{"id":498,"date":"2009-11-04T18:05:17","date_gmt":"2009-11-04T18:05:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.revolutionsf.com\/revblogs\/geekcurmudgeon\/2009\/11\/04\/my-review-of-finch\/"},"modified":"2012-08-17T05:18:48","modified_gmt":"2012-08-17T05:18:48","slug":"my-review-of-finch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.revolutionsf.com\/revblogs\/geekcurmudgeon\/2009\/11\/04\/my-review-of-finch\/","title":{"rendered":"My review of Finch"},"content":{"rendered":"

My review<\/a> of Jeff VanderMeer’s latest novel Finch<\/span><\/a> appeared in today’s San Antonio Current<\/span>.<\/p>\n

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The first two volumes of The Ambergris Cycle, City of Saints &amp; Madmen<\/span> and Shriek: An Afterword<\/span>, introduced a fascinating story sequence centered on the city-state Ambergris and its unusual inhabitants and happenings. Typifying the uniqueness of VanderMeer\u2019s world, fungoid creatures of unknown origin, dubbed the gray caps, occupy the city\u2019s extensive underworld catacombs and drive many of the stories. Finch<\/span>, the third and climactic volume, returns to VanderMeer\u2019s singular creation some 100 years after the events recounted in Shriek<\/span>.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n

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Finch\u2019s weeklong investigation unveils a seedy underworld littered with revolutionaries, hustlers, femme fatales, and characters from his own questionable past. Cataloging this novel\u2019s strata, twists, and feints will occupy fans and critics for years. All aspects of the story interact with elements of the prior Ambergris adventures, though Finch stands entirely on its own merits; the three books of the cycle can be enjoyed in any order.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n

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As with all of VanderMeer\u2019s works, this layered tale ultimately satisfies as it barrels to a momentous conclusion. If Finch<\/span> is indeed the final Ambergris story, and I have my doubts that it is, VanderMeer left his creation with an extraordinary novel \u2014 one of the finest of his young career \u2014 and completed a cycle that encapsulates the very best of the New Weird.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n

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Check out my Baker’s Dozen interview with Jeff Vandermeer<\/a> and the remainder of this review<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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My review of Jeff VanderMeer’s latest novel Finch appeared in today’s San Antonio Current. Quote: The first two volumes of The Ambergris Cycle, City of Saints &amp; Madmen and Shriek: An Afterword, introduced a fascinating story sequence centered on the … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-498","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n