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jiaojiao's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Jeff VanderMeer’s Authority is a much more character-driven story than its prequel, Annihilation, which also, unfortunately, made it feel a lot slower than Annihilation to me. Authority follows John “Control” Rodriguez, an agent sent to the Southern Reach to take on the role of its new (and perhaps only interim) director after the former director fails to return with the other members of the expedition team. John attempts to unravel the mystery of Area X from the outside in, beginning with interviewing the Biologist (who seems to have returned from Area X unscathed), and working through the haphazard notes left by the former director. Unfortunately, his presence is unwanted at the Southern Reach—and the reasons for that are hidden in an unexpected conspiracy set into motion long before John had been chosen to go to the Southern Reach.
Like Annihilation, Authority switches between present events and an intensely introspective look at select events from the character’s past. Unlike Annihilation, these events don’t seem to relate directly to the mystery of Area X; instead, they seem to exist primarily to provide insight into John’s character and motivations. Worse, the frequent narrative switch to his past interrupted any sense of eeriness/creepiness that the present events were struggling to maintain.
It became clear halfway through the novel that VanderMeer had no intentions of solving the mystery of Area X in Authority. I thought VanderMeer had done an amazing job of setting the scene and mood in Annihilation; Authority felt like a diversion from both that was unnecessarily long while contributing very little to the story.
Aside from that issue, I didn’t like John as a character at all, and I struggled a lot with connecting with him. That could definitely have influenced how much I like (or dislike) Authority as a novel.
My rating system:
★☆☆☆☆ - DNF.
★★☆☆☆ - I really wish I’d read something else.
★★★☆☆ - Glad I finished, but I’m probably not re-reading this.
★★★★☆ - I really enjoyed reading this! Would probably rec/re-read.
★★★★★ - OMG.
Like Annihilation, Authority switches between present events and an intensely introspective look at select events from the character’s past. Unlike Annihilation, these events don’t seem to relate directly to the mystery of Area X; instead, they seem to exist primarily to provide insight into John’s character and motivations. Worse, the frequent narrative switch to his past interrupted any sense of eeriness/creepiness that the present events were struggling to maintain.
It became clear halfway through the novel that VanderMeer had no intentions of solving the mystery of Area X in Authority. I thought VanderMeer had done an amazing job of setting the scene and mood in Annihilation; Authority felt like a diversion from both that was unnecessarily long while contributing very little to the story.
Aside from that issue, I didn’t like John as a character at all, and I struggled a lot with connecting with him. That could definitely have influenced how much I like (or dislike) Authority as a novel.
My rating system:
★☆☆☆☆ - DNF.
★★☆☆☆ - I really wish I’d read something else.
★★★☆☆ - Glad I finished, but I’m probably not re-reading this.
★★★★☆ - I really enjoyed reading this! Would probably rec/re-read.
★★★★★ - OMG.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse
Minor: Death of parent and Confinement
scifi_rat's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Death of parent, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Gun violence
Minor: Gore, Racism, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Animal death, Confinement, Death, Body horror, Cursing, Vomit, Animal cruelty, Racial slurs, and Violence
mayr3adsab00k's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Grief
Minor: Alcohol and Animal cruelty
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