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Jeff VanderMeer
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Finch: A thrilling standalone from the Author of 'Annihilation' Kindle Edition

by Jeff VanderMeer (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.0 out of 5 stars 494 ratings

From the Author of Annihilation, now a major Film adaptation starring Natalie Portman.

Shortlisted for the World Fantasy Award, the Nebula Award and the Locus Award.


AMBERGRIS: 239 Manzikert Avenue, Apartment 525.


Two dead bodies lie on a dusty floor. One corpse is cut in half, the other is utterly unmarked. Only one is human.


Ambergris is occupied, ruined and rotting. Its buildings are crumbling, or mutating into moist and hostile new life forms. The population is brought to its knees by narcotics, detention camps and arbitrary acts of terror. And for motives unknown, the new masters of the city want this bizarre case closed. Now.


With no leads and one week to conclude his investigation, Detective John Finch is about to find himself in the cross-hairs of every spy, rebel, informer and traitor in town. And what he discovers will change Ambergris forever...

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  1. Book 3 of 3
    The Ambergris Trilogy
  2. Print length
    353 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Corvus
  5. Accessibility
    Learn more
  6. Publication date
    1 Mar. 2011
  7. File size
    3.8 MB
  8. Page Flip
    Enabled
  9. Word Wise
    Enabled
  10. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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 See full series
There are 3 books in this series.
This option includes 3 books.

Product description

Review

I can't remember ever reading a book like Finch. Audacious... extravagant... macabre. I'm impressed ― Stephen R. Donaldson

Fungal noir. Steampunk delirium. Paranoid spy thriller . . . A clear signal, if one were ever needed, that VanderMeer remains one of modern fantasy's most original and fearless pioneers ― Richard K. Morgan

[An] intriguing and highly original novel... VanderMeer can write beautifully ― Washington Post

Wow, what a cool novel. Heavy with shadows and dark as sin detective fantasy... Hell I loved it. In fact, I'm a little jealous ― Joe R. Lansdale

Finch just blew me to hell and gone... I loved the meeting of the grime and the sublime and oh so beautifully crafted... Think Cormac McCarthy... with an amazing nod to Lovecraft and still that doesn't capture the spell this novel casts ― Ken Bruen

Fans of the avant garde will appreciate VanderMeer's latest work. VanderMeer skillfully pairs horror motifs with dreamlike imagery ― Wall Street Journal

From the Back Cover

In a deserted tenement in an occupied city, two dead bodies lie on a dusty floor as if they have fallen out of the air. One corpse is cut in half, the other is utterly unmarked. One is human, the other isn't. The city of Ambergris is half ruined, rotten, its population controlled by narcotics, internment camps, and acts of terror. But its new masters want this case closed, urgently. Detective John Finch has just one week to solve it or be sent to the camps. With no ID for the victims, no clues, no leads, and precious little hope, Finch's fate hangs in the balance.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B004OEK3UU
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Corvus
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ 1 Mar. 2011
  • Edition ‏ : ‎ Main
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3.8 MB
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 353 pages
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0857893574
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Book 3 of 3 ‏ : ‎ The Ambergris Trilogy
  • Customer reviews:
    4.0 out of 5 stars 494 ratings

About the author

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Jeff VanderMeer

Jeff VanderMeer

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Called “the weird Thoreau” by the New Yorker, NYT bestseller Jeff VanderMeer has been a published writer since age 14. His most recent fiction is the critically acclaimed novel BORNE, which has received raves from the NYTBR, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, and many more. Paramount Pictures has optioned BORNE for film.

VanderMeer's Southern Reach trilogy was one of the publishing events of 2014, the trilogy made more than thirty year’s best lists, including Entertainment Weekly’s top 10. Paramount Pictures has made a movie out of the first volume of the Southern Reach, Annihilation, slated for release in 2018 and starring Tessa Thompson, Oscar Isaac, Gina Rodriguez, Natalie Portman, and Jennifer Jason Leigh.

His nonfiction appears in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, the Guardian, and the Atlantic.com. VanderMeer also wrote the world’s first fully illustrated creative-writing guide, Wonderbook. With his wife, Ann VanderMeer, he has edited may iconic anthologies. He lives in Tallahassee, Florida, with two wonderful cats. His hobbies include hiking, reading, and bird watching.

Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
494 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book thoroughly enjoyable with an excellent story that moves at a good pace, and they appreciate its wonderful ideas and fascinating characters. Moreover, the book's style receives positive feedback, with one customer comparing it to Alastair Reynolds' work. However, the book contains multiple typos, which detracts from the reading experience.

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EnjoymentStory qualityImaginationCharacter developmentStyleTypos
13 customers mention ‘Enjoyment’13 positive0 negative

Customers find the book thoroughly enjoyable and interesting to read, with one customer describing it as a marvellous diversion.

"...Switch the light of. Dear god it drives me mad... But the book is amazing...." Read more

"...As a piece of sci-fi, it's fascinating and well worth a read. 7/10 David Brookes..." Read more

"...I definitely enjoyed the novel and got swept up in its mystery...." Read more

"...'s missing and since the book is really beautifully written and extremely engaging I would still recommend this as a thoroughly enjoyable..." Read more

13 customers mention ‘Story quality’13 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the story quality of the book, finding it excellent and intriguing, with one customer noting how it moves at a good pace.

"...been thought out carefully; it’s well constructed and is full of interesting and well drawn characters, so it’s baffling to have such elementary..." Read more

"...Nevertheless, the story feels very alive. The protagonist's relationship with one of the female characters was especially evocative for me...." Read more

"...style of writing perfectly suited the noir theme and moved the storyline on at a pace...." Read more

"...I definitely enjoyed the novel and got swept up in its mystery. The weirdness and frankly horror definitely adds something to it, but it also..." Read more

9 customers mention ‘Imagination’9 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's imagination, praising its wonderful ideas and detailed world-building, with one customer noting how carefully it was thought out.

"...Dear god it drives me mad... But the book is amazing. The universe is a fascinating place, unlike anything I've read before..." Read more

"...The book has obviously been thought out carefully; it’s well constructed and is full of interesting and well drawn characters, so it’s baffling to..." Read more

"I'm a fan of the author's early works, which are rich, complex and very original...." Read more

"Amazing scope and scale of story ark reminiscent of Alastair Reynolds. I loved this book and will read others by this author asap...." Read more

4 customers mention ‘Character development’4 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the character development in the book, finding them fascinating, with one customer noting how the main detective feels very real.

"...; it’s well constructed and is full of interesting and well drawn characters, so it’s baffling to have such elementary errors. . . . Odd." Read more

"...The characters are also fascinating and deep...." Read more

"...Excellent characters & a truly original story that never strains crediability." Read more

"...The characters jump out of the page, and the main detective is very real...." Read more

3 customers mention ‘Style’3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the style of the book, with one noting its noir elements and another comparing it to Alastair Reynolds' work.

"I'm a fan of the author's early works, which are rich, complex and very original...." Read more

"Amazing scope and scale of story ark reminiscent of Alastair Reynolds. I loved this book and will read others by this author asap...." Read more

"My first book (apart from Wonderbook) by Jeff Vandermeer. Loved the noir style...." Read more

13 customers mention ‘Typos’3 positive10 negative

Customers report multiple typos in the book, with one customer noting that the errors disrupt their reading experience, particularly for those with dyslexia.

"...However it was strangely flawed by typos.... missing letters abound in this edition, some are easy, others confusing, and I kept thinking it was a..." Read more

"...my views of the story however, I have to mention the large number of typos in this edition (presumably due to conversion from paper to ebook)...." Read more

"...'s generally pretty obvious what's missing and since the book is really beautifully written and extremely engaging I would still recommend this as a..." Read more

"...My single critique is the absolutely abysmally poor proof reading. It makes the tempo of the story (fast paced and engrossing) stutter far too often...." Read more

Top reviews from United Kingdom

  • N.P.D. Doyle
    5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely fascinating!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 11 August 2018
    Verified Purchase
    I am reading the Kindle version. My only criticism of this version (probably a conversion issue) is that every word which should be 'off' is 'of' instead. Switch the light of. Dear god it drives me mad... But the book is amazing. The universe is a fascinating place, unlike anything I've read before (and I've read Annihilation). Full disclosure: I'm not finished it yet but it's so weird that I don't really care about the ending. The journey is incredible.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • julia doyle
    4.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing tale of betrayals and trust
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 25 September 2018
    Verified Purchase
    I really enjoyed this story, very imaginative. An old school cynical detective masking a conflicted heroic tragic figure (or perhaps vice versa, tragic heroic protagonist). However it was strangely flawed by typos.... missing letters abound in this edition, some are easy, others confusing, and I kept thinking it was a clever mysterious ploy, and all the consonants would gather into a cunning clue. But they didn’t, there were too many mistakes in the proofreading for me to just enjoy it the yarn. The book has obviously been thought out carefully; it’s well constructed and is full of interesting and well drawn characters, so it’s baffling to have such elementary errors. . . . Odd.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • David Brookes
    3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting sci-fi - no errors in my ebook version unlike other reviewers'
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 3 January 2016
    Verified Purchase
    I'm a fan of the author's early works, which are rich, complex and very original. Finch is set in a great fictional world, which has drastically changed since the preceding novels and really interesting ways. The characters are also fascinating and deep. I can't say that I was totally convinced by the first person narrator - the punchy, noirish voice feels forced and is distracting. Amazing, the writer/editors don't seem to have spotted that Finch's dialogue is inconsistent with his narrative voice - why doesn't he also speak punchy and noirish? Nevertheless, the story feels very alive. The protagonist's relationship with one of the female characters was especially evocative for me. This would make an absolutely stonking film and I hope Hollywood discovers VanderMeer and produces this rather than the inexplicably more popular Annihilation books. Unlike other reviewers, my e-copy of this book didn't have many errors that I noticed - they must have revisited the text to scrub these out (purchased in late 2015).

    Overall, a great read slightly marred, in my opinion, by the unnecessary Chandler-esque writing style and a slightly bloated plot with one too many noir tropes. As a piece of sci-fi, it's fascinating and well worth a read.

    7/10
    David Brookes
    Author of 'Half Discovered Wings' and 'The Gun of Our Maker'
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Neil
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five stars for the story
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 30 January 2019
    Verified Purchase
    Before starting on my views of the story however, I have to mention the large number of typos in this edition (presumably due to conversion from paper to ebook). There are a large number of missing consonants: off=of, flame=fame, then=ten etc. Working on the assumption that this wasn't a clever literary device, I got a bit confused when fares went off in the sky or buildings were enveloped in fame.
    Notwithstanding this, Finch was my favourite of the Ambergris novels, neatly pulling everything together in unexpected ways. The clipped style of writing perfectly suited the noir theme and moved the storyline on at a pace. There was a genuine sense of menace throughout but balanced by an almost equal sense of wonder. Highly recommended
    6 people found this helpful
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  • Xercies
    4.0 out of 5 stars Weird Noir
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 24 August 2020
    Verified Purchase
    This story is definitely taking a lot of inspiration from the noir and detective genre tradition but adding the usual Jeff Vandermeer twist.

    Essentially the plot is the mystery about how a man and a sentiant mushroom (told you it was weird!) Died. This takes Finch across the different levels of the city, showing how it has changed under the mushroom peoples rule but how it's still a little odd and surreal.

    I definitely enjoyed the novel and got swept up in its mystery. The weirdness and frankly horror definitely adds something to it, but it also detracts a little bit from the mystery because it's sometimes hard to understand what is going on and whether the mystery will actually be revealed.

    It does, and the things that are hard to understand kind of just make you want to look deeper into what it's trying to say.
    5 people found this helpful
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  • saskiadotritchieatgmaildotcom
    5.0 out of 5 stars Superb worldcrafting
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 1 June 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Amazing scope and scale of story ark reminiscent of Alastair Reynolds. I loved this book and will read others by this author asap.

    My single critique is the absolutely abysmally poor proof reading. It makes the tempo of the story (fast paced and engrossing) stutter far too often. The author (or proof readers) need to learn the difference between of and off I lost count of this error. Typos in abundance. I'd happily proof storytelling of this quality for free but I'm dyslexic. That is seriously how bad it is, it disrupted my dyslexic reading experience.
    4 people found this helpful
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  • Gjrob (London)
    4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting read (of a beautifully written book)
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 5 October 2017
    Verified Purchase
    As other reviewers have noted there does seem to have been a processing glitch which has resulted in quire a large number of dropped letters from words. However it's generally pretty obvious what's missing and since the book is really beautifully written and extremely engaging I would still recommend this as a thoroughly enjoyable (albeit sometime harrowing) read!
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  • Forcessweetheart
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fantasy noir.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 22 December 2020
    Verified Purchase
    I found this book fascinating, though I've not read the other two books of the cycle i don't feel I've missed out on enjoying the story because of it. I won't go into too much detail but they're are elements here to interest fans of classic noir fiction as well as those who enjoy stretching reality. Excellent characters & a truly original story that never strains crediability.
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Top reviews from other countries

  • MG
    5.0 out of 5 stars weird noir
    Reviewed in India on 5 January 2016
    Verified Purchase
    This book is a must read for all fantasy fans
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  • Jeff the Zombie
    4.0 out of 5 stars A fine conclusion to the Ambergris saga
    Reviewed in the United States on 6 January 2010
    Verified Purchase
    Since City of Saints and Madmen, Ambergris has been a haunting, foreboding city on the edge of the river Moth in a surreal fantasy world plagued by fungus. It has never been host to a detective story before, but in many ways it makes a lot of logical sense -- particularly given that Finch is so intent on unraveling the larger mysteries that Jeff Vandermeer has built since the first book.

    The title character is a collaborator working with Grey Cap occupiers on their human police force, tasked with solving a grisly and perplexing murder. Through him, we learn the secret history of Ambergris and learn the Grey Caps' ultimate plan for the city. Vandermeer uses the classic trappings of the hardboiled detective genre and successfully transfuses them into the fantasy city of Amebergris, offering a satisfying (and successful) experiment in rare mating between two traditionally unrelated genres.

    Fans of the previous books will find bit payoffs, while new readers can more or less enjoy Finch on its own. The only downside is an ending that's a bit too open for interpretation, though not altogether unexpected given Vandermeer's body of work.
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  • Gaurav
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in India on 12 November 2015
    Verified Purchase
    A staggering achievement in the highly original new weird movement!
    Report
  • Jay
    4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
    Reviewed in Canada on 23 May 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Really liked it. Unusual and strange with lots of great atmosphere.
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  • ANicolosi
    3.0 out of 5 stars I'm not a detective
    Reviewed in the United States on 7 September 2013
    Verified Purchase
    The book is just ok. Nothing special to take away from the book. It's good for killing time but I really felt like there were other things I could be doing that would be a better use of my time.
    Report

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