The Vanished Birds: A Novel
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
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
BUY THE BOOK
Community Reviews
Originally reviewed on Cyn's Workshop
The Vanished Birds is a challenging novel that fails to capture the readers' attention early on. That is not to say that it is a bad novel, but the transition, the chapters, they seem disjointed and do not seem to connect cohesively.
In some ways, this novel is reminiscent of Cloud Atlas. In contrast, the reader can tell that the story is about connection and that each segment relates a different time and different characters, this novel fails to be that cohesive for the first third of the book.
The novel starts in one way that seems to introduce an allegory on slavery. It is a very long first chapter, which makes it a bit daunting to follow up with and read. It follows a young man and the connections he is seeking with the people around him and the people that visit from space to collect the harvest. Then it snaps to another direction, what the synopsis is talking about, following Nia and her connection to the young man she has taken under her wing. Then the story snaps again to a different character and a different time, and at this point, it all seems disjointed. The story’s core conveys the human desire to connect with others, and it does get that across to the reader. Still, it is hard to reconcile the first three chapters having anything much to do with one another. Especially when chapter three does not seem to connect at all, it just discusses the life of the creator of the space stations. That is how she relates to the main character Nia who finally becomes the center of the story. Putting the reader in the position of not understanding the plot’s direction creates a barrier between the reader and the story, which contradicts the meaning of the story.
The novel requires a slow and measured reading for the reader to connect. The central theme of connection rings out, so the author does get their point across. However, the disconnect between the story and the reader remains. The characters lack personality, they read as static characters, and it takes a lot of time for the main character to develop her perspective. Perspective is critical here because, again, her voice lacks character; it lacks substance and personality to pull the reader in and connect to her. Overall, the characters are all bland. The author loses their voices in the story that, for the most part, seems disjointed.
See more reviews at Cyn's Workshop and follow me on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Tumblr | | Goodreads+ | LinkedIn
The Vanished Birds is a challenging novel that fails to capture the readers' attention early on. That is not to say that it is a bad novel, but the transition, the chapters, they seem disjointed and do not seem to connect cohesively.
In some ways, this novel is reminiscent of Cloud Atlas. In contrast, the reader can tell that the story is about connection and that each segment relates a different time and different characters, this novel fails to be that cohesive for the first third of the book.
The novel starts in one way that seems to introduce an allegory on slavery. It is a very long first chapter, which makes it a bit daunting to follow up with and read. It follows a young man and the connections he is seeking with the people around him and the people that visit from space to collect the harvest. Then it snaps to another direction, what the synopsis is talking about, following Nia and her connection to the young man she has taken under her wing. Then the story snaps again to a different character and a different time, and at this point, it all seems disjointed. The story’s core conveys the human desire to connect with others, and it does get that across to the reader. Still, it is hard to reconcile the first three chapters having anything much to do with one another. Especially when chapter three does not seem to connect at all, it just discusses the life of the creator of the space stations. That is how she relates to the main character Nia who finally becomes the center of the story. Putting the reader in the position of not understanding the plot’s direction creates a barrier between the reader and the story, which contradicts the meaning of the story.
The novel requires a slow and measured reading for the reader to connect. The central theme of connection rings out, so the author does get their point across. However, the disconnect between the story and the reader remains. The characters lack personality, they read as static characters, and it takes a lot of time for the main character to develop her perspective. Perspective is critical here because, again, her voice lacks character; it lacks substance and personality to pull the reader in and connect to her. Overall, the characters are all bland. The author loses their voices in the story that, for the most part, seems disjointed.
See more reviews at Cyn's Workshop and follow me on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Tumblr | | Goodreads+ | LinkedIn
_The_Vanished_Birds_ is--first and foremost-a condemnation of colonialism, with a vast time sweep.
The story revolves around the seemingly omnipotent Umbai corporation which was created to exploit some kind of climate crisis that rendered Earth uninhabitable. First it cornered the market for spaceships that ferry the ultra- rich to more desireable planets, then it monopolized the trade routes that sprang up among these planets. The more primitive planets get to trade away their natural resources, but do not participate in the empire.
The story opens with an unbalanced romance between a female ship's captain and a native of one of the agricultural planets. As the young farmer ages 15 years, only 8 months pass for the captain. We later meet the designer, herself over 1000 years old, of the ships that haul goods between star systems and a mysterious boy with the potential to overturn the corporation's economic advantage.
Exploitation, betrayal, guilt, and vengeance drive much of the plot, interlaced with a simple love story: refreshing by today's standards. There is a suspense-filled climax, where heretofore unrelated sub-plots come crashing together.
The story is hard to follow in places due to multiple names for certain characters, and out-of-sequence presentation of events. I would probably have to read it twice to connect all the dots.
But I would like to believe the latter are the growing pains of a young, first-time author, and look forward to his next attempt.
See why thousands of readers are using Bookclubs to stay connected.