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Feed Them Silence
Lee Mandelo dives into the minds of wolves in Feed Them Silence, a novella of the near future.
What does it mean to "be-in-kind" with a nonhuman animal? Or in Dr. Sean Kell-Luddon’s case, to be in-kind with one of the last remaining wild wolves? Using a neurological interface to translate her animal subject’s perception through her own mind, Sean intends to chase both her scientific curiosity and her secret, lifelong desire to experience the intimacy and freedom of wolfishness. To see the world through animal eyes; smell the forest, thick with olfactory messages; even taste the blood and viscera of a fresh kill. And, above all, to feel the belonging of the pack.
Sean’s tireless research gives her a chance to fulfill that dream, but pursuing it has a terrible cost. Her obsession with work endangers her fraying relationship with her wife. Her research methods threaten her mind and body. And the attention of her VC funders could destroy her subject, the beautiful wild wolf whose mental world she’s invading.
What does it mean to "be-in-kind" with a nonhuman animal? Or in Dr. Sean Kell-Luddon’s case, to be in-kind with one of the last remaining wild wolves? Using a neurological interface to translate her animal subject’s perception through her own mind, Sean intends to chase both her scientific curiosity and her secret, lifelong desire to experience the intimacy and freedom of wolfishness. To see the world through animal eyes; smell the forest, thick with olfactory messages; even taste the blood and viscera of a fresh kill. And, above all, to feel the belonging of the pack.
Sean’s tireless research gives her a chance to fulfill that dream, but pursuing it has a terrible cost. Her obsession with work endangers her fraying relationship with her wife. Her research methods threaten her mind and body. And the attention of her VC funders could destroy her subject, the beautiful wild wolf whose mental world she’s invading.
105 pages, Hardcover
First published March 14, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 736 reviews
August 2, 2022
this was fucked up. lee mandelo is the king of bad people doing bad things in a hot and sexy way.
it also suddenly brought back the memory of this girl in my creative writing class in high school who read a short story to the class that she wrote in which she was a wolf that tracked down and brutally murdered/ate people in the class that she disliked.
it also suddenly brought back the memory of this girl in my creative writing class in high school who read a short story to the class that she wrote in which she was a wolf that tracked down and brutally murdered/ate people in the class that she disliked.
March 12, 2023
4.0 Stars
In a small number of pages, this sci fi novella offers a unique off kilter narrative. This story is built around such a strange premise… yet it worked.
I enjoyed the main character of Sean and her fraying relationship with her wife. His workaholic tendencies feel believable. The work with the wolves was quite fascinating.
Overall, this ended up being exactly the smart, unique science fiction story I was looking for. Despite being a shorter work, I felt it was the right length for the story and I would not have wanted it to be longer.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
I review books on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@TheShadesofOrange
In a small number of pages, this sci fi novella offers a unique off kilter narrative. This story is built around such a strange premise… yet it worked.
I enjoyed the main character of Sean and her fraying relationship with her wife. His workaholic tendencies feel believable. The work with the wolves was quite fascinating.
Overall, this ended up being exactly the smart, unique science fiction story I was looking for. Despite being a shorter work, I felt it was the right length for the story and I would not have wanted it to be longer.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
I review books on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@TheShadesofOrange
March 20, 2023
Lee Mandelo has been on my radar since I read SUMMER SONS back in 2021. When I saw that they had a new novella coming out, I requested it and here we are. FEED THEM SILENCE is about as far away from SUMMER SONS that you can get, while still being engaging and unique.
Have you ever looked at your dog or cat and wished you knew what they were thinking? Dr. Sean Kell-Luddon has, except not with a pet, but with a wolf. Finally technology that she and her team have developed is ready to be put to use. With this tech, Dr. Sean will be connecting her brain directly to that of a wild wolf. She will be virtually inside the head of a wolf, with all that that entails. Is the wolf cold? Dr. Sean will feel cold. Is the wolf starving? Dr. Sean will feel that hunger. Attacked by a bear? I guess you can figure out yourself how it goes from there. Will Dr. Sean be heralded as a scientific leader in this new tech field? Will she be able to translate wholly the information fed into her brain from the wolf's? Will she survive? You'll have to read this to find out!
This was such a creative piece of science/dark fiction! Who hasn't thought about such a thing from time to time, especially with our pets? This novella also brings up issues with ethics like... is such a thing the right thing to do? Will Dr. Sean be able to keep her personal feelings separate from those of the wolf's? Questions like: private funding vs. public funding, how that technology will be used in the future, these are all here. As such, this story really made me think.
For me, tales that make me think while also providing entertainment, are among my favorites. Tales that question technology and how it is used or misused often fascinate me, and this one was no different. Combine all that with Lee Mandelo's writing style and you have a winner!
Highly recommended!
*Thanks to NetGalley, Tordotcom and the author for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it!*
Have you ever looked at your dog or cat and wished you knew what they were thinking? Dr. Sean Kell-Luddon has, except not with a pet, but with a wolf. Finally technology that she and her team have developed is ready to be put to use. With this tech, Dr. Sean will be connecting her brain directly to that of a wild wolf. She will be virtually inside the head of a wolf, with all that that entails. Is the wolf cold? Dr. Sean will feel cold. Is the wolf starving? Dr. Sean will feel that hunger. Attacked by a bear? I guess you can figure out yourself how it goes from there. Will Dr. Sean be heralded as a scientific leader in this new tech field? Will she be able to translate wholly the information fed into her brain from the wolf's? Will she survive? You'll have to read this to find out!
This was such a creative piece of science/dark fiction! Who hasn't thought about such a thing from time to time, especially with our pets? This novella also brings up issues with ethics like... is such a thing the right thing to do? Will Dr. Sean be able to keep her personal feelings separate from those of the wolf's? Questions like: private funding vs. public funding, how that technology will be used in the future, these are all here. As such, this story really made me think.
For me, tales that make me think while also providing entertainment, are among my favorites. Tales that question technology and how it is used or misused often fascinate me, and this one was no different. Combine all that with Lee Mandelo's writing style and you have a winner!
Highly recommended!
*Thanks to NetGalley, Tordotcom and the author for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it!*
March 18, 2023
I was looking forward to this, but I both don't think I get it nor liked it?
Horror:
To start this review-- I think this is mis-categorized. It doesn't have the pacing of a horror. Or maybe this is just a topic and exploration of said topic that I find incredibly commonplace? Sad, sure. But not horror. Unless you think selfish spouses and divorce are spooky.
Vibes:
I thought this would be an interesting little horror about science run amok with an apex wild predator. Instead it was mostly a moratorium and morose reflection on a failed marriage. The MC is absorbed by her work and seeking a connection to another being, but instead of investing in her relationship with her wife she develops a para-social relationship with a wolf she's mentally linked to. Her wife, meanwhile, is asking for entirely reasonable and normal relationship things to keep their marriage alive.
They have a lot of conversations where the wife is sad or setting boundaries for her own mental/emotional health, and the MC is just like, 'man, really wish I could go do the neural link thing with my wolf right now. and also wish my wife would just love me without me ever putting in effort or reciprocating with my actions.'
Conclusion:
And like... that's the book. That's it. It all resolves when And that left me feeling really empty, because I don't think the MC learned anything and nothing really happened during the book.
Who is this for?:
I saw someone else's review about how this really hit home because of the struggles they've had in their long-term relationship. I've been with my spouse since 2008 and idk, the obstacles here felt especially foreign if I try to re-contextualize the book and view it in the context of my own relationship. So maybe that contributed to my lack of interest in this book? That said, if the novella's marriage was fully saved, I still didn't get the impression that the MC even liked her wife or thought about her in any way apart from sex.
Does the dog die?:
Horror:
To start this review-- I think this is mis-categorized. It doesn't have the pacing of a horror. Or maybe this is just a topic and exploration of said topic that I find incredibly commonplace? Sad, sure. But not horror. Unless you think selfish spouses and divorce are spooky.
Vibes:
I thought this would be an interesting little horror about science run amok with an apex wild predator. Instead it was mostly a moratorium and morose reflection on a failed marriage. The MC is absorbed by her work and seeking a connection to another being, but instead of investing in her relationship with her wife she develops a para-social relationship with a wolf she's mentally linked to. Her wife, meanwhile, is asking for entirely reasonable and normal relationship things to keep their marriage alive.
They have a lot of conversations where the wife is sad or setting boundaries for her own mental/emotional health, and the MC is just like, 'man, really wish I could go do the neural link thing with my wolf right now. and also wish my wife would just love me without me ever putting in effort or reciprocating with my actions.'
Conclusion:
And like... that's the book. That's it. It all resolves when And that left me feeling really empty, because I don't think the MC learned anything and nothing really happened during the book.
Who is this for?:
I saw someone else's review about how this really hit home because of the struggles they've had in their long-term relationship. I've been with my spouse since 2008 and idk, the obstacles here felt especially foreign if I try to re-contextualize the book and view it in the context of my own relationship. So maybe that contributed to my lack of interest in this book? That said, if the novella's marriage was fully saved, I still didn't get the impression that the MC even liked her wife or thought about her in any way apart from sex.
Does the dog die?:
March 27, 2023
I genuinely don't even know if I have the ability to talk about how much I took away from this novella. I can't say I enjoyed it, because it's not fun, but it affected me greatly as I read and was as mired in the main character Sean's thoughts and feelings as Sean is in the wolf she's neurally linked to.
While this novella has a sci-fi framework - Sean is a scientist who gets a neural link installed in her brain to link up with a wolf in the wild - it really is a character study. It focuses sharply on Sean's failing marriage, but it's not as simple as "main character is a workaholic". Sean is indeed a workaholic, but there's a toxicity to it that goes deeper than that label, and of course the rapidly declining state of her marriage forces her to find more attachment and meaning in her link with the wolf, which puts more strain on her personal life, which drives her to find more connection with the wolf, etc.
It's all so...sad. And I'm not even sure how to feel about the ending, except that it seemed like the right ending for this character.
I don't know that this sort of character study will be for everyone, but I really did connect to Sean and her story as I read it, and that means everything.
While this novella has a sci-fi framework - Sean is a scientist who gets a neural link installed in her brain to link up with a wolf in the wild - it really is a character study. It focuses sharply on Sean's failing marriage, but it's not as simple as "main character is a workaholic". Sean is indeed a workaholic, but there's a toxicity to it that goes deeper than that label, and of course the rapidly declining state of her marriage forces her to find more attachment and meaning in her link with the wolf, which puts more strain on her personal life, which drives her to find more connection with the wolf, etc.
It's all so...sad. And I'm not even sure how to feel about the ending, except that it seemed like the right ending for this character.
I don't know that this sort of character study will be for everyone, but I really did connect to Sean and her story as I read it, and that means everything.
February 22, 2023
Okay, this novella is weird but it unexpectedly really worked for me. It's a horror novella but at its core I think it's about how many of us seek connection and depth of feeling by immersing ourselves in a virtual world in hopes of finding a sense of purpose and freedom from existential loneliness. All the while, neglecting the relationships we already have and compounding the problem. Feed Them Silence imagines a move toward a more extreme version of this while things go terribly wrong.
In the near future Dr. Sean Kell-Luddon and her wife are middle-aged lesbians with marriage problems. But even as that relationship erodes, Sean throws herself into her research studying neurological connections between humans and animals as a way to create empathy. Sean is herself the test subject, being neurologically connected via surgery to a wolf. While the study is supposed to be clinical, Sean finds herself reacting physically and emotionally to the experience of sessions being bonded with this wolf as she interacts with her pack. Finding comfort and connection that she struggles with in real life.
I really connected with this novella and the horror felt horrific to me. Is it because I have experience sustaining a relationship for well over a decade? Very probably. While the wolf stuff is weird, this touches on very real struggles that are common to long term couples. Taking someone for granted, not communicating, workaholic tendencies, getting too comfortable, losing yourself in media, neglecting to show care, or even (as in this novella with a cross-cultural relationship) failing to recognize where you've fallen into harmful patterns with racial or gendered ramifications. All of these are things you have to actively work to combat in a successful long-term relationship and this very effectively navigates the horror and trauma of a relationship falling apart. And of course creepy brain patterns from being connected to a wolf.
While I suspect this will be a miss for a cross-section of readers it was definitely a hit for me. And I think there's something about Mandelo's writing that just works for my brain. And fantastic audio narration! I received a copy of this book for review via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.
In the near future Dr. Sean Kell-Luddon and her wife are middle-aged lesbians with marriage problems. But even as that relationship erodes, Sean throws herself into her research studying neurological connections between humans and animals as a way to create empathy. Sean is herself the test subject, being neurologically connected via surgery to a wolf. While the study is supposed to be clinical, Sean finds herself reacting physically and emotionally to the experience of sessions being bonded with this wolf as she interacts with her pack. Finding comfort and connection that she struggles with in real life.
I really connected with this novella and the horror felt horrific to me. Is it because I have experience sustaining a relationship for well over a decade? Very probably. While the wolf stuff is weird, this touches on very real struggles that are common to long term couples. Taking someone for granted, not communicating, workaholic tendencies, getting too comfortable, losing yourself in media, neglecting to show care, or even (as in this novella with a cross-cultural relationship) failing to recognize where you've fallen into harmful patterns with racial or gendered ramifications. All of these are things you have to actively work to combat in a successful long-term relationship and this very effectively navigates the horror and trauma of a relationship falling apart. And of course creepy brain patterns from being connected to a wolf.
While I suspect this will be a miss for a cross-section of readers it was definitely a hit for me. And I think there's something about Mandelo's writing that just works for my brain. And fantastic audio narration! I received a copy of this book for review via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.
June 22, 2023
In the somewhat distant future, where multiple corporations rule over the world and the environment is gradually collapsing, Sean, a butch scientist, is working with her team to connect her to a wolf she affectionally calls Kate. Sean and Kate are both implanted with a neural transmitter of sorts which allows Sean to feels Kate's sensations and feel what she feels. However, Sean begins a one-sided obsession with Kate's experiences as her world crumbles around her. Her wife Riya is growing distant, her co-workers do not understand her desires, and the corporation that looms over the study wants soulless, clinical results.
I very much enjoyed Lee Mandelo's debut Summer Sons and Feed Them Silence is a worthy, shorter follow-up. It still has Mandelo's atmospheric yet morose writing and a bittersweet ending.
BUT! Before I continue you further, I should add two things: first, I have a signed copy of Feed Them Silence. Second, I actually met Mandelo when they came to Louisville earlier this year (2023) and they gave a talk about Feed Them Silence. So, I will be upfront that I've got a little more perspective about this novella than probably most others. However, I can say one thing that I learned from Mandelo--they may have repeated it elsewhere, I'm not sure. Feed Them Silence's original ending was darker than what is present here. It would be exciting to know what that original dark ending was.
But anyway, what about this book? Feed Them Silence is ultimately about one person withdrawing her personal emotions from everything around her. From her wife to her research, Sean removes so much of herself and her deeper feelings that everything feels cold distant. Mandelo emphasizes this with the winter weather that occurs throughout the course of the story. Whenever Sean links up to Kate, for lack of better words, she truly feels something again. However, per her research's requirements, Sean has to strip away all the emotion and personality that she initially writes down and submits something clinical and devoid of feeling. Not only that, Sean gets so involved in what Kate feels and experiences that she disregards sharing herself with Kate--or wondering if Kate can feel her--and hyper-fixates on the wolf's experiences so much, she almost becomes feral herself. At one point, after Kate's mother is critical injured, Sean even goes out to Kate's pack, again company orders, and hopes that the pack see herself as a companion.
During Mandelo's Louisville visit, they mentioned about how Sean's personality is almost already wired for this isolation that she undergoes. Remember that Sean is a butch lesbian, masc presenting. Much like in Summer Sons, her masculinity is already pre-socialized to adhere to some sort of stoicism, much like Andrew's in the aforementioned Southern Gothic. This is something that is never outright discusses or told in Feed Them Silence, but it is implied. Mandelo admitted that as a masc presenting person themselves, they had to untangle these socialized masculine expectations and they reflect it in their work. Feed Them Silence is a little more outright than Summer Sons in pointing out the social problems of the world, in this case corporate capitalism, but Mandelo never gets too heavy handed with it.
The novella is a touch on the slow side, but I think this mostly sloughs off my the midway point, where most of Sean's troubles come to a forefront and build upon her. Her character progression was less than traditional, she doesn't come out of this fully fine. She's hurt, mostly emotionally and mentally, by everything, especially what occurs in the climax. By the resolution, she isn't victorious, but in a somewhat better place than before. She's the most fleshed-out character in the book, followed by her wife Riya, who has her own problems of being ignored and being an Indiana-American woman in America academia. Mandelo touched upon racial issues in academia in Summer Sons too, but here they're just a little bit more touched upon. Like Sean, Riya ends up doing things that are bad and that she regrets too. Both women are exhausted by an academic system that truly centers and benefits neither of them and they are both pushed to doing such bad things. Mandelo doesn't condone either one's actions, but nevertheless they do make you understand why both Sean and Riya did what they did and where they're at when they did such things. Not really too much of the either characters were that fleshed out, save for maybe Christian, Sean's non-binary assistant. That's alright with me though, because they really weren't too central to the story as this is Sean's personal journey.
If anything, Feed Them Silence is both a cautionary tale about shutting yourself off and trying to fetishize and project the "exciting" experiences of someone or something ese onto yourself. You can retreat yourself from the world and everyone else, but you can't experience someone or something else without giving yourself over.
I very much enjoyed Lee Mandelo's debut Summer Sons and Feed Them Silence is a worthy, shorter follow-up. It still has Mandelo's atmospheric yet morose writing and a bittersweet ending.
BUT! Before I continue you further, I should add two things: first, I have a signed copy of Feed Them Silence. Second, I actually met Mandelo when they came to Louisville earlier this year (2023) and they gave a talk about Feed Them Silence. So, I will be upfront that I've got a little more perspective about this novella than probably most others. However, I can say one thing that I learned from Mandelo--they may have repeated it elsewhere, I'm not sure. Feed Them Silence's original ending was darker than what is present here. It would be exciting to know what that original dark ending was.
But anyway, what about this book? Feed Them Silence is ultimately about one person withdrawing her personal emotions from everything around her. From her wife to her research, Sean removes so much of herself and her deeper feelings that everything feels cold distant. Mandelo emphasizes this with the winter weather that occurs throughout the course of the story. Whenever Sean links up to Kate, for lack of better words, she truly feels something again. However, per her research's requirements, Sean has to strip away all the emotion and personality that she initially writes down and submits something clinical and devoid of feeling. Not only that, Sean gets so involved in what Kate feels and experiences that she disregards sharing herself with Kate--or wondering if Kate can feel her--and hyper-fixates on the wolf's experiences so much, she almost becomes feral herself. At one point, after Kate's mother is critical injured, Sean even goes out to Kate's pack, again company orders, and hopes that the pack see herself as a companion.
During Mandelo's Louisville visit, they mentioned about how Sean's personality is almost already wired for this isolation that she undergoes. Remember that Sean is a butch lesbian, masc presenting. Much like in Summer Sons, her masculinity is already pre-socialized to adhere to some sort of stoicism, much like Andrew's in the aforementioned Southern Gothic. This is something that is never outright discusses or told in Feed Them Silence, but it is implied. Mandelo admitted that as a masc presenting person themselves, they had to untangle these socialized masculine expectations and they reflect it in their work. Feed Them Silence is a little more outright than Summer Sons in pointing out the social problems of the world, in this case corporate capitalism, but Mandelo never gets too heavy handed with it.
The novella is a touch on the slow side, but I think this mostly sloughs off my the midway point, where most of Sean's troubles come to a forefront and build upon her. Her character progression was less than traditional, she doesn't come out of this fully fine. She's hurt, mostly emotionally and mentally, by everything, especially what occurs in the climax. By the resolution, she isn't victorious, but in a somewhat better place than before. She's the most fleshed-out character in the book, followed by her wife Riya, who has her own problems of being ignored and being an Indiana-American woman in America academia. Mandelo touched upon racial issues in academia in Summer Sons too, but here they're just a little bit more touched upon. Like Sean, Riya ends up doing things that are bad and that she regrets too. Both women are exhausted by an academic system that truly centers and benefits neither of them and they are both pushed to doing such bad things. Mandelo doesn't condone either one's actions, but nevertheless they do make you understand why both Sean and Riya did what they did and where they're at when they did such things. Not really too much of the either characters were that fleshed out, save for maybe Christian, Sean's non-binary assistant. That's alright with me though, because they really weren't too central to the story as this is Sean's personal journey.
If anything, Feed Them Silence is both a cautionary tale about shutting yourself off and trying to fetishize and project the "exciting" experiences of someone or something ese onto yourself. You can retreat yourself from the world and everyone else, but you can't experience someone or something else without giving yourself over.
March 10, 2023
Ahoy there me mateys! I have always loved wolves so the idea of getting the inside perspective of a pack was appealing. In this novella, Sean links her mind using a neurological interface with a female wolf in the name of scientific research. I found the technology aspect of this book to be intriguing even if the consequences were alarming. However, this wasn't the strong science oriented book that I wanted.
What the novella focused on was the toxic and failing relationship between Sean and her wife. Sean is set up to be a selfish person who is only focused on her research. However, I didn't really sympathize with her wife, Riya, either. Riya also makes bad choices. In fact, the moral of this story might be that all people are selfish, want connection with no real effort, and ultimately make decisions based on pure emotion even when they believe they are logical.
This is not a happy story. The people are miserable. The wolves are miserable. The world is miserable. Greed is the leading motivation. The near future does not look very pleasant or appealing. And I kinda despised the ending.
That said for being such a stark and sad look at humanity, I did feel it was well written. The people and situations felt realistic. The ethical considerations are touched upon. I can't say I liked this very much (despite the wolves) but I would read something else by the author. Arrrr!
What the novella focused on was the toxic and failing relationship between Sean and her wife. Sean is set up to be a selfish person who is only focused on her research. However, I didn't really sympathize with her wife, Riya, either. Riya also makes bad choices. In fact, the moral of this story might be that all people are selfish, want connection with no real effort, and ultimately make decisions based on pure emotion even when they believe they are logical.
This is not a happy story. The people are miserable. The wolves are miserable. The world is miserable. Greed is the leading motivation. The near future does not look very pleasant or appealing. And I kinda despised the ending.
That said for being such a stark and sad look at humanity, I did feel it was well written. The people and situations felt realistic. The ethical considerations are touched upon. I can't say I liked this very much (despite the wolves) but I would read something else by the author. Arrrr!
March 15, 2023
3.5
Well, this novella made me dislike humans even more, if that’s possible. 💀
The whole story was bleak and depressing. The prose was solid, but I wasn’t invested in Sean and Riya’s failing relationship at all, so those scenes just bored me. I loved the parts with the wolves, though, heartbreaking as some of them were.
Well, this novella made me dislike humans even more, if that’s possible. 💀
The whole story was bleak and depressing. The prose was solid, but I wasn’t invested in Sean and Riya’s failing relationship at all, so those scenes just bored me. I loved the parts with the wolves, though, heartbreaking as some of them were.
February 23, 2024
I wanted this to get a lot weirder than it did.
Read
June 3, 2023Dr. Sean Kell-Luddon is a difficult character to love, but her story is impossible to look away from.
I love Feed Them Silence as an academic horror: it's about Sean losing herself in her research and running away from her failing marriage. As someone who also works in academia (hi, I'm a doctoral student in engineering), I think the way Sean is desperate for funding, for understanding the workings of nature, for research outcome, for something to focus on other than every other fucked up things in her life is so perfectly demonstrated in this novella. Also, we love to see middle-aged lesbians!
I had expected the story to be more horror—it's technically categorized as sci-fi and not horror—and yet every single aspect of Feed Them Silence is so plausibly real that it didn't feel terrifying in a fantastical sense—it felt like the unavoidable near-future looming overhead. It's hard to say if the story was more unnerving because it could be contemporary or not. In a sense, the book had a "happy" ending; I wish it did not.
The writing is very atmospheric while still being humorous at times, and Mandelo did an amazing job weaving various themes together: academic research, capitalism, wildlife conservation, etc. Was there much change in Sean as a character throughout the story? I don't think so. She still doesn't know how to communicate (with humans). What changed was everything else. Also, can we talk about how Sean and Riya's dog Miller is basically a family wolf? I love that Riya found Sean in the dog bed once and that Sean finds comfort in Miller.
I find the ending of Feed Them Silence hilarious in a way I don't think Mandelo intended it to be. I guess I wanted to see the story arc crash and burn as a horror story, but it didn't happen. Overall an outstanding read for me. If you like academic horror, this one is for you.
Check out SL's review that made me pick up this book!
content warnings: racist comment (from the main character), animal experiment, animal cruelty, animal deaths, blood, gore, sexism, incestuous thoughts (wolves)
I love Feed Them Silence as an academic horror: it's about Sean losing herself in her research and running away from her failing marriage. As someone who also works in academia (hi, I'm a doctoral student in engineering), I think the way Sean is desperate for funding, for understanding the workings of nature, for research outcome, for something to focus on other than every other fucked up things in her life is so perfectly demonstrated in this novella. Also, we love to see middle-aged lesbians!
I had expected the story to be more horror—it's technically categorized as sci-fi and not horror—and yet every single aspect of Feed Them Silence is so plausibly real that it didn't feel terrifying in a fantastical sense—it felt like the unavoidable near-future looming overhead. It's hard to say if the story was more unnerving because it could be contemporary or not. In a sense, the book had a "happy" ending; I wish it did not.
The writing is very atmospheric while still being humorous at times, and Mandelo did an amazing job weaving various themes together: academic research, capitalism, wildlife conservation, etc. Was there much change in Sean as a character throughout the story? I don't think so. She still doesn't know how to communicate (with humans). What changed was everything else. Also, can we talk about how Sean and Riya's dog Miller is basically a family wolf? I love that Riya found Sean in the dog bed once and that Sean finds comfort in Miller.
I find the ending of Feed Them Silence hilarious in a way I don't think Mandelo intended it to be. I guess I wanted to see the story arc crash and burn as a horror story, but it didn't happen. Overall an outstanding read for me. If you like academic horror, this one is for you.
Check out SL's review that made me pick up this book!
content warnings: racist comment (from the main character), animal experiment, animal cruelty, animal deaths, blood, gore, sexism, incestuous thoughts (wolves)
March 20, 2023
3.5 of stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2023/03/17/...
In the near future, the planet has been ravaged by environmental degradation and climate change, leading to food shortages and mass extinctions. At the center of this story is one of the world’s last wild wolf packs, on the verge of perishing following a particularly harsh winter. Having just received a large grant to test out a new and potentially groundbreaking technology, neuroscientist Dr. Sean Kell-Luddon seizes upon this opportunity to test out a neurological interface which would allow the translation of an animal subject’s perception into the mind of a human. Her team has captured a female wolf, dubbed Kate, surgically inserting implants into her brain which would send signals back to the scientists. Sean, who has volunteered to be the human subject, would then be able to connect to Kate’s mind directly, experiencing everything that the wolf sees, thinks, and feels. Using this information, it might be possible to gain a better understanding of the creatures, and perhaps to even save them from dying out.
At first, the results are everything the researchers could hope for. Kate’s implants begin providing valuable data right away, as Sean experiences a connection with the wolf that is stronger and more intimate than any bond she’s ever had—stronger than even the relationship she has with her wife Riya. In fact, their marriage has been strained as of late. Riya complains of the long hours Sean spends at the lab, an issue which has not been helped by the new wolf project. The longer Sean spends interfacing with Kate, the more she also feels detached from her real life, losing objectivity with her job and her colleagues. Those around her are noticing the way the work is affecting her, but all that’s on Sean’s mind are her precious wolves and thinking about the next time she can be inside Kate’s head again.
Feed them Silence was my first book by Lee Mandelo, and for a tiny novella it packed quite a punch. Now, while it’s not uncommon for me to feel conflicted about a book after reading it, especially if it tackles controversial themes, I was honestly left with no idea how to feel about this one.
In the end though, I decided I enjoyed it. Yes, the characters are terrible people, and story itself is BLEAK BLEAK BLEAK, but I think it’s also important to acknowledge the positive along with the negative. For one, there’s no question that it���s well written, and it was clear Mandelo was out to challenge readers’ preconceptions even if it made them feel uncomfortable.
Most importantly, the writing captured my attention and I was hooked. While I see that Feed Them Silence often gets tagged as Horror, at its core I don’t feel it fits as neatly into the genre, even though its premise reminded me immediately of David Cronenberg’s The Fly. Perhaps because they both play out like a warning against scientific hubris, or the fact that they’re both stories about brilliant scientists completely losing control of themselves, feeling their humanity slip away inch by inch. Of course, in Sean’s case, it was her mind falling apart, but it’s interesting to note that, like Seth Brundle, her motivation also came initially from a place of good intentions before her eventual obsession led to destroying her life with that same kind of unbridled energy.
But boy, how impossible it is to ignore just what awful human beings the characters are. No doubt this is by design, but forget being able to sympathize with either Sean or Riya, who are both self-righteous pieces of shit with their heads far up their own asses. Theirs is a marriage based on guilt and manipulation, there’s infidelity involved (“only” three times), and nobody seems to care enough to actually communicate beyond jumping straight to unreasonable ultimatums. If we were supposed to despise Sean, then good job, Lee Mandelo, mission accomplished. But as a result, we were left with nothing to inspire us to root for Sean, and with nothing in her marriage with Riya worth fighting for, it also meant free reign for this egoist to completely cave to her obsession.
Like I said, it’s a bleak book. And while I love science-y books, it was ultimately heartbreaking to see Sean’s passion for the science and her work become twisted by darker motives. Granted, there was a glimmer of hope left in the ending, but on the whole, I have a feeling animal lovers will probably dislike how things play out.
All this is to say, Feed Them Silence will not be for everyone, but on some level, it did work for me. Despite the unlikeable characters and some plot elements that didn’t quite sit right, I found the story fascinating and utterly engaging. Overall, I found this novella deftly written, and I appreciate its unique perspective.
In the near future, the planet has been ravaged by environmental degradation and climate change, leading to food shortages and mass extinctions. At the center of this story is one of the world’s last wild wolf packs, on the verge of perishing following a particularly harsh winter. Having just received a large grant to test out a new and potentially groundbreaking technology, neuroscientist Dr. Sean Kell-Luddon seizes upon this opportunity to test out a neurological interface which would allow the translation of an animal subject’s perception into the mind of a human. Her team has captured a female wolf, dubbed Kate, surgically inserting implants into her brain which would send signals back to the scientists. Sean, who has volunteered to be the human subject, would then be able to connect to Kate’s mind directly, experiencing everything that the wolf sees, thinks, and feels. Using this information, it might be possible to gain a better understanding of the creatures, and perhaps to even save them from dying out.
At first, the results are everything the researchers could hope for. Kate’s implants begin providing valuable data right away, as Sean experiences a connection with the wolf that is stronger and more intimate than any bond she’s ever had—stronger than even the relationship she has with her wife Riya. In fact, their marriage has been strained as of late. Riya complains of the long hours Sean spends at the lab, an issue which has not been helped by the new wolf project. The longer Sean spends interfacing with Kate, the more she also feels detached from her real life, losing objectivity with her job and her colleagues. Those around her are noticing the way the work is affecting her, but all that’s on Sean’s mind are her precious wolves and thinking about the next time she can be inside Kate’s head again.
Feed them Silence was my first book by Lee Mandelo, and for a tiny novella it packed quite a punch. Now, while it’s not uncommon for me to feel conflicted about a book after reading it, especially if it tackles controversial themes, I was honestly left with no idea how to feel about this one.
In the end though, I decided I enjoyed it. Yes, the characters are terrible people, and story itself is BLEAK BLEAK BLEAK, but I think it’s also important to acknowledge the positive along with the negative. For one, there’s no question that it���s well written, and it was clear Mandelo was out to challenge readers’ preconceptions even if it made them feel uncomfortable.
Most importantly, the writing captured my attention and I was hooked. While I see that Feed Them Silence often gets tagged as Horror, at its core I don’t feel it fits as neatly into the genre, even though its premise reminded me immediately of David Cronenberg’s The Fly. Perhaps because they both play out like a warning against scientific hubris, or the fact that they’re both stories about brilliant scientists completely losing control of themselves, feeling their humanity slip away inch by inch. Of course, in Sean’s case, it was her mind falling apart, but it’s interesting to note that, like Seth Brundle, her motivation also came initially from a place of good intentions before her eventual obsession led to destroying her life with that same kind of unbridled energy.
But boy, how impossible it is to ignore just what awful human beings the characters are. No doubt this is by design, but forget being able to sympathize with either Sean or Riya, who are both self-righteous pieces of shit with their heads far up their own asses. Theirs is a marriage based on guilt and manipulation, there’s infidelity involved (“only” three times), and nobody seems to care enough to actually communicate beyond jumping straight to unreasonable ultimatums. If we were supposed to despise Sean, then good job, Lee Mandelo, mission accomplished. But as a result, we were left with nothing to inspire us to root for Sean, and with nothing in her marriage with Riya worth fighting for, it also meant free reign for this egoist to completely cave to her obsession.
Like I said, it’s a bleak book. And while I love science-y books, it was ultimately heartbreaking to see Sean’s passion for the science and her work become twisted by darker motives. Granted, there was a glimmer of hope left in the ending, but on the whole, I have a feeling animal lovers will probably dislike how things play out.
All this is to say, Feed Them Silence will not be for everyone, but on some level, it did work for me. Despite the unlikeable characters and some plot elements that didn’t quite sit right, I found the story fascinating and utterly engaging. Overall, I found this novella deftly written, and I appreciate its unique perspective.
April 28, 2024
This was incredibly depressing, bleak and sad. I’ve seen it described as bittersweet and sexy but it left me feeling wrung out and hopeless about the fate of the creatures on this planet 😩. I honestly can’t recommend it if you’re an animal lover for so many reasons. Humans are so disgustingly selfish and this book really hi-lights, underlines and exclamation points that sad fact.
I always say I like to go into books cold but I think I lie and I really need to investigate my books better before jumping in. With that said, I loved Summer Sons so maybe read that instead if you’re new to this writer and aren’t ready to fall into a complete funk of despair.
2.5 ⭐️
I always say I like to go into books cold but I think I lie and I really need to investigate my books better before jumping in. With that said, I loved Summer Sons so maybe read that instead if you’re new to this writer and aren’t ready to fall into a complete funk of despair.
2.5 ⭐️
August 18, 2022
lee mandelo i a obsessed with you in a perfectly normal and reasonable way that just means i very much admire your writing and the depth you give your main characters
April 14, 2023
for a story literally about wolves, this was, unfortunately, lacking the bite i was expecting.
September 29, 2023
Our Wives Under the Sea meets Once There Were Wolves. I can't think of a better comparison, and I loved all 3 of these books. For this one, I didn't care too much for the sci-fi parts, as is the case with any book ever for me lol, but I am glad it involved wolves, which are my favorite animal. However, the relationship aspect was so real, raw, relatable, and heart-wrenching, and those were the parts I waited for and absorbed wholeheartedly. the author did a great job articulating the nuances of a crumbling relationship, and the audiobook narrator had the best melancholic tone in their voice to portray the poignancy of this story.
March 25, 2023
What a wild, fucked up book.. RTC
Read
March 18, 2023I hate when bad things happen to lesbians but this was an interesting little sci fi novella
April 7, 2024
I finished the book last night and I'm not sure how to feel about the book or the ending.
The story line did not go in the direction I was expecting -
Did this book hit me in the feels? Yes. Did I like this book? I'm not sure, but it was an uncomfortable read for me, in ways I didn't expect.
The story line did not go in the direction I was expecting -
Did this book hit me in the feels? Yes. Did I like this book? I'm not sure, but it was an uncomfortable read for me, in ways I didn't expect.
April 18, 2024
I’m dead… this was… words…
Also: 😭😭😭😭😭
Also: 😭😭😭😭😭
April 6, 2023
A corporate funded science project that involves a neural interface connection between a human and a wolf. The project is supposedly about conservation, but the head scientist has always wanted to know what it was like to be a wolf and the corporate backers are just interested in the commercial potential.
This was an interesting short novel that held my attention even though the main character is mostly unlikeable. When she’s inside the mind of her wolf, it is impossible for her to maintain any objectivity. Very readable.
This was an interesting short novel that held my attention even though the main character is mostly unlikeable. When she’s inside the mind of her wolf, it is impossible for her to maintain any objectivity. Very readable.
March 21, 2024
4.5 stars
Maybe the real horror was your failing marriage all along.
My first time reading anything by Lee Mandelo, and believe me I have not missed the hype around his work. I went in with very high expectations and ended up being pleasantly surprised. Did not expect so much nuance and depth to this short novella about a crazy experiment where a scientist links her brain to a wolf to experience life through the eyes of said wolf. I really enjoyed the ethical discussions on the science being carried out, especially when it is funded by some big corpa, but at the same time acknowledging the lack of funds for research in academia. The themes on preservation, climate change and sustainable science were all very very interesting and Mandelo gives it the time and respect topics such as these deserve, which is no small feat.
The main character is extremely insufferable but her exceedingly worse and worse choices make for a fun read. Her issues with her wife and her sense of isolation "no one gets me except for the wolf I kidnapped and put fancy tech in", is also a major part of the book. I do believe she was let off too easy by the end and the book publishing seems to be another chance for her to stroke her own ego. Her pride is the main reason for her downfall, the research she so claims will "better our understanding of how wolves think" is just her selfishness and desire for fame in her field.
This was a pandemic book and you can feel the sense of doom looming just in the periphery of the book, as well as Sean's isolation from other humans. I really liked this part of the Author's Note:
There is some gore in the book but most of the horror is psychological and weird. Still something really enjoyable. I will be reading more of Lee Mandelo's works in the future.
What else was she, really, but another animal body afraid of being alone in the cold?
Maybe the real horror was your failing marriage all along.
My first time reading anything by Lee Mandelo, and believe me I have not missed the hype around his work. I went in with very high expectations and ended up being pleasantly surprised. Did not expect so much nuance and depth to this short novella about a crazy experiment where a scientist links her brain to a wolf to experience life through the eyes of said wolf. I really enjoyed the ethical discussions on the science being carried out, especially when it is funded by some big corpa, but at the same time acknowledging the lack of funds for research in academia. The themes on preservation, climate change and sustainable science were all very very interesting and Mandelo gives it the time and respect topics such as these deserve, which is no small feat.
The main character is extremely insufferable but her exceedingly worse and worse choices make for a fun read. Her issues with her wife and her sense of isolation "no one gets me except for the wolf I kidnapped and put fancy tech in", is also a major part of the book. I do believe she was let off too easy by the end and the book publishing seems to be another chance for her to stroke her own ego. Her pride is the main reason for her downfall, the research she so claims will "better our understanding of how wolves think" is just her selfishness and desire for fame in her field.
This was a pandemic book and you can feel the sense of doom looming just in the periphery of the book, as well as Sean's isolation from other humans. I really liked this part of the Author's Note:
Feed Them Silence grew from that fertile, toxic soil. Ultimately, the novella wrestles with the fears and worries of a singular moment in time—but the emotions and critiques at its core remain, I hope, prescient. I’m sure plenty of other artists will be scribbling their way through closing notes like these over the next decade or more.
There is some gore in the book but most of the horror is psychological and weird. Still something really enjoyable. I will be reading more of Lee Mandelo's works in the future.
July 16, 2022
5/5
The moral of this story as an academic is to never accept private vc funding (and accept defense funding instead)
The moral of this story as an academic is to never accept private vc funding (and accept defense funding instead)
Read
January 31, 2024I ADORED this book. Definitely more Gay Wrongs than Gay Rights, and I mean that in the best way - it's weird, slippery, satisfying, and very very queer. You're never sure whether the MC is genuinely empathizing with her subjects or just projecting her desperate need for uncomplicated love onto them, but either way, it's an unsettling and extremely fun POV to roll around in. Sometimes you just want to watch a character crash and burn.
March 18, 2023
I actually really liked Summer Sons, I thought the writing was very pretty and the characters were all treated with such respect and nuance.
That's not at all what's happening in this book. Sure, there is some commentary on mass extinction and global warming and overpopulation and how big companies are always going to want to make a profit even if they don't tell you outright at first, but the rest? Pointless drama.
Our MC doesn't feel like she belongs anywhere, but she also holds everyone else in contempt for... well, to be honest, I don't even know what for. I feel like there are millions valid reasons to dislike people and humanity at large and yet the MC just has no motivation for anything. I'm not even sure why she was so adamant in connecting her brain to the wolf, she and her wife had multiple arguments about it, but they just felt so performative that I couldn't be bothered to pay enough attention. Maybe this was supposed to be about how not everything you want to do and can somehow argue will have a good outcome will actually have a good outcome, but then don't just let one person make that statement. And sure, the MC understands at some point and on some level that she did actually do the wolf harm, that she traumatized her, but that didn't have the impact I wanted or expected to have either.
It's just this weird mix of calling out human arrogance, how we think we always have the right to know and do, even at the cost of another life or wellbeing or privacy (I mean, sure, it's a wolf, but we simply do not know if setting up a neurological link to another species is in their interest or if they'd want that given how territorial they are), while also kind of absolving it. I'm pretty sure it wasn't Mandelo's intention, but I don't think the right messages were conveyed and brought across and driven home.
And then the awful, utterly pointless relationship drama... I have no idea why that was in the book. If the whole story had focused on the sci-fi plot line, on the ethics behind establishing a neurological link with a whole different species, how that affects both "partners", the reasons behind this whole thing being financed, that would have made for a much more interesting and impactful read. Even the MC had been struggling with her humanity, feeling more home in the wolf's body than in her own, all of that could have really made for an interesting story.
Instead we have to read about how the MC can smell that her wife cheated on her, how toxic and problematic their relationship is. But like, how am I supposed to care? We're never truly connected to these characters, we only get to know the wife in fighting snippets, I'm not even sure there are really happy memories we're ever privy to, so what was the point? Being human doesn't mean romantic relationships. I promise you can be a functioning human without one, so why not exclude this drama from the narrative and focus more on the actually interesting part of this book?
And it's really funny to me that the relationship part sucked so much in this because Mandelo did a bang up job in Summer Sons, the really gritty, stupid, fucked up relationship at the center of the story vs. the more healthy, outspoken and defined relationships slowly building.
Oh and the wolf deserved much better. Hated the ending, actually. I didn't care about the people but I sure as hell cared about those poor wolves who didn't do anything wrong.
Also just imagine your boss has a mental breakdown because she gets attacked by a bear and you send her home and then next thing you know, you see her on your cameras feeding the wolves who don't actually know her in the freezing cold because she thinks she is special? The commitment of these people, actually going out and saving her? Amazing. I wouldn't have.
That's not at all what's happening in this book. Sure, there is some commentary on mass extinction and global warming and overpopulation and how big companies are always going to want to make a profit even if they don't tell you outright at first, but the rest? Pointless drama.
Our MC doesn't feel like she belongs anywhere, but she also holds everyone else in contempt for... well, to be honest, I don't even know what for. I feel like there are millions valid reasons to dislike people and humanity at large and yet the MC just has no motivation for anything. I'm not even sure why she was so adamant in connecting her brain to the wolf, she and her wife had multiple arguments about it, but they just felt so performative that I couldn't be bothered to pay enough attention. Maybe this was supposed to be about how not everything you want to do and can somehow argue will have a good outcome will actually have a good outcome, but then don't just let one person make that statement. And sure, the MC understands at some point and on some level that she did actually do the wolf harm, that she traumatized her, but that didn't have the impact I wanted or expected to have either.
It's just this weird mix of calling out human arrogance, how we think we always have the right to know and do, even at the cost of another life or wellbeing or privacy (I mean, sure, it's a wolf, but we simply do not know if setting up a neurological link to another species is in their interest or if they'd want that given how territorial they are), while also kind of absolving it. I'm pretty sure it wasn't Mandelo's intention, but I don't think the right messages were conveyed and brought across and driven home.
And then the awful, utterly pointless relationship drama... I have no idea why that was in the book. If the whole story had focused on the sci-fi plot line, on the ethics behind establishing a neurological link with a whole different species, how that affects both "partners", the reasons behind this whole thing being financed, that would have made for a much more interesting and impactful read. Even the MC had been struggling with her humanity, feeling more home in the wolf's body than in her own, all of that could have really made for an interesting story.
Instead we have to read about how the MC can smell that her wife cheated on her, how toxic and problematic their relationship is. But like, how am I supposed to care? We're never truly connected to these characters, we only get to know the wife in fighting snippets, I'm not even sure there are really happy memories we're ever privy to, so what was the point? Being human doesn't mean romantic relationships. I promise you can be a functioning human without one, so why not exclude this drama from the narrative and focus more on the actually interesting part of this book?
And it's really funny to me that the relationship part sucked so much in this because Mandelo did a bang up job in Summer Sons, the really gritty, stupid, fucked up relationship at the center of the story vs. the more healthy, outspoken and defined relationships slowly building.
Oh and the wolf deserved much better. Hated the ending, actually. I didn't care about the people but I sure as hell cared about those poor wolves who didn't do anything wrong.
Also just imagine your boss has a mental breakdown because she gets attacked by a bear and you send her home and then next thing you know, you see her on your cameras feeding the wolves who don't actually know her in the freezing cold because she thinks she is special? The commitment of these people, actually going out and saving her? Amazing. I wouldn't have.
February 23, 2023
Weird and nasty and so fun! I loved this. I'll take queer women in animalistic environments any day, anytime. Pick this up if you're looking for a quick and visceral horror story!
December 15, 2023
Cold, isolated, and wintery sci-fi (I think much more sci-fi than horror). This was such an interesting premise of what it would actually be like to be in the mind of an animal, in this case a wolf. It was so vividly descriptive. This also had an in depth story of a rocky marriage. You feel all the love and resentment, protectiveness and disappointment. It was a very dark read and definitely won't be for everyone. I think it may be perhaps more relatable to someone with intimate experience in a long-term relationship that isn't always rosy. A lot of this was sad and painful, the relationship between the main couple and the experience of the wolf as well along with the harshness of the Minnesota winter. It was my kind of weird. Very memorable and well done.
April 1, 2023
more speculative than sf but very compelling character study + dissection of academia’s toxicity. very in character lesbian rep imo (so much communication!) excellent prose, not sure how lee mandelo got tordotcom to publish something so barely speculative but i for one am glad for it
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February 2, 2024this book made me insanely uncomfortable
April 10, 2024
4.5 stars
This gave me vibes of James Cameron's Avatar + Animorphs, ish. I loved the darker tone and my 4th grade self says thank you for the Julie of the Wolves reference :D I wish it was longer! Natalie Naudus is fantastic on narration.
Edit: aww look, my 2000th Read book on GR, yay!
This gave me vibes of James Cameron's Avatar + Animorphs, ish. I loved the darker tone and my 4th grade self says thank you for the Julie of the Wolves reference :D I wish it was longer! Natalie Naudus is fantastic on narration.
Edit: aww look, my 2000th Read book on GR, yay!
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