The Vanished Birds

by Simon Jimenez
The Vanished Birds cover
Good Books rating 4.23
Science Fiction (Sci-Fi)
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Paperback • £10.99
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Technical
  • ID: 4559
  • Added: 2025-10-21
  • Updated: 2025-10-21
  • ISBN: 9780593128992
  • Publisher: Del Rey
  • Published: 2020-01-14
  • Formats: 1
  • Reviews: 3

The Vanished Birds is a highly imaginative and exhilarating debut that weaves a tale of connection across space and time. A solitary woman's life is forever changed when a mysterious child lands in her care, leading to an unexpected family dynamic. The story unfolds with a ship captain unfettered from time, a mute child burdened with unimaginable power, and a millennia-old woman haunted by her past mistakes. Together, they find in each other a place of love and belonging, but the past threatens to tear them apart. Praise for the book highlights its lyrical and moving narrative, set against an evocative space-opera background. It explores themes of galactic progress and its crushing fallout, making it perfect for fans of big ideas and intimate reflections. The novel is celebrated for its vast scope and its ability to make time for compassion, wonder, and poetry.

Reviews
Novel Notions · 2023-10-24
beautiful 4.50

The book is praised for its beautiful, heartfelt, and tense storytelling that explores themes of kindness, choices, love, pain, ambition, and found family. The space opera elements are engaging and the characters are well-developed.

This review highlights the book's ability to weave a compelling narrative that is both emotionally resonant and intellectually stimulating. The reviewer appreciates the depth of the characters and the exploration of complex themes. The space opera setting is brought to life with vivid descriptions and a sense of tension that keeps the reader engaged. The themes of found family and personal growth are particularly noteworthy, making this a standout read.

Quick quotes

    The Vanished Birds is a beautiful, heartfelt, and tense standalone space opera story about kindness, choices, love, pain, ambition, and found family.

    Simon Jimenez has crafted a narrative that is both emotionally resonant and intellectually stimulating.

    The characters are well-developed and the exploration of complex themes makes this a standout read.

Dear Author · 2022-01-03
engaging 4.00

The plot is engaging and the tropes feel fresh and original, focusing on the story of a single mother and her journey. The characters and their relationships are central to the narrative.

This review emphasizes the freshness and originality of the plot, which is driven by the engaging characters and their relationships. The story of a single mother and her journey is particularly compelling, adding depth and emotional resonance to the narrative. The reviewer appreciates the way the tropes are handled, making them feel new and exciting. The characters' development and their interactions are central to the story, making it a memorable read.

Quick quotes

    The plot is engaging and the tropes feel fresh and original.

    This is primarily Nia and Ahro's story, the story of a single mother's unswerving ...

    The characters and their relationships are central to the narrative.

Tarvolon · 2021-06-09
excellent 4.20

The excellent prose and engaging secondary characters make this book a standout. The willingness to explore difficult themes without resorting to easy answers is particularly praised.

This review highlights the high quality of the prose and the engaging nature of the secondary characters, which add depth to the story. The reviewer appreciates the book's willingness to tackle difficult themes and explore them in a nuanced way. The lack of easy answers makes the narrative more compelling and thought-provoking. The characters are well-developed and their interactions are believable, making the story feel authentic and engaging.

Quick quotes

    The excellent prose, engaging secondary characters, and willingness to explore difficult themes without resorting to pat answers make it well ...

    The characters are well-developed and their interactions are believable.

    The narrative is compelling and thought-provoking.

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