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meereswogen's review
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Gore, Violence, Blood, Body horror, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Grief
mossgoblins's review
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Annihilation feels like a hallucination in the best way. Although there is little focus on the characters outside of their archetypes, VanderMeer’s calculated use of language and gorgeous, terrifying worldbuilding make the book a joy for any surrealist horror fan to read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Cancer, Murder, and Body horror
scifi_rat's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Gun violence, Murder, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Blood, Body horror, and Violence
Minor: Animal death, Cancer, and Self harm
muffmacguff's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
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
4.0
Really enjoyed this, though a little less at the end. I really enjoyed how creepy and upsetting it was (in many ways more than the movie, which I also really enjoyed). I thought the narrator’s POV could be a little suffocating so toward the end when she interacted with other people less it was more of a challenge to read. I thought her character was very well-defined, though.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder
maggies's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
My goodness. For me, this was horror all the way through, even the parts where I lost the thread and had to backtrack and re-read to find my place again. From the beginning, I never shook off the crawling sense of dread on my skin, the back of my neck, the pit of my stomach. For such a short novel it is slow, ruminating and contemplating the past, present, and future. The few action scenes as well were focused on the narrator’s thought process such that it was difficult to tell what action had actually taken place. Considering my current mood, I enjoyed the challenge of this book, but I might not have enjoyed it at another time, and I am not sure that I will continue the series or see the film adaptation. I really had to work hard to build a mental picture of Area X based on the biologist’s descriptions, almost as though I was afflicted with some aphantasia specific to Annihilation, as I don’t recall experiencing that before. Hopefully it’s not too much of a spoiler to say that this is probably not going to be a favorite for people who need reliable, likable narrators or unambiguous endings. On the other hand, I usually gravitate towards stories with those characteristics, and I still found this one thoroughly engrossing.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Abandonment, Blood, Violence, Gaslighting, Gore, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Suicide
parisreads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore, Murder, Violence, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Minor: Grief and Suicidal thoughts
yogomagpie's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Atmospheric, haunting. With such beautiful writing I was able to vividly imagine Area X: the tower, the lighthouse, the base, and all the flora and fauna in it. I loved the mystery and the inexplicable, and can’t wait to explore more of this world in the next two books.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Murder, and Blood
Moderate: Body horror and Cancer
savvy999's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Wow. Quietly, hauntingly, beautiful and luminescent, this novel scratches at the window trying to get in begging to take up residence and by the end you have opened the door halfway, waiting for it to step foot inside. You turn to walk down the hall, and it is already beside you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Violence
Moderate: Cancer
Minor: Alcohol
akira_outofthegravity's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
tense
medium-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
3.0
I’m very conflicted with this book.
On one hand, the story is well paced and well written (in parts). Area X is described well enough to keep me interested while also maintaining an air of mystery. The tower is suitably creepy, as are the incidents mentioned to have happened to the previous explorers.
But at the same time I don’t give a shit about anything that happens. I think it’s a problem with the Biologist. She’s so blah and wishy washy that I really don’t care about her, the same goes for the Surveyor. The Psychologist is the most interesting and yet she doesn’t share anything.
We have no answers at the end of the book, which left it feeling unfulfilling and disappointing. If we did get any answers they are hidden in bloated writing and hard to distinguish. The ending is pretty good, I liked the tragedy of it, the final line in particular is haunting. It’s just a shame that the rest didn’t live up to the hype. If the Biologist had any personality I think things may have been different.
I’m not interested in the sequels.
On one hand, the story is well paced and well written (in parts). Area X is described well enough to keep me interested while also maintaining an air of mystery. The tower is suitably creepy, as are the incidents mentioned to have happened to the previous explorers.
But at the same time I don’t give a shit about anything that happens. I think it’s a problem with the Biologist. She’s so blah and wishy washy that I really don’t care about her, the same goes for the Surveyor. The Psychologist is the most interesting and yet she doesn’t share anything.
We have no answers at the end of the book, which left it feeling unfulfilling and disappointing. If we did get any answers they are hidden in bloated writing and hard to distinguish. The ending is pretty good, I liked the tragedy of it, the final line in particular is haunting. It’s just a shame that the rest didn’t live up to the hype. If the Biologist had any personality I think things may have been different.
I’m not interested in the sequels.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Body horror, Gaslighting, and Murder
Moderate: Suicide, Cancer, and Terminal illness
skellybelly8's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Short, enjoyable read. I found Annihilation in the sci-fi section, but the books’ genre more felt like adventure and mystery. Some parts of the book I felt like went on too long, and some parts I felt weren’t described in enough detail for me to have a good image in my mind. Maybe that was the authors intention. The book leaves many questions, it leaves a strong sense of confusion and mystery.
update I watched the movie don’t watch the movie with the expectation that it will be like the book they wouldn’t even be able to use the phrase loosely based the movie is absolutely nothing like the book (and also kind of gives you spoilers for the second and third? they just merged them terribly???)
update I watched the movie don’t watch the movie with the expectation that it will be like the book they wouldn’t even be able to use the phrase loosely based the movie is absolutely nothing like the book (and also kind of gives you spoilers for the second and third? they just merged them terribly???)
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Gore, and Murder