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1.58k reviews for:

Absolution

Jeff VanderMeer

3.73 AVERAGE

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: No
adventurous challenging dark mysterious medium-paced
adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated
dark mysterious reflective tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

woof. kind of a stomach churning read. vandermeer came back firing on all cylinders. everything works here imo. i think the last act is the one that sticks out for good reason but the slower, almost true detective-y first two acts were killer too. i feel like i say this about all of his books but the way vandermeer treats his characters with so much empathy while they suffer (or cause suffering) keeps him a cut above the rest
challenging mysterious tense slow-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

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark mysterious tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
adventurous challenging emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

a perfect end to a beautifully strange series
dark medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Very confusing
challenging dark mysterious medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I didn’t know I needed this book so bad, ten years after the release of Acceptation, but boy oh BOY was I happy to discover this book was a thing. And how GOOD it is. I’ve stated multiple times that Southern Reach is, to me, one of the very best science fiction series of the 21st century, and this last one really nails everything that I loved about the three previous ones. It’s weird, it’s dark, it’s so fucking grim and inhuman, but also strangely eerie and beautiful.
Man, I love VanderMeer.