The Vanished Birds
- 432
- Pages
- about 8 h
- Reading time
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About the book
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.
Where the score comes from
The sources average 8.2 across 91 ratings — not yet many, so the reader vote carries 38% of the weight and the rest pulls toward the Science fiction average of 7.8. That is how 7.9 comes out.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hardcover | 8.2 | 91 | 100% |
Reader voices
The most-liked reviews on Hardcover (credited to their authors).
“Four stars for the prose, two for the plot. It's very well written, but parts of the book appear to be aiming for magical realism which doesn't gel with the SF element and makes what should be an emotional climax kind of silly. Also, and…”
Frequently asked
How long is The Vanished Birds?
It has 432 pages — shorter than 52% of the ranked books in Science fiction.
In this book
Themes this book shares with others — each leads to the best books on it.
If you liked this
Same shelf — Science fiction — with scores between 7.8 and 8.0, closest to this book.
