danger， with few allies to help her make sense of the "Security consultant “Jane Smith” receives an envelope with a key to a storage unit that holds a taxidermied hummingbird and clues leading her to a taxidermied salamander。 Silvina， the dead woman who left the note， is a reputed ecoterrorist and the daughter of an Argentine industrialist。 By taking the hummingbird from the storage unit， Jane sets in motion a series of events that quickly spin beyond her control。Soon， Jane and her family are in danger， with few allies to help her make sense of the true scope of the peril。 Is the only way to safety to follow in Silvina’s footsteps？ Is it too late to stop？ As she desperately seeks answers about why Silvina contacted her， time is running out—for her and possibly for the world。"This was a weird and at times， confusing book and I loved every dark second of it。 It's thought provoking and brilliant。 Well done， Jeff VanderMeer。 Thank you， NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review。（A more detailed review to come once I've fully processed what I just read） 。。。more
Samuel
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A claustrophobic thrill ride。 Sometimes VanderMeer’s flights of weird fantasy are what gives his immersive storytelling the power to connect with our real world。 With Hummingbird Salamander he’s produced his most accessible and least “weird” work to date， but still displaying the dense， thoughtful， spiraling， imaginative world and character building that has organically built his following from cult to bestseller。 It’s a thrill ride set basically from today to tomorrow。 Ecological activists， the A claustrophobic thrill ride。 Sometimes VanderMeer’s flights of weird fantasy are what gives his immersive storytelling the power to connect with our real world。 With Hummingbird Salamander he’s produced his most accessible and least “weird” work to date， but still displaying the dense， thoughtful， spiraling， imaginative world and character building that has organically built his following from cult to bestseller。 It’s a thrill ride set basically from today to tomorrow。 Ecological activists， the surveillance state， conspiracies， and， yes， a trail of bread crumbs well into the rabbit hole， beginning with a taxidermied hummingbird。 Our protagonist is someone we’ve never — or rarely， at least — seen on the page。 She’s got a past， she’s smart， she’s paranoid （but this is， of course， because there are powers out there who are very much out to get her）。 She’s six foot and over 200 pounds of bench pressing， dead lifting power。 She doesn’t take coworker nonsense。 She’s immovable and yet on the move from clue to clue until we are as deeply behind the mirror as she is， ensnared， where the only way out （if there is a way out） is through。 Our planet is in peril and we with it。 I hope that the shocks along the thrill ride of this book cause an awakening， a deprogramming， an awareness of just how dire a threat we are facing， from our national parks to our backyards， from the oceans to our own watersheds。 A fantastic book， timely， and a daring move for the “Weird Thoreau” which for me pays out perfectly。 。。。more
Damaris Brisco
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"Let the world in through your pores。。。"This is one of those books that's best when you encounter it with the least amount of expectations/spoilers， so I'm going to keep this vague。 I enjoyed reading this very much the first time through， and I found the second reading even better。 "Let the world in through your pores。。。"This is one of those books that's best when you encounter it with the least amount of expectations/spoilers， so I'm going to keep this vague。 I enjoyed reading this very much the first time through， and I found the second reading even better。 。。。more
Aimee LaGrandeur
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Enjoyable thriller packed with suspense that moves at a satisfying pace。 However， I think I prefer VanderMeer operating deep in the speculative fiction genre。 Set in a world much closer to our own， his gestures towards ecological disaster and the relationship between humanity and wilderness becomes much more。。。preachy？ Additionally， “Jane” was almost relentlessly unlikeable。 Hummingbird Salamander is a quick read that would honestly make for a better movie than a book， given that a movie would l Enjoyable thriller packed with suspense that moves at a satisfying pace。 However， I think I prefer VanderMeer operating deep in the speculative fiction genre。 Set in a world much closer to our own， his gestures towards ecological disaster and the relationship between humanity and wilderness becomes much more。。。preachy？ Additionally， “Jane” was almost relentlessly unlikeable。 Hummingbird Salamander is a quick read that would honestly make for a better movie than a book， given that a movie would likely dispel the interior monologuing & preaching that weighted the novel down， while emphasizing the action and imaginative visuals that carried the novel。 。。。more
Caroline Cox
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I am not sure how to describe this book – intense？ weird？ uncomfortable？ This was like a more confusing， modern *Monkey Wrench Gang* （a compliment， FYI）。This is my first Jeff VanderMeer book and I was warned that his writing style is "confusing，" and I can indeed confirm that。 I was and still am very confused by this book， however， the writing never felt overwhelming。 The story revolves around taxidermy， eco-terrorism， and endangered species and manages to make what most people might consider a I am not sure how to describe this book – intense？ weird？ uncomfortable？ This was like a more confusing， modern *Monkey Wrench Gang* （a compliment， FYI）。This is my first Jeff VanderMeer book and I was warned that his writing style is "confusing，" and I can indeed confirm that。 I was and still am very confused by this book， however， the writing never felt overwhelming。 The story revolves around taxidermy， eco-terrorism， and endangered species and manages to make what most people might consider a boring subject into a thrilling rollercoaster。There are many characters in this book who I do not really understand， including the main character Jane， but it is because some information is purposely not revealed to create more mystery， not because the characters are underdeveloped or badly written。 There are some answers towards the end， but you are still left with questions。 Personally， I love an ambiguous ending， so I enjoyed that aspect。 The last paragraph of the book is also deeply haunting and definitely something I will be thinking about for weeks after finishing。 。。。more
Faye Faye
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Great job author， I really like your writing style。 I suggest you join Novel Star’s writing competition on April。For more details click here :http://app。novelstar。top/index/index/。。。 Great job author， I really like your writing style。 I suggest you join Novel Star’s writing competition on April。For more details click here :http://app。novelstar。top/index/index/。。。 。。。more
Sacha
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2 starsFull disclosure: I started this one nearly a month ago， but got stuck for a very long time。 Here is the ultimate result。。。 It's a rare occasion when I mark a book under three stars， but for me， this novel reads like a creepy _The Crying of Lot 49_ imposter。 This looming impression became nearly frightening when I realized that the Unitopia diagram includes an abstract Trystero symbol， but that's fun trivia， not the defining moment。 I loved the film version of _Annihilation_ and have been 2 starsFull disclosure: I started this one nearly a month ago， but got stuck for a very long time。 Here is the ultimate result。。。 It's a rare occasion when I mark a book under three stars， but for me， this novel reads like a creepy _The Crying of Lot 49_ imposter。 This looming impression became nearly frightening when I realized that the Unitopia diagram includes an abstract Trystero symbol， but that's fun trivia， not the defining moment。 I loved the film version of _Annihilation_ and have been wanting to read VanderMeer for years， so when this arc came up - thank you NetGally and Farrar， Straus and Giroux for what has definitely become a memorable read for better or worse - I was thrilled to be approved。 However， the honest review I need to provide in exchange is nothing like I hoped it would be。 Though some reviewers lament the irritatingly unreliable narrator， I am not so much bothered by this。 The narrator - whose name remains vague and mysterious - is problematic for a different reason; she's completely unlikeable。 If the argument is that the world will end if we don't get ourselves together， then it is helpful to have someone to root for in this situation。 If this narrator is the chosen representation of our society， maybe we are ready for a refresh。 In graduate school， I had a professor who experienced something so strange: periodic deposits of half-eaten bags of chips on their front porch。 For years， this confounded and disturbed them。 While I thought it was both hilarious and bizarre that they would live with the mystery （this was awhile ago， so the home surveillance situation was tougher but still）， I am equally fascinated by how a key and a taxidermized hummingbird resulted in。。。this。 There's a happy medium between potato chip terror and the attempted epic quest in this work， I'm sure。 I loved the concept and description， and I couldn't wait for an opportunity to get into some ecocritical excitement， but I am leaving this feeling like there was a strong desire to write The Crying of Lot 50。 This whole work fell flat for me， and I'm quite disappointed by that。 I'll return to VanderMeer， but this is not the one。 。。。more
Laura （crofteereader）
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I have been chasing ANNIHILATION ever since I read it back in 2018。 I finished out the Southern Reach trilogy， read Borne and Dead Astronauts， dabbled in A Peculiar Peril， and now finally picked up Hummingbird Salamander。 But I'm starting to wonder if I will never truly get there。The bones of this one were fascinating: a convoluted mystery a la House of Leaves by way of a note from a not-quite-acquaintance （a stranger， in fact） coming at the cusp of ecological， political， and social collapse to I have been chasing ANNIHILATION ever since I read it back in 2018。 I finished out the Southern Reach trilogy， read Borne and Dead Astronauts， dabbled in A Peculiar Peril， and now finally picked up Hummingbird Salamander。 But I'm starting to wonder if I will never truly get there。The bones of this one were fascinating: a convoluted mystery a la House of Leaves by way of a note from a not-quite-acquaintance （a stranger， in fact） coming at the cusp of ecological， political， and social collapse to a woman who is perhaps uniquely suited to respond。 And yet， that woman （let's call her Jane - which， I'll be honest， I hated that whole obfuscation technique of "disguising" identities; by the time you get to the end， you realize how totally unnecessary it was） makes a series of ridiculous decisions， carried on faulty logic and complete obsession。The first half of the book was a tangled mess that should have been way shorter。 The second half is where things actually start happening。 When we start fitting together who "Jane" is and what happened in her past - as more than just this equal parts savvy and gullible avenue for。。。 something？ - that's when everything started to click and it felt like the story had purpose。 Instead of just being utter nonsense （similar to Borne and Dead Astronauts with writing that isn't half as pretty）。Also， probably about 70% of the sum total of "sentences" in this book are fragments。 I use fragments a lot but I have never been so annoyed by incomplete sentences in my life as I was while reading this book。{Thank you Macmillan USA for the advanced copy as part of the 2021 Spring Preview package; all thoughts are my own} 。。。more
Reading Reindeer 2021 On Proxima Centauri
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HUMMINGBIRD SALAMANDER is a complex and convoluted tale with multiple layers of "down the rabbit hole" journeys and epic quests。 Although the foundations are all too dismayingly real: Climate Change and subsequent destruction of Habitats， extinction of Endangered Species， greedy wildlife trafficking （just as real and ugly as trafficking of humans）; still one is hard pressed to discern whether one is observing a complicated outworking of a covert epic journey， or instead a descent into madness。 M HUMMINGBIRD SALAMANDER is a complex and convoluted tale with multiple layers of "down the rabbit hole" journeys and epic quests。 Although the foundations are all too dismayingly real: Climate Change and subsequent destruction of Habitats， extinction of Endangered Species， greedy wildlife trafficking （just as real and ugly as trafficking of humans）; still one is hard pressed to discern whether one is observing a complicated outworking of a covert epic journey， or instead a descent into madness。 My difficulty with this was compounded by the first-person narrative spewed by a grossly unreliable narrator。 While narratives of the Endangered （possibly） extinct？） Species were fascinating in exquisite detail， nevertheless I felt as if I read a memoir by an intelligence spook who had remained "out in the cold" far too long。 。。。more
Eule Luftschloss
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trigger warning（view spoiler）[ domestic violence， trauma， grief， being kidnapped （hide spoiler）]A woman who works in security analysis recieves a weird message: A person she doesn't know has put her in her will， and given her a stuffed hummingbird。 Said woman tries to find out why， no matter the cost。You need to know four things about Jeff VanderMeer: He writes weird， he writes slow burns that are character driven， and have a post-apocalyptic twist in some way or another。This book is no excepti trigger warning（view spoiler）[ domestic violence， trauma， grief， being kidnapped （hide spoiler）]A woman who works in security analysis recieves a weird message: A person she doesn't know has put her in her will， and given her a stuffed hummingbird。 Said woman tries to find out why， no matter the cost。You need to know four things about Jeff VanderMeer: He writes weird， he writes slow burns that are character driven， and have a post-apocalyptic twist in some way or another。This book is no exception。 Though the postapocalyptic element is vague， it is sci fi but in the nearer future。 The main difference I can see is that drones technology has advanced， and all the problems we now have - droughts， hurricanes， floods， pandemics - have reached a new level， but society is not fragmented yet。This book is a journey。 Though our protagonist has a home for some time， she never gives the names of her husband and daughter， calling them exactly that: Husband and daughter。 When a new character is introduced， she invents a name and tells you she invented it， at least if she does know their name。 Some get nicknames， and when their legal names are given， it doesn't matter anymore because you already know more than enough about them。 And， most likely， they are dead。Ethical questions concerning bioterrorism are raised。 Does the end justify the methods it's reached by？ If you have to wreak havoc to save this planet， but actually do wind up saving it， was it worth it？I think either you like VanderMeer's books or you don't。 Usually I give them about three stars upon finishing， but then realise that my thoughts wander back to the stories and the characters again and again and again。 And what I've read by him so far could potentially be set in the same world， only at different times， which makes me curious to see if his other works fit in this， too。Be sure you know what to expect when picking up one of his books， the slow weirdness of it all， and then keep an open mind。 At least try one of them。The arc was provided by the publisher。 。。。more
Pile By the Bed
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Jeff VanderMeer is known for being weird。 His Ambergris books， including， City of Saints and Madmen， featured intelligent mushrooms and Annihilation， the first book in his Southern Reach trilogy was made into a trippy Netflix film。 So what happens when VanderMeer turns his hand to a day-after-tomorrow thriller？ Well， you get something like Hummingbird Salamander。Jane Smith， the narrator never gives her real name， is an expert at digital security。 One day her life changes when a barista gives her Jeff VanderMeer is known for being weird。 His Ambergris books， including， City of Saints and Madmen， featured intelligent mushrooms and Annihilation， the first book in his Southern Reach trilogy was made into a trippy Netflix film。 So what happens when VanderMeer turns his hand to a day-after-tomorrow thriller？ Well， you get something like Hummingbird Salamander。Jane Smith， the narrator never gives her real name， is an expert at digital security。 One day her life changes when a barista gives her a message from a dead woman called Silvina Vilacapampa– an envelope with the address of a storage centre and a key。 Jane finds a box containing a preserved hummingbird and soon finds herself going down a rabbit hole trying to find out what happened to Silvina and what she is trying to tell her。 As she does this， and finds herself finding more clues， including Silvina’s diary， and signing up to Silvina’s environmental cause， Jane finds herself increasingly under threat and more and more isolated。 And Jane， an ex-wrestler， finds herself up to the task。Hummingbird Salamander is a thriller but this mode is just to keep eyes on the page。 VanderMeer is most interested in readers thinking about their world， what is happening to it， their place in it and what they might be able to do， no matter how minor， to stem the tide。 As a result the book is full of pointed asides and observations like this one:The hummingbird has gone extinct because of poaching， habitat loss and climate change。 The wildlife trafficking cartels manufactured need – they told those inclined to buy that this or that animal was good luck or the next hip thing for the rising newly rich。 They pried open the coffers of countries that would look the other way。And this:Europe was cocooned uncomfortable in a massive snowstorm that had killed three thousand people so far。 The garbage in the Atlantic had slowed the Gulf Stream to near critical level。 Some kind of contamination from the Far East would soon turn our skies green-gray， we were told。 But none of this made us even blink anymore。。While readers might have to suspend a little disbelief as to how Jane lets herself be drawn in to this conspiracy so deeply and so quickly， there is some resolution that draws a more direct line between Jane and Silvina。 The twists and reveals are not really the point， but they do keep readers guessing and they further shade some of the characters and situations。 And VanderMeer does manage to bring it all together in a resolution that is both spectacularly out there and completely set up by the text。Hummingbird Salamander is a slow burn thriller with a deep and troubling message。 By explaining what informs his prognostications， VandeMeer paints a scary but plausible vision of the future。 But the thriller element helps sell that vision。 For those who already accept the potential for future corporation-led environmental catastrophe， this book gives them a call to action。 Others may just go with the action， but possibly， like Jane， will end up absorbing the outrage and getting on board。 。。。more
Paula Lyle
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What are we （the people of the world） going to do about climate change， getting to zero emissions， endangered species， and the myriad of other problems that we face？ VanderMeer posits that we aren't going to do anything and catastrophe is coming。 The problems are too big， the players are too greedy and contentious， the goals are too diverse and seemingly contradictory。 It's a very compelling premise。 However， maybe just maybe there are persons that can do something so strange and unexpected that What are we （the people of the world） going to do about climate change， getting to zero emissions， endangered species， and the myriad of other problems that we face？ VanderMeer posits that we aren't going to do anything and catastrophe is coming。 The problems are too big， the players are too greedy and contentious， the goals are too diverse and seemingly contradictory。 It's a very compelling premise。 However， maybe just maybe there are persons that can do something so strange and unexpected that it just may work。 This is a strange book that you just have to give yourself over to and hope that he may be right。I received an eARC through NetGalley。 。。。more
Leslie
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I don't think this book was what I was looking for。 I found it very confusing and hard to follow。 Unfortunately， I didn't finish it。I chose it because I had heard good things about the author and I did want to try something a bit different 。 This phrase may be highly frowned upon。。。。。。 I think I could follow it better and enjoy it if I could see it。 Not to say someone else might really enjoy it！ Possibly someone into corporate tech intrigue。 I don't think this book was what I was looking for。 I found it very confusing and hard to follow。 Unfortunately， I didn't finish it。I chose it because I had heard good things about the author and I did want to try something a bit different 。 This phrase may be highly frowned upon。。。。。。 I think I could follow it better and enjoy it if I could see it。 Not to say someone else might really enjoy it！ Possibly someone into corporate tech intrigue。 。。。more
Jthbooks
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No。 Hard no。If I had to read the word Silvina one more time I genuinely might’ve cried。Just never got into it。 It was devoid of all joy。 Just no。
Faith Hurst-Bilinski
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I have been going back and forth in my mind over this book for the past few days。 I love the writing style of this author and requested this book based on my only other experience with it Area X。 While this book had the same style it didn’t have the same intrigue。 This was a good book but not a great book。 I say that if you like Jeff VanderMeer’s books， you should pick this one up and you will not be disappointed。 If you have never read any of those books， this one is an easier introduction than I have been going back and forth in my mind over this book for the past few days。 I love the writing style of this author and requested this book based on my only other experience with it Area X。 While this book had the same style it didn’t have the same intrigue。 This was a good book but not a great book。 I say that if you like Jeff VanderMeer’s books， you should pick this one up and you will not be disappointed。 If you have never read any of those books， this one is an easier introduction than Area X。 It moves fast and pulls you right along。 。。。more
Nicole | Sorry， I'm Booked
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I don’t even know where to begin with this book。When I looked up the author’s name to check spelling， I saw that under his Wikiepedia page， it says that he’s a part of the literary movement New Weird。 Which is probably the most accurate thing I’ve read。 VanderMeer excels at bringing a new level of interesting and weird in speculative fiction/ science fiction （even though I’ve only read two of his books so far， including Hummingbird）。The thing is， I didn’t love this book。 It’s touted as an eco-th I don’t even know where to begin with this book。When I looked up the author’s name to check spelling， I saw that under his Wikiepedia page， it says that he’s a part of the literary movement New Weird。 Which is probably the most accurate thing I’ve read。 VanderMeer excels at bringing a new level of interesting and weird in speculative fiction/ science fiction （even though I’ve only read two of his books so far， including Hummingbird）。The thing is， I didn’t love this book。 It’s touted as an eco-thriller yet the thriller part wasn’t at the level that I personally prefer and enjoy。 Hummingbird， I found， was a lot more subtle with the thriller aspects， playing the long game with the reader。 Keeping me interested just enough to keep turning the page。 Even though one of the twists was really good， I started to suspect about halfway through the book。I also went in with a high level of expectation of the writing。 When I read Annihilation， I was enamored with VanderMeer’s writing。 This book， however， VanderMeer’s writing is more direct with shorter sentences and less awesome descriptive writing。 I did enjoy the commentary on how humans and our behavior， without bothering to realize， are slowly killing the Earth by ruining fragile and important ecosystems。 This book clearly was published at an interesting time and hits fairly close to home with current events。However， the whole of the book was too meandering for me。 I didn’t much care for our MC “Jane Smith” and because of that I disliked the parts where she tells a story about her childhood; those parts rarely felt necessary to me and while meant to be a look into the characterization of Jane， I rarely cared。Honestly， I think this is going to be one of those books where a reader will either enjoy it or not enjoy it。 Even though I find myself in the middle， I’m not sure that the characters and overall plot matter so much as the social commentary that VanderMeer makes。 。。。more
Kaye
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Stream-of-consciousness writing throws off some readers， but I can deal with it。 Non-linear narratives don't deter me。 But what I really， really need in my fiction is a sense of causality -- things happen BECAUSE 。 。 。 The protagonist acting that way was believable BECAUSE the writer had grounded us in her character beforehand。 Didn't find that here。 Waded all the way through to the end， still searching for plausibility。 Brilliant writing that was a hot mess。 I felt cheated， as if the lofty phra Stream-of-consciousness writing throws off some readers， but I can deal with it。 Non-linear narratives don't deter me。 But what I really， really need in my fiction is a sense of causality -- things happen BECAUSE 。 。 。 The protagonist acting that way was believable BECAUSE the writer had grounded us in her character beforehand。 Didn't find that here。 Waded all the way through to the end， still searching for plausibility。 Brilliant writing that was a hot mess。 I felt cheated， as if the lofty phrases of the publisher's blurb were the writer's intentions， not the achieved result。Thanks to NetGalley and Farrar， Straus and Giroux for an advance readers copy。 。。。more
Nicole
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1。5 stars。 Let me preface this review with stating that I adore VanderMeer's previous works， some of which are truly favorites of mine such as the Borne books or Annihilation， so perhaps this latest book was not meant for me and I had too high of expectations。Though a perfectly acceptable mystery， I felt Hummingbird Salamander was missing so much of the weird， speculative strangeness and emotional heft that I love about VanderMeer's writing。 I found the plot， crafted around a a security analyst 1。5 stars。 Let me preface this review with stating that I adore VanderMeer's previous works， some of which are truly favorites of mine such as the Borne books or Annihilation， so perhaps this latest book was not meant for me and I had too high of expectations。Though a perfectly acceptable mystery， I felt Hummingbird Salamander was missing so much of the weird， speculative strangeness and emotional heft that I love about VanderMeer's writing。 I found the plot， crafted around a a security analyst known only as "Jane"， researching a clandestine environmental activist/ terrorist/ cult leader （？） incomplete and did not find many of Jane's actions believable。 Nor was I really invested in the decisions she was making throughout this story， or the outcome of her investigations。 *shrug*I could see this being a popular choice with other readers who are unfamiliar with his other work， or have found his previous books too literary sci-fi， cerebral， strange， etc。 Those who are looking for a more conventional thriller with a slight speculative twist involving climate change and impending ecological disaster （is that even speculative at this point？） may enjoy this。 Hummingbird Salamander is the most accessible of his works but I was frankly bored through and through， waiting the entire time for some shocking or weird or heartbreaking moment that never came。 Again， not the target audience perhaps？Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a copy to review！ 。。。more
Stephanie
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This is the first Jeff VanderMeer book I've read and I now want to try more of his books！ Hummingbird Salamander is a great scifi thriller that seems like it's a look into our not-so-distant future。To be honest， the cover grabbed my attention and the description intrigued me， but it didn't quite seem like something I would normally read and I didn't know what to expect。 I was hooked from the beginning and felt like I was going through everything with "Jane"。 At first Jane's personality was a lit This is the first Jeff VanderMeer book I've read and I now want to try more of his books！ Hummingbird Salamander is a great scifi thriller that seems like it's a look into our not-so-distant future。To be honest， the cover grabbed my attention and the description intrigued me， but it didn't quite seem like something I would normally read and I didn't know what to expect。 I was hooked from the beginning and felt like I was going through everything with "Jane"。 At first Jane's personality was a little off-putting for me， but she quickly grew on me。 I felt like she grew in subtle ways throughout the book。 The descriptions were vivid and easy to imagine everything。Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a free ARC in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Kimberly
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I spent much of this book wondering why Silvina chose Jane as the recipient of the rare taxadermied hummingbird。 It really seemed to come out of left field。 This unanswered question almost made me put the book down because I just couldn't suspend my belief enough to accept that everything was completely random and Jane just had the bad luck of coming into Silvina's sights at that coffee shop。 However， I stuck with it and am so glad I did！ Everything came together so suddenly and clearly， like a I spent much of this book wondering why Silvina chose Jane as the recipient of the rare taxadermied hummingbird。 It really seemed to come out of left field。 This unanswered question almost made me put the book down because I just couldn't suspend my belief enough to accept that everything was completely random and Jane just had the bad luck of coming into Silvina's sights at that coffee shop。 However， I stuck with it and am so glad I did！ Everything came together so suddenly and clearly， like a slap to the face。 This is one of the very few thrillers where I didn't figure out the ending before it came！ In fact， I was completely clueless！This is not a light read。 It is dense and convoluted， with complex characters and a complicated plot。 It really is brilliant in its own way and the writing is top notch。 It is also thought provoking and timely， with its themes of climate change and ecoterrorism。 I felt absolutely exhausted after reading this book， but it was well worth it。 。。。more
Jama
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I received an advanced reader copy from Goodreads。 After loving Annihilation， I was really excited to read what I understood to be more realistic thriller with an ecological focus from the same author。 Unfortunately， this book did not work for me at all。 The near future described seemed plausible， but the character motivations driving the plot were unconvincing。 Nothing in the plot seems to remotely justify the self destructive drive of the unnamed protagonist， so it is hard for this reader to c I received an advanced reader copy from Goodreads。 After loving Annihilation， I was really excited to read what I understood to be more realistic thriller with an ecological focus from the same author。 Unfortunately， this book did not work for me at all。 The near future described seemed plausible， but the character motivations driving the plot were unconvincing。 Nothing in the plot seems to remotely justify the self destructive drive of the unnamed protagonist， so it is hard for this reader to care if she gets to the bottom of her nebulous quest at all。 Rather than a simple thriller， Hummingbird Salamander is better understood as a conspiracy thriller， a genre I particularly dislike because it can lead to lazy plotting。 No need to have a plan or explanation for events - they can all fall under the purview of the grand conspiracy。 This book certainly fits that description perfectly。 I wanted to love this book。 I was excited about the idea of an ecological mystery and a strong female protagonist。 Unfortunately it ultimately left me disappointed and disinterested。 Hopefully others will like this book better than I did。 。。。more
Melissa （LifeFullyBooked）
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Um。。。I don't think I was the right audience for this book。 I'm usually ok with sci-fi， but this was so utterly confusing and kept going off on weird tangents and was more cerebral literary sci-fi than anything。 Yes， the tangents eventually circled back and the ending did make sense， thus the two stars rather than one， but so much of the journey was immensely convoluted and frustrating。 The writing is wonderful。 VanderMeer is a unique writer， penning beautiful phrases that move the storyline forw Um。。。I don't think I was the right audience for this book。 I'm usually ok with sci-fi， but this was so utterly confusing and kept going off on weird tangents and was more cerebral literary sci-fi than anything。 Yes， the tangents eventually circled back and the ending did make sense， thus the two stars rather than one， but so much of the journey was immensely convoluted and frustrating。 The writing is wonderful。 VanderMeer is a unique writer， penning beautiful phrases that move the storyline forward while making a statement。 However。。。I just got lost。 It's not straightforward what "Jane Smith" is doing， but that isn't the problem so much as we just don't know her motivation for doing what she does。 She is unlikable， which I can deal with， but she keeps secrets from the reader， and I hate that。 I like to be able to experience things， not be fooled along with the other characters。 We get glimpses at a possible future of our world， but nothing is ever explained how it got that way。 It's all so esoteric and even the ending just didn't make it satisfying for me。In the hands of a reader with vision for the future and its possibilities， with a heart for saving the environment and ecosystem at all costs， this will be a compelling and thought-provoking novel。 Unfortunately it didn't work for me， but the right reader will love it。I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book 。。。more
Sue
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"Hummingbird Salamander" by Jeff Vander Meer is a compelling thriller that also combines the mystery and sci-fi genres。 Talented writers， including Connie Willis， have melded genres together for a satisfying read。 Vander Meer thus brings his skills to the table and creates a novel that leaves readers musing about the plot long after they finish the pages。What drew and intrigued me originally to choose this book was the unusual title， "Hummingbird Salamander。" Everyone may have different thought "Hummingbird Salamander" by Jeff Vander Meer is a compelling thriller that also combines the mystery and sci-fi genres。 Talented writers， including Connie Willis， have melded genres together for a satisfying read。 Vander Meer thus brings his skills to the table and creates a novel that leaves readers musing about the plot long after they finish the pages。What drew and intrigued me originally to choose this book was the unusual title， "Hummingbird Salamander。" Everyone may have different thought memories for these title words。 I remembered as an 8 year old child watching a hummingbird hover over a flower as it gathered nectar。 I stayed silent and still as I took in the beauty， majesty， and wonder of this tiny bird。 Salamanders I have only seen in zoos or as taxidermy on display in museums。 One particular museum displayed myriad taxidermy collections from the animal kingdom。 A three year old boy viewed an outdoor lumberjack display which included a lumberjack and a charging bear。 He inquired of the family if both of these were "stuffed。" They were left to explain to him the difference between the lumberjack manikin and the obviously taxidermied bear。 How do we explain to the child that our time is limited and that nature is fragile？Jeff Vander Meer leads us to think about whether man is at a point of extinction and whether we will eventually be just manikins on display on some far away planet。 We as readers reconcile our journey through this novel as we try to work out Silvana's clues that are left for Jane Smith and where they lead。 Jane is both tough and rugged and at the same time lost in this world because of present and prior events in her life。 Vander Meer's clue tidbits pull us along as we ponder each one。 But each step for Smith and for us lead to either dead ends or new trails。 Vander Meer carefully constructs this thriller and surprises us at every turn。Instead of sending out a message to sea in a bottle， the author leaves us with the message that we must somehow stop the impeding doom of our planet。 This book is a call to save our planet， environment， and ourselves。I wish to thank Net Galley and the publisher of this book for a copy and an unbiased review on my part。#NetGalley#HummingbirdSalamander 。。。more
Mary
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I love Jeff Vandermeer’s novels。 Why？ Because the worlds he creates are at once both foreign and recognizable。 You instantly are plunged into a murky web， unsure exactly what has transpired。 Here， in Hummingbird Salamander the reader is issued into a world just a bit beyond our present day。 Vandermeer addresses his usual themes of climate change， pollution， animal extinction， pandemics， and gradual decline of the environment。 The protagonist of Hummingbird Salamander is Jane Smith， a security co I love Jeff Vandermeer’s novels。 Why？ Because the worlds he creates are at once both foreign and recognizable。 You instantly are plunged into a murky web， unsure exactly what has transpired。 Here， in Hummingbird Salamander the reader is issued into a world just a bit beyond our present day。 Vandermeer addresses his usual themes of climate change， pollution， animal extinction， pandemics， and gradual decline of the environment。 The protagonist of Hummingbird Salamander is Jane Smith， a security consultant， six feet tall， 230 lbs， a former wrestler/ weightlifter， who receives a mysterious missive from Silvinia， a woman known as an Argentinian eco- terrorist。 You aren’t really sure what’s going on， but you are right in the thick of it while it happens， inhaling the smoke along with Jane， as the world burns。 This is a wild ride of a mystery， sure to thrill Vandermeer’s many fans。 。。。more
Erik
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This book is a mixed bag of things that will probably make it fairly divisive in people's opinions of it。 One thing that kept me motivated to read the book was not knowing what was going on， but getting little bits and pieces through out to keep you wanting to read more。 Be prepared to not really know the whole truth until the end， but for the most part （although not completely） you get the answers to the questions。 I say most， because by the time you get to the end， the main motivation as to wh This book is a mixed bag of things that will probably make it fairly divisive in people's opinions of it。 One thing that kept me motivated to read the book was not knowing what was going on， but getting little bits and pieces through out to keep you wanting to read more。 Be prepared to not really know the whole truth until the end， but for the most part （although not completely） you get the answers to the questions。 I say most， because by the time you get to the end， the main motivation as to why Silvina involved Jane is never answered， or at least it went over my head。 Yes， we know their connection to each other （blink and you miss that）， but what Silvina was up to。。。。not really fully explained。 More hinted at and vaguely referred to。 The book jacket was fairly misleading， since what it implied the book was about didn't come to fruition。 Also， how Jane gets from point A to point B and so on in her hunt/investigation of the hummingbird is almost implausible or more just really lucky。 But meh - it's a book， so whatever。What I really hated - the sentence structure。 The short， choppy sentences were so annoying to me （and maybe that was a style choice to convey the character of Jane）， but it got on my nerves so much， that it became more distracting and marred my enjoyment of the novel。Overall， not a game changer， but not a bad experience。 Enjoyable for some， and a hard pass for others。 If the book jacket intrigues you enough， then you should be okay with it。**Thanks to the publishers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review。** 。。。more
bet mercer
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Did not enjoy this book; it actually felt like a chore to finish it and was only able to because I was listening to an audiobook。 The "mystery" was so loose and scattered and drawn out that it didn't keep my interest。 And the end-of-the-world details were so cryptic and seemingly inconsequential that it felt like a false layer to the story。 I finished it because if I'm going to give a bad review， I want to give it a fair shot to redeem itself; for me， it didn't。 However， because I don't think th Did not enjoy this book; it actually felt like a chore to finish it and was only able to because I was listening to an audiobook。 The "mystery" was so loose and scattered and drawn out that it didn't keep my interest。 And the end-of-the-world details were so cryptic and seemingly inconsequential that it felt like a false layer to the story。 I finished it because if I'm going to give a bad review， I want to give it a fair shot to redeem itself; for me， it didn't。 However， because I don't think the writing is necessarily poor， I gave it at least 2 stars。 。。。more
Modelle Gonzalez
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I highly recommend this novel。 You will find a wonderful， brutal book in which you will find an eerily similar world to our own。 I found it to be a warning sound that should not be taken lightly。 Behind the intrigue and conspiracies， you will find yourself connecting with the protagonist and feeling her loss of everything connected to the reality we all live everyday。 Go on this journey。 I dare you。 TK
Sarah Cavar
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This was so deeply disappointing –– went from a 4-star book to start with to a 2-star book at the end。 Why？ I think HS was quite simply trying to do too much –– write a heady activist climate-fiction scifi postmodern thriller –– at one time。 Instead， what we got is pieces of an intriguing， border-and-time-crossing mystery suffused with VanderMeer's beloved eeriness， that turns into a confusingly-paced mashup of mid-pandemic philosophizing and downright confusing narrative。 I wanted to like this This was so deeply disappointing –– went from a 4-star book to start with to a 2-star book at the end。 Why？ I think HS was quite simply trying to do too much –– write a heady activist climate-fiction scifi postmodern thriller –– at one time。 Instead， what we got is pieces of an intriguing， border-and-time-crossing mystery suffused with VanderMeer's beloved eeriness， that turns into a confusingly-paced mashup of mid-pandemic philosophizing and downright confusing narrative。 I wanted to like this book。 I really did。 I still highlit lines that struck me， and I very much believe that the idea was good。 It just。。。didn't happen。 。。。more
Joseph Dolan
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This book is a straight up manifesto。 Raw and unedited full of a fury at humanity and a sense of true hope for the world。Also， holy wow there's so many guns in this novel。 So much shooting。 I love it。 Was a slow build dripping with paranoia then all of a sudden the main character pulls a gun on someone unprompted and the plot goes off like a firework。Bless Jeff and let the wilderness overgrow your too green yard。 This book is a straight up manifesto。 Raw and unedited full of a fury at humanity and a sense of true hope for the world。Also， holy wow there's so many guns in this novel。 So much shooting。 I love it。 Was a slow build dripping with paranoia then all of a sudden the main character pulls a gun on someone unprompted and the plot goes off like a firework。Bless Jeff and let the wilderness overgrow your too green yard。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Hummingbird Salamander
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Hummingbird Salamander&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft