Annihilation (Southern Reach Trilogy, #1)

by Jeff VanderMeer

[meowstina]

I received a copy of this book from the publisher, HarperCollins, through The Savvy Reader’s giveaway.

I am extremely excited to be a part of the mysterious Area X expedition! Receiving a wrapped package was made all the more intriguing given that I didn’t know what lay inside. When I opened it, I found this novel. I didn’t know what to expect, so I went into the story with an open mind and readied myself for an adventure.

The expedition is cold and calculated, and includes information and tools of only absolute necessity. The characters have no names and their equipment is decades old. Readers know only as much as the biologist, who narrates her experiences rather mechanically. It took a while to get used to her strictly technical, cold voice, but it suits her personality and her role as a scientist.

The brief informational background segment at the beginning is necessary because once discovery begins, you don’t want to read about anything else. There are a few anecdotal stories strewn between action sequences, but they work to increase suspense before each sequences “conclusion”, as there are only five very long chapters in this book. It works well too because I meant to read for a half hour and ended up finishing the entire novel.

The events and organisms that make up the expedition and Area X are very strange. If I could choose one word to summarize this story it would be strange - but in a compelling way, not in a negative way. The biologist’s time in Area X is shrouded in slight confusion, mystery, and strange encounters. From the beginning there is a sense of general distrust and unshakeable fear (I read this at night because I didn’t expect to be scared by this book - I was wrong). Nothing extremely scary happens, but the whole environment and the events that take place are kind of creepy. I commend Vandermeer for achieving this without obvious markers that intend to scare. I suppose this can be categorized as a psychological thriller. There are also a lot of questions that go unanswered, but I’m not even that upset. I expected this a bit because it’s part of a trilogy, so my curiosity has been piqued instead of annoyed.

This isn’t the kind of book I usually read, but I like it. I will definitely pick up the other books in the trilogy, which will be released May and September of this year. I can’t wait to find out more about Area X, and though I know not all of my questions will be answered, I hope some kind of cause or inner working will be revealed. This is a thriller with a bit of sci-fi/fantasy, some suspense, and a lot of strangeness. I shall be waiting (im?)patiently for the next instalments.