A review by gia0203
Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.0

Annihilation was my first book of the year. It follows a biologist who ventures on an expedition to the mysterious “Area X” along with a team of three other specialists. But all is not as it seems. As the narrative goes on, you find out why the biologist has such a vested interest in Area X, and why all of the previous expeditions have failed…

I’ve been in the mood for a Sci-Fi horror recently and this book definitely sated my hunger. I was thoroughly creeped out by Area X and I was invested in its mysteries. One of the themes of the book was not being able to trust your senses, and this made the events of the novel even more horrifying. I particularly liked the use of hypnosis and how that inspired a feeling of paranoia but also comfort for the characters. 

The pace moved slowly, as the book is in the form of a journal, and it has a lot of rambling passages. I actually really enjoyed this, as I found the biologist to be an interesting character. You feel like you’re exploring the terrain along with her and experiencing things through her eyes. Every character in the book reacts differently to Area X depending on their personalities and motivations, so the biologist’s backstory helped to explain her actions. 

I’ll definitely be reading the next book in the series, although not for a while. Though the book was short, there was a lot to digest. Overall, I really liked Annihilation and I will be watching the movie inspired by it.
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