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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I quite liked this follow up to the original trilogy! I've heard some people consider it more of a slog and it certainly felt more dense than the original trilogy, but I was thrilled to see a totally different perspective within the world and I would read anything set in and around Area X. I had a lot of fun with this book and as long as you're not expecting big answers, I think it's worth the read!
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
Whatever kool aid Jeff VanderMeer is making, I’m drinking it! It was so fun, and so WEIRD to be back in this world. The gators! The lighthouse! The short, stilted phrases! I honestly think if Hemingway was writing modern sci-fi maybe he’d write like this?? This book was a hot mess though, and you have to be an Area X devotee to bother going near it. Long live the Southern Reach! (I’m more confused than ever!)
dark
mysterious
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
ohhh i wish it had ended at the end of the old jim section... loved everything up til Lowry, who was borderline undreadable for me. still, first two thirds still had me wondering, what is this adding to the southern reach? unfortunately it turns out, not a lot :( could've been two novellas (scrapping Lowry) and I've have liked it much better.
There is no way I was ever going to feel like this book was going to answer all of the questions I've had about the Southern Reach. But I did enjoy the foray back and felt tugged in by Vandermeer's writing.
I felt like the first two sections of the book were like a duology - the before and the after of Dead Town, where Old Jim feels compelling not only because of his experiences with Area X, but also because of his experiences with Jack (I was reminded vividly of Control, especially when they started to mention the breaking down of his personas and catchphrases) and the eerie but touching relationship with Cass, the "false daughter".
I was honestly really jarred by the last part of the book and spent a long time thinking that Vandermeer should have left it out and had Absolution be just the first two parts, even though it's meant to serve as the epilogue of what happens to Dead Town and the Southern Reach. After the lulling ending and acceptance of Old Jim in Part Two, descending into Lowry's fucking fucks and drug-addled brain felt jarring and out of place. But as I kept reading, I saw more and more why he kept it, despite having to forcibly ignore all the "fucks" and see the drugs as a reasonable measure against the forces of Area X. As Lowry sinks further and further into Area X, descending into self-tolerable cannibalism and losing everyone one by one...honestly, haven't we all descended this way into his writing and the Southern Reach? (hopefully with less cannibalism)
Overall an enjoyable read that might propel a reread of the series sometime soonish. Some truly visual moments marked by body horror and absolute absurdity. I'll be thinking about this one for a while.
I felt like the first two sections of the book were like a duology - the before and the after of Dead Town, where Old Jim feels compelling not only because of his experiences with Area X, but also because of his experiences with Jack (I was reminded vividly of Control, especially when they started to mention the breaking down of his personas and catchphrases) and the eerie but touching relationship with Cass, the "false daughter".
I was honestly really jarred by the last part of the book and spent a long time thinking that Vandermeer should have left it out and had Absolution be just the first two parts, even though it's meant to serve as the epilogue of what happens to Dead Town and the Southern Reach. After the lulling ending and acceptance of Old Jim in Part Two, descending into Lowry's fucking fucks and drug-addled brain felt jarring and out of place. But as I kept reading, I saw more and more why he kept it, despite having to forcibly ignore all the "fucks" and see the drugs as a reasonable measure against the forces of Area X. As Lowry sinks further and further into Area X, descending into self-tolerable cannibalism and losing everyone one by one...honestly, haven't we all descended this way into his writing and the Southern Reach? (hopefully with less cannibalism)
Overall an enjoyable read that might propel a reread of the series sometime soonish. Some truly visual moments marked by body horror and absolute absurdity. I'll be thinking about this one for a while.