Reviews

The Southern Reach Trilogy: Annihilation / Authority / Acceptance by Jeff VanderMeer

Only show reviews with written explanations

dvdking's review against another edition

5.0

excellent read! i want more sci-fi/nature's revenge stories, especially by this motherfucker because they're truly awe-inspiring in detail and formula. my wig has cloned itself

algorithminflux's review against another edition

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3.0

I loved the writing, but didn't like the lack of closure. There were just too many loose ends left hanging.

humdrum_ts's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Rereads of Annihilation and Authority, first time through Acceptance.* The first two are exemplars of weird fiction, eerie stories of professionals struggling to navigate nigh-incomprehensible environments (the cryptic Area X and a government office, respectively.) They are, however, privileged by the initial rush of stepping into the unknown - poor Acceptance is stuck doing a balancing act, trying to reveal just enough to reach a satisfying conclusion, and not so much that the first acts are retroactively lessened. Here the whole project wobbles, discarding the intimate approach of the first two books in favor of jumping between various PoVs to tie off loose ends. It’s a step down, though, to its credit, it does manage to stick the landing.

*=physical book for the first, audiobook for the second, and a mix for the third.

best_lemon's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

wheresthebirds's review against another edition

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adventurous dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

bush42's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

this is all three books in one. i feel like the series got better with each book. the tone, setting, and tense jumping is out there and hard to follow sometimes but, man, it all comes together in acceptance. also props for the unhinged text jumpscare in authority that was nuts. the characters are some true freaks which is really what elevates everything here imo