MixedUSA Today2.5 out of 4 stars ... Unlike Borne, which largely adhered to more common notions of storytelling, Astronauts exists in a state that is often beyond language. That might not seem to make a lot of logical sense when you consider that this is a novel we’re talking about, but in fact, as the book goes along, the lack of structural integrity begins to make more sense, not less ... If we spent the majority of the book with the astronauts as they plumbed this failed world, the novel might be more easily engaged with, but instead VanderMeer slides around ... we get VanderMeer’s beautiful and striking examination of this life, across all the multitudes ... It’s hard to know what entirely to make of Dead Astronauts. As an existential pursuit into the notion of time and space, it’s surely mind-bending and VanderMeer never ceases to amaze with his ability to create a world of our own that reeks of our mistakes. And yet, too, it’s hard not to yearn for more narrative coherence.
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay[/caption]
