Borne
Vivid
Cerebral
Emotional

Borne A Novel

“Am I a person?” Borne asks Rachel, in extremis. “Yes, you are a person,” Rachel tells him. “But like a person, you can be a weapon, too.” In a ruined, nameless city of the future, Rachel makes her living as a scavenger. She finds a creature she names Borne entangled in the fur of Mord, a gigantic despotic bear that once prowled the corridors of a biotech firm, the Company, until he was experimented on, grew large, learned to fly, and broke free. Made insane by the company’s torture of him, Mord terrorizes the city even as he provides sustenance for scavengers. At first, Borne looks like nothing at all—just a green lump that might be a discard from the Company, which, although severely damaged, is rumored to still make creatures and send them to far-distant places that have not yet suffered collapse. Borne reminds Rachel of the island nation of her birth, now long lost to rising seas. She feels an attachment that she resents: attachments are traps, and in this world any weakness can kill you. Yet when she takes Borne to her subterranean sanctuary, Rachel convinces her lover, Wick—a special kind of dealer—not to render down Borne as raw genetic material for the drugs he sells. But nothing is quite the way it seems: not the past, not the present, not the future. If Wick is hiding secrets, so is Rachel—and Borne most of all. What Rachel finds hidden deep within the Company will change everything and everyone. There, lost and forgotten things have lingered and grown. What they have grown into is mighty indeed.
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Reviews

Photo of Ryan Mateyk
Ryan Mateyk@the_rybrary
5 stars
Jul 4, 2024
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Jason Lo@y2bd
3 stars
Mar 24, 2024
Photo of azliana aziz
azliana aziz@heartinidleness
5 stars
Jan 13, 2024
Photo of Michael Klepacki
Michael Klepacki@kleypack
4 stars
Jul 25, 2023
Dark
Unique
Photo of Shona Tiger
Shona Tiger@shonatiger
4 stars
Jan 19, 2023
Photo of Maggie Gordon
Maggie Gordon@maggieg
4 stars
Aug 13, 2022
Photo of Sonja H
Sonja H@sonjah
4 stars
Aug 12, 2022
Photo of newt the ungallant
newt the ungallant@lonelystar
4 stars
May 21, 2022
Surreal
Cerebral
Conceptual
Refreshing
Page turning
Contemplative
Photo of Melanie Richards
Melanie Richards@melanierichards
4 stars
May 14, 2022
Photo of Cindy Lieberman
Cindy Lieberman@chicindy
4 stars
Mar 26, 2022
Photo of jiaqi kang
jiaqi kang@jiaqi
4 stars
Mar 5, 2022
Photo of Chiara Malaspina di Orezzoli
Chiara Malaspina di Orezzoli@lamorehaidenti
4 stars
Jan 19, 2022
Photo of Sunyi Dean
Sunyi Dean@sunyidean
5 stars
Dec 17, 2021
Photo of akshaya
akshaya@ashhio
4 stars
Dec 2, 2021
Unique
Surreal
Beautiful
Emotional
Expressive
Photo of Olivera Mitić
Olivera Mitić@olyschka
5 stars
Nov 24, 2021
Photo of Han
Han@hanreads
3 stars
Oct 18, 2021
Photo of Heather
Heather@heidens
3 stars
Oct 14, 2021
Photo of Tara King
Tara King@sparklingrobots
4 stars
Sep 30, 2021
Photo of Shantesh Patil
Shantesh Patil@shantesh
5 stars
Sep 17, 2021
Photo of  Bruna Acioly Leão
Bruna Acioly Leão@bruna
5 stars
Aug 29, 2021
Photo of Brook
Brook@brook
5 stars
Jun 9, 2021
Photo of Sabrina D.
Sabrina D. @readingsofaslinky
4 stars
Dec 21, 2024
Edgy
Vivid
Cerebral
Gruesome
Ambitious
Photo of Liz
Liz@thispersonhere
3 stars
May 28, 2023
Dark
Edgy
Offbeat
Photo of Nicholas Zachariou
Nicholas Zachariou@nixzach
4.5 stars
Nov 23, 2022
Powerful
Creative
Gruesome
Inventive
Emotional