Hummingbird Salamander
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- 7,99 €
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- 7,99 €
Beschreibung des Verlags
’Frankly superb. This pummelling eco-thriller camouflages the true ‘understory’ of societal collapse, and glows in the dark with original thinking’ David Mitchell, author of Utopia Avenue
A speculative thriller about the end of all things, set in the Pacific Northwest. A harrowing descent into a secret world.
'Jane Smith' receives an unexplained envelope containing the key to a storage unit. And inside that storage unit is a taxidermy hummingbird and directions to a taxidermy salamander. Somehow, this bizarre treasure hunt, that Jane never expected or asked for, sets in motion a series of events that quickly put her and her family in danger.
As she desperately seeks answers, she discovers time is running out – for her and possibly for the world.
‘This is climate fiction at its most urgent and gripping’ The New York Times
‘Visionary, dark, beautiful, and strange, that rare novel that coaxes you into imagining the unimaginable’ Kristen Roupenian, author of You Know You Want This: Cat Person and Other Stories
‘Harrowing, gripping, and profound. It's both a thriller and a requiem for a disappearing world’ Emily St. John Mandel, author of The Glass Hotel
Reviews
Praise for Hummingbird Salamander:
‘Every now and again a writer reimagines noir fiction for their generation. Now it’s the turn of Jeff VanderMeer… He proves more than up to the task … a gripping kick-the-door-down investigation of wildlife smuggling that expands maniacally to include all that our planet has lost as the sixth extinction gathers pace … This is natural history as police procedural; and life on Earth as the scene of a crime’ The Times
‘An enigmatic eco-thriller that delivers on the subject of worlds – inner worlds such as the biosphere – that are coming apart’ Observer
‘VanderMeer is utterly confident and convincing in his storytelling… The action is delivered in short, punchy prose that builds up its own irresistible rhythm as the book progresses to a climax that deals with the possible end of the world, yet does so with nuance and thought-provoking speculation … A terrific piece of work’ Big Issue
‘A violent, darkly witty adventure, haunted by the threat of looming environmental apocalypse … while there's an urgency and a justified anger here, there's also a necessary glimmer of hope, a suggestion that perhaps we're not all completely doomed. Well, not yet, anyway.’ Will Salmon, SFX Magazine
‘An existential mindfuck cleverly disguised as a thriller … Visionary, dark, beautiful, and strange, that rare novel that coaxes you into imagining the unimaginable’ Kristen Roupenian, author of You Know You Want This: Cat Person and Other Stories
‘Quirky, compelling … The engine that drives it is speculation about the future not only of civilisation, but of all life on this planet.’ Guardian
‘Harrowing, gripping, and profound. It's both a thriller and a requiem for a disappearing world. I expect this novel will haunt me for a long time’ Emily St. John Mandel, author of The Glass Hotel
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Set in a world far along the path to ecological and political breakdown, this striking mix of thriller and biotech speculative fiction from VanderMeer (Dead Astronauts) charts a seemingly mad quest by its anonymous narrator, who suggests the reader call her Jane Smith. One morning at a coffee shop in an unspecified city in the Pacific Northwest, where Jane does somewhat nebulous work at a security firm, a barista hands Jane an envelope with a storage unit address, a key, and a note. In the storage unit, Jane finds a box containing a preserved hummingbird and a note with the words Hummingbird and Salamander, signed Silvina. Thus begins Jane's quixotic effort to discover the whereabouts and fate of probable ecoterrorist Silvina Vilcapampa, as well as the salamander mate to the hummingbird. Jane's traveling to New York City in search of Silvina alerts mysterious foes. Attacks on Jane and her work colleagues as well as surveillance of her home prompt her to abandon her husband and teenage daughter and embark on a yearslong, possibly fruitless quest to discover the truth. Exquisite prose pulls the reader deep into the labyrinthine plot. VanderMeer reinforces his place as one of today's most innovative writers.