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3.56 AVERAGE
3.56 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
“it disorients them as it kills them…they keep searching for a way to get away from what’s already inside of them.”
area x is an environmental and atmospheric anomaly that has claimed the lives of numerous people. the southern reach is a multidisciplinary facility whose goal is to investigate area x and its origin, and determine what steps should be taken to address it. despite this, it isn’t the environmental threat that’s unsettling — it’s the people.
where “annihilation” throws you headfirst into the bewilderment that is the anomaly of area x, “authority” creates a sense of unease without even stepping foot into the quarantine zone. instead, vandermeer plays with uncertainty and distortions through the bureaucratic processes of the southern reach, balancing a mundane, familiar sense of disillusionment and boredom you might expect from any office with the weight of the knowledge of the dangerous, highly confidential work being done there. the entire facility is filled with various forms of (well-known) spyware, and the ever-present pressure from center that colors each conversations’ carefully-chosen words. the sense of unease is created, not through an exploration of the unnatural contents of area x, but in not knowing who you can trust — including yourself.
one of the parts that jumped out at me, midway through the book, was the consideration of the pictures in the facility: carefully curated galleries that paint a picture of success and joy, despite evidence to the contrary. area x, we know, is a potentially paranormal phenomenon that has contributed to the deaths of numerous people. its omnipresent threat on the border and the general lack of information about it creates the backdrop against which the characters, who have lived with the anomaly for years, have to try to figure out how to have some semblance of a normal life.
and yet, it’s not area x but the bureaucracy of the southern reach facility (and by extension central) that was deeply unsettling to me. the photos are meant to show the success of the southern reach’s mission, and the teamwork and camaraderie felt by its workers. but it’s a lie. the photos, presented as post-mission success stories, are actually pre-mission images, which fail to mention the low survivorship rates of the expeditions. while everyone in the facility knows the fates of the mission members, the pictures remain to fabricate a sense of safety and normalcy that has never been felt in the southern reach, thereby creating another altered or alternate reality from the one they’re investigating in area x. this is furthered by the fabricated numbering of the missions (an underreport of less than half the actual number), to minimize the scale of loss.
cognitive distortion and a lack of information are integral aspects of area x: surviving expedition members return with altered memories, and those remaining in the facility have no real way of corroborating the data they’re given. the entire project is strung together with a variety of hypotheses, circular information, fabrications and half-truths, and survivorship bias — all while being corrupted by the fantastical influence of the anomaly, which seeps through the barriers (physical and metaphysical) to blur the edges of reality. a reality, it should be noted, that is already in flux, due to the deeply fractured nature of the organization, and its numerous conflicting factions, each with their own conflicting narratives.
read this book. tune in for the spy thriller, and watch the world erode into beautiful colors and the certainty of feeling uncertain. watch a man who prides himself on his control lose just that, his very namesake. try to piece together the puzzle, understand there are pieces missing and and maybe a few too many left over. dive into the water and give way to “acceptance.”
area x is an environmental and atmospheric anomaly that has claimed the lives of numerous people. the southern reach is a multidisciplinary facility whose goal is to investigate area x and its origin, and determine what steps should be taken to address it. despite this, it isn’t the environmental threat that’s unsettling — it’s the people.
where “annihilation” throws you headfirst into the bewilderment that is the anomaly of area x, “authority” creates a sense of unease without even stepping foot into the quarantine zone. instead, vandermeer plays with uncertainty and distortions through the bureaucratic processes of the southern reach, balancing a mundane, familiar sense of disillusionment and boredom you might expect from any office with the weight of the knowledge of the dangerous, highly confidential work being done there. the entire facility is filled with various forms of (well-known) spyware, and the ever-present pressure from center that colors each conversations’ carefully-chosen words. the sense of unease is created, not through an exploration of the unnatural contents of area x, but in not knowing who you can trust — including yourself.
one of the parts that jumped out at me, midway through the book, was
and yet, it’s not area x but the bureaucracy of the southern reach facility (and by extension central) that was deeply unsettling to me. the photos are meant to show the success of the southern reach’s mission, and the teamwork and camaraderie felt by its workers. but it’s a lie. the photos, presented as post-mission success stories, are actually pre-mission images, which fail to mention the low survivorship rates of the expeditions. while everyone in the facility knows the fates of the mission members, the pictures remain to fabricate a sense of safety and normalcy that has never been felt in the southern reach, thereby creating another altered or alternate reality from the one they’re investigating in area x. this is furthered by the fabricated numbering of the missions (an underreport of less than half the actual number), to minimize the scale of loss.
cognitive distortion and a lack of information are integral aspects of area x: surviving expedition members return with altered memories, and those remaining in the facility have no real way of corroborating the data they’re given. the entire project is strung together with a variety of hypotheses, circular information, fabrications and half-truths, and survivorship bias — all while being corrupted by the fantastical influence of the anomaly, which seeps through the barriers (physical and metaphysical) to blur the edges of reality. a reality, it should be noted, that is already in flux, due to the deeply fractured nature of the organization, and its numerous conflicting factions, each with their own conflicting narratives.
read this book. tune in for the spy thriller, and watch the world erode into beautiful colors and the certainty of feeling uncertain. watch a man who prides himself on his control lose just that, his very namesake. try to piece together the puzzle, understand there are pieces missing and and maybe a few too many left over. dive into the water and give way to “acceptance.”
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
holy shit dude. if annihilation was a woman freely going through and welcoming a horrifying transformation, this book was a man not seeing the horrifying transformation train barreling right at him as he experiences the worst possible intro week to his new job.
mostly slow pased and surreal for the first 3/4 but really turns into a horror of change and outrunning the inevitable in the last quarter.
if you have any issues with contamination or germaphobia you probably didnt read the first one but maybe also dont read this one.
mostly slow pased and surreal for the first 3/4 but really turns into a horror of change and outrunning the inevitable in the last quarter.
if you have any issues with contamination or germaphobia you probably didnt read the first one but maybe also dont read this one.
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A bit longer than the Annihilation and a bit slower paced, both I attribute to Control's backstory and character interrogation passages. Regarding Area X - with every question answered, two more arise. The mystery grows thicker with each passing page.
I enjoyed reading it overall, but coming off the excellent first book where it is very creepy throughout the story, this one has many slow parts. The parts where things happen are great! But it's not enough.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-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
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated