Reviews - Authority | The StoryGraph

6.8k reviews for:

Authority

Jeff VanderMeer

3.56 AVERAGE

bechlette47's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense

I really like this series so far! While the first book went into Area X, the second dives into The Southern Reach, the organization which has been exploring and trying to understand Area X.
Do I understand what’s going on or why? No. Will I ever? I don’t know. But I’m intrigued and invested now.
I like VanderMeer’s writing style. It’s very descriptive and I like the vocabulary. He has a sardonic, dry humor that I enjoy.
Favorite quote (one of many): “Infuriatingly opaque, as always.”

amberwood89's review against another edition

3.0

adventurous challenging dark sad tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

turnip133's review against another edition

4.25

this is such an interesting sequel, its so different from the first book but also so similar. the setting/plot is that of a horror/mystery novel, even having elements of noir at times, whereas the first book is more survival and scifi. vandermeer does a great job of character writing though, because john's character is fleshed out so well in a way that reminds me of the first book. and of course, area x is a main focus, and as the book draws on, the horror element comes out. theres a certain eeriness as we begin to see area x seep into the real world, disrupting office feuds and bringing anxiety at the secrets and dysfunction of the organization. and, at the end, we see the characters forced back into that world of survival scifi, which is terrifying in and of itself. i loved how quietly creepy this book became. its hard to do a sequel well, and i appreciated that this one changed some stuff up to keep it interesting while still keeping that unique area x feel. points off for the weird romance vibes at times (?) i stg if theres romance in the final book i'll be kind of pissed :/

storytellertiamat's review against another edition

3.5

challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This book was weird af. I had to go back and read a quick synopsis of it to make sure I didn't miss anything. I didn't, the book is just meant to be confusing and leave a lot of questions unanswered. Control doesn't know what's going on, doesn't know who he can trust including his own thoughts, and neither does the reader.

indrabindra's review against another edition

3.75

medium-paced

Vague with the frequent suggestion of insight via something like the Barnum effect, or not. weird and mysterious and vibey: horror and beauty in awe

myfacefeelsconfused's review against another edition

5.0

mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

legendarybabypelican's review against another edition

4.0

2/22/2024
Authority by Jeff Vandermeer is good, actually.

2/19/2024
50% complete
I came back to this book after setting it down in 2023, feeling deflated by the transition from a psychedelic science-horror setting to one of bureaucracy, passive aggression, and the micro-wars of institutional structures. Checking up on Goodreads reviews claiming that this book was misunderstood piqued my re-interest, though, so I came back for another shot. This time around, I'm finding much more to appreciate about the second installment of the Southern Reach Trilogy. Control is an interesting and somewhat tragically clueless character in ways that are only clear if you've had the book's driving twist spoiled by the movie adaptation. The order in which the movie and books are experienced matters- Authority is a much different story when you know what Control doesn't know. If I hadn't seen the movie adaptation, I would probably also find Authority to be slow- most of this story's intrigue actually rests on how little Control understands, how little *control* he truly has, and without the benefit of an insider scoop this can go largely missed. I might be forgetting things from Annihilation that would have changed my perspective, but for now this is my impression.