Reviews tagging 'Confinement'

Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer

11 reviews

theirgracegrace's review

adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

Annihilation starts off with a series of questions, but its ending does not answer them to incredible effect. The plot centres around an expedition of four scientists who are the twelfth expedition to a place called Area X, where a strange historical event has led to the complete removal of human civilization. What this "human civilization" is replaced with, and what the four uncover about each other, tells a harrowing tale about what it means to be human. 

I was recommended this by a friend who was into biology, and I can definitely say it was a worthy recommendation! I read it all in a handful of sittings over the course of twenty-four hours and this was because I could not put it down. Each revelation is followed by something even more tense and terrifying, and the ending leaves so much unanswered...leading nicely into a second and third book. An amazing read, all in all!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Alcoholism, Cancer, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Addiction, Body horror, Child abuse, Gore, Alcohol, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Death, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, and Vomit

Moderate: Bullying

Minor: Suicide and Cursing

One of the characters uses hypnosis on the others, including a (ineffectual) command to kill themselves.

michaelion's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Take a shot every time you see "Not really." So, about 5 shots.

Very good. Read it in two sittings, same day. Wasn't too creepy or scary, I was just as curious as the mc. Maybe men CAN be good writers... we shall see with the sequels!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Rape, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Murder, Death, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Confinement

Minor: Cancer and Gun violence

sophieamreacher's review

adventurous challenging dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Strange and intriguing, I just had to keep reading. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Sexual content, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Cancer, Gore, Grief, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Confinement, Abandonment, Death, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, and Suicide

judassilver's review

adventurous challenging dark informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Grief, Animal death, Blood, Death, Confinement, Gun violence, Murder, and Violence

Moderate: Alcoholism

Minor: Cancer and Suicide

lordofdisorder's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, and Confinement

Moderate: Violence

Minor: Alcoholism

msradiosilence's review

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Self harm, Body horror, Confinement, Grief, Murder, Suicide, Dementia, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Alcohol, Animal death, Blood, Suicide attempt, Violence, Cursing, Death, and Sexual content

kinddog2073's review

adventurous dark mysterious reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Read this because I loved the film based on it that came out a few years ago and have rewatched it several times. I didn't know much of what to expect going in, but had read Hummingbird Salamander a few months ago and found that there was much to recognise in the tone and attitude of the narrator towards the reader. Vandermeer likes narrators that hold back information, at least between these two novels. This book landed better than Hummingbird Salamander for me, mostly due to it being far less hopelessly nihilistic. I suppose Vandermeer might be feeling a bit less hopeful about climate crisis recently... can't blame him for that really.

The themes in this book felt a lot more relatable to me, regarding assimilation and especially guardedness in relationships. Hummingbird Salamander had far fewer relatable elements in it for me, perhaps aside from the paranoia of the narrator as a security researcher.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, and Suicide

Minor: Alcohol, Gun violence, and Animal death

nojerama's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Mental illness, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicide, and Violence

Moderate: Alcoholism

planetaryrings's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Gore, and Violence

Minor: Medical content and Sexual content

brittsmith's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

A very interesting book. Much different then the movie for sure. I liked the book more. Not sure if I’ll continue the series but I did like this book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Cancer, Confinement, Death, Grief, Murder, and Suicide