References are swift and coy, not cloying, and remind me of another author who likes cheeky self-reference: VanderMeer is becoming the bio-horror Stephen King. There are also nods to VanderMeer’s evolving mythos, his favorite archetypes: blue foxes, bears, lighthouses.
VanderMeer’s latest is a return to the urgency and suspicion of the Southern Reach trilogy-with its many conspiracies and wildlife-related threats-but with more of a Noir feel to it, what with all the shadowy figures and terse, economical writing. Now make The Maltese Falcon about environmentalism, and make the protagonist modern and female, and you’ve got the foundation of Hummingbird Salamander.
He’s in over his head, but he can’t leave it alone, all because a mysterious and entrancing woman contacts him about an avian statuette, which might be worth millions or might ultimately be just another misdirect. Maybe you’ve heard this one: a mystery sends a would-be detective into a spiral of sexual entanglements, shadowy threats, and violent encounters, all of which serve to undo his personal and professional life.
0 kommentar(er)
