So, when I heard of Hummingbird Salamander, I was surprised that he was leaning more mainstream with this near-future eco-thriller. His brand of “new weird” can be pretty far-out a lot of the time, especially when he veers into a more literary writing style.

His Southern Reach trilogy is one of my all-time favorite series, as are his Ambergris novels.

Hummingbird Salamander is Jeff VanderMeer at his brilliant, cinematic best, wrapping profound questions about climate change, identity, and the world we live in into a tightly plotted thriller full of unexpected twists and elaborate conspiracy.Ī gripping near-future, ecological thriller grounded by an enticing mystery and a great protagonist. 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. Soon, Jane and her family are in danger, with few allies to help her make sense of the true scope of the peril. By taking the hummingbird from the storage unit, Jane sets in motion a series of events that quickly spin beyond her control. Silvina, the dead woman who left the note, is a reputed ecoterrorist and the daughter of an Argentine industrialist.

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. From the author of Annihilation, a brilliant speculative thriller of dark conspiracy, endangered species, and the possible end of all things.

Hummingbird salamander review