Review: Dead Astronauts by Jeff Vandermeer

In a dying world in which the Company has a monopoly on genetic experimentation, anything is possible, in any number of ways. Indeed, for Grayson, Chen and Moss, each iteration of the world is similar, yet eerily unpredictable and discordant. As the trio jump between space and time, they routinely emerge in a different version of the world they know, yet always with the same goal: stop the Company. However, this is easier said than done when faced with a massive corporation with endless resources and several questionable moral and ethical views.

Yet no story occurs in isolation, and our astronauts are not the only characters with agency and import. The many converging and diverging realities we’re herded through are home to a variety of equally charismatic antagonists in the form of decidedly unhuman genetic composites. This deviation from traditional fiction – both physical and ethical – serves as a stomach-churning and brain-prodding rebellion against conventional notions of the inner workings of the Other.

Dead Astronauts features no preamble and opens immediately into an established, chaotic world. From the first page, the reader is in the middle of already active plot. While this is at times confusing, it also gives the reader an opportunity to play detective – to establish exactly what happened to turn the world on its head, and why. Vandermeer’s decision to throw readers into the deep end of literary waters forces us to surrender our comfort, necessitating hyper-vigilance to navigate this strange world without feeling overwhelmed or abandoned. Simultaneously, it emphasizes the loss of control and order that result from humanity’s hubris in attempts to play God. Indeed, the confusion bred from the trippy timelines and events quietly molds us into a silent fourth astronaut, desperate to make sense of our surroundings.

A writer of considerable skill, Vandermeer compounds his challenging narrative with an impressive display of literary and linguistic gymnastics. Vandermeer seems to believe that just as a storyline can be warped and made to follow unusual patterns, so too can its prose. The effect is a dream-like surrealism that tickles every part of your brain, and ensures you work for your reading pleasure.

Occasionally, you come across a writer that shatters boundaries and defies belief; someone whose words lodge in your brain; stray lines and phrases nestling in your heart. Jeff Vandermeer is such a writer. He is a revolutionary who abolishes literary norms, taunts convention, and creates something new and inexplicable. Vandermeer holds sway over more than just words; he is the keeper of the unexpected and the conductor of vivid emotions

Dead Astronauts is not a book for everyone – it requires dedication, effort, and more than a little suspension of disbelief. It is not an easy read. However, it is an immensely satisfying journey that will be the ultimate reward for language lovers and fans of experimental fiction alike. Luckily, I fall within the latter category, and found this book to be a true delicacy. If you are willing to follow a dark and twisted path to the unknown, Dead Astronauts will be your guide.

Dead Astronauts by Jeff Vandermeer is published by 4^th Estate, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, and is available in South Africa from Jonathan Ball Publishers.