Authority (Southern Reach Trilogy, #2)

by Jeff VanderMeer

‘Astonishing, frightening, spectacular’ NEW STATESMAN

‘A lasting monument to the uncanny’ GUARDIAN

‘Chilling’ NEW YORK TIMES

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

With an introduction by N. K. Jemisin

After thirty years, the secret government agency known as the Southern Reach has been unable to solve the mysteries of Area X, a seemingly malevolent landscape wiped clean of human civilisation. Or is “pristine wilderness” a better description? Expedition after expedition has failed to come up with answers, often disastrously. The Southern Reach, in the process, has become a backwater agency, forgotten and underfunded despite the urgency of its mission. Following the tumultuous twelfth expedition chronicled in Annihilation, the agency is in complete disarray.

Enter John Rodriguez (aka “Control”), the Southern Reach’s newly appointed director. Working with a distrustful team desperate for success, Control must navigate a maze of frustrating interrogations, a cache of hidden notes, and hours of profoundly troubling video footage. What does it all mean? Can he reach some kind of understanding before it’s too late?

In Authority, the second volume of Jeff VanderMeer’s Southern Reach Trilogy, many of Area X’s most disturbing questions are answered … but the answers are far from reassuring.

'Very, very scary!' WIRED

'Extraordinary' SLATE

'Successfully creepy' WASHINGTON POST

• ISBN13: 9780008139117
• Publish Date: 30 July 2015 (first published 6 May 2014)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Imprint: Fourth Estate Ltd
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 352
• Language: English
• URL: http://harpercollins.co.uk

Reviews

[abookishblether]

I found this book much harder to follow than the first one. It could be because I half watched the movie before I read the first book. In this one, we get a character study of Control as he starts his job as Acting-Director of Southern Reach. The writing style is full of unintelligible half questions, and dramatic poetic short paragraphs. When I managed to follow along it was an enjoyable concise storytelling method but most of the time I would drift in and out of the narrative.

[HekArtemis]

This one falls a little bit throughout, honestly I just didn't need that much back story for Control. Most of it was kind of irrelevant and felt like filler because of it. Other than that though, it was quite enjoyable and had me waiting for the metaphorical or literal tentacle to drop. The end happened so quickly though, and because of the focus on Control losing trust in his own mind and perceptions because of the hypnosis, you aren't quite sure if what he has seen is real or not. And by the time you do realise it is real, it's done. I am not sure if that is good or bad timing honestly.

Time for Acceptance.

[thepunktheory]

Full review on my blog!

*inhales deeply and lets out a sigh*
This was not what I had hoped for.
Instead of answering a single question that was raised in the last book, Authority opens up a whole new story line with its own questions and issues, so I'm even more irritated than I was before.
Honestly, this one was dragging on even more than the last one. I was really bored at times and the unreliable narrator keeps annoying me.
It's actually a short book, but for the love of God, it took me forever and a day to finish it.

[Michael @ Knowledge Lost]

For thirty years, the clandestine government agency simply known as the Southern Reach have been sending expeditions into an isolated area known as Area X. Twelve expeditions have been sent to this unspoilt stretch of the US coastline but they are no closer to unlocking the mysteries of Area X. John Rodriguez, or as he is better known, Control is the newly appointed head of Southern Reach and he is determined to sort out this agency from all its disarray.

While Annihilation focused on Area X and served as an exhibition into nature, Authority is more about the bureaucratic nightmare of a secretive government organisation. The story follows Control, who serves as more of an outsider trying to make sense of everything that is going on within the Southern Reach. While this novel focuses on the organisation rather than Area X, readers can still expect to experience the same building of tension and terror found in Annihilation.

Even though it is a different cast of characters, I am very mindful of giving spoilers to the series so I will be a little vague and won’t be able to say everything I would like to say. Having said that, I tend to view Authority as a novel that parallels Annihilation in many ways. This makes me believe that the effects of Area X is not just a physical anomaly but also psychological. Yet again the reader is left with more questions than answers; What is going on here?

While I don’t think Authority was nearly as exciting as Annihilation. I am still very curious how this series will end with the last book Acceptance. I do have the last book from the library and I will probably read it sometime in January; I just need to know the answers. These books are a fun departure from the types of books I normally read but I do hate how vague I have to be in the reviews. Go out and read them; that is pretty much all I can really say.

This review originally appeared on my blog; http://literary-exploration.com/2014/12/19/authority-by-jeff-vandermeer/

[meowstina]

I received an advanced reader copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

After reading the first few pages of this book, I was kind of confused. The information presented goes against what I thought had happened previously. I had to go back to Annihilation to confirm that I was remembering correctly - and it turns out I was. That was when I knew Authority would be really, really good.

The second instalment balances out the first quite nicely, while still maintaining an air of suspense and mystery. It’s not quite as intense as its predecessor, but works in its own way to push further into the presence of Area X, from the outside this time. Control works in the Southern Reach office and filters through previously gathered evidence about Area X. His new role is meant to bring fresh eyes to the case, but as he gets more involved he also gets more confused. Though some questions are answered, there are a whole lot more introduced. I’m (still) as confused as Control, but in a good way. It leaves me wanting more, and wanting to finally figure out the strangeness behind Area X.

This book follows Control through every detail of his investigation, so it’s more research oriented. Although this makes it a little less exciting than exploring inside Area X with the biologist, it’s still pretty interesting and has its own form of intensity. Control is so involved in the evidence that I found myself heavily involved as well. It doesn’t feel as if he makes a ton of progress towards figuring out Area X, but a few questions are answered and he discovers a lot more evidence. I’m sure most of it will come together in the next book.

I have a feeling the last instalment won’t answer all questions or solve everything, but I think it will provide a sense of why Area X exists. I’m very excited to continue (and finish) the trilogy, so I am eagerly anticipating Acceptance.