The Vanished Birds by Simon Jimenez

A solitary ship captain, drifting through time. Nia Imani is a woman out of place.
A mute child, burdened with unimaginable power. The scarred boy does not speak, his only form of communication the haunting music he plays on an old wooden flute.
A millennia-old woman, poised to burn down the future. Fumiko Nakajima designed the ships that allowed humanity to flee a dying Earth.
When chance brings Fumiko, Nia, and the child together, she recognizes the potential of his gifts, and what will happen if the ruling powers discover him.

By Else

I picked up this book purely because I had read Simon Jimenez’s second novel, The Spear Cuts Through Water.

The Vanished Birds was his debut novel and a science fiction book, which intrigued me.  After reading some reviews, my interest was piqued even more. I
finally got around to reading it, and I can tell you… IT WAS WORTH IT.

I’d say this book is perfect for fans of the films Arrival and Interstellar, and if you picked up I Who Has Never Known Men—because Matty forced you to, like I did—this book has some of the same feel, although it is completely different. I would like to say “just trust me” on this, but I guess I also need to elaborate a bit more.

I was hooked from the first page, because Simon Jimenez can WRITE. He manages to play with time and pacing throughout the book, making the passage of time feel as long or as short as the time and space travelling in the plot. The characters are a motley crew of individuals who get together and develop bonds you also feel as a reader, embodying the idea of a found family. Jimenez also pushes our ideas of space travel with his world, in which the main mode of travel between planets causes shifts in time due to time dilation.

This book is beautifully harrowing, the effects of time and space echoing through the prose itself. I was on the verge of tears the entire way through because it also becomes somewhat dark and is not the happiest of stories, but the entire journey is worth it. It felt like years, but also the blink of an eye, reading this book, mirroring the book’s themes and style.

For me, The Vanished Birds falls into the category: “I want to feel something sad.” You could have a good cry while reading it, even though it is simultaneously beautiful.

I definitely added Simon Jimenez to my “must read” author category, and I am excited to see what he produces next. I’m thinking I should already reread The Vanished Birds soon…. It is that good.