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mj_ace 's review for:
Absolution
by Jeff VanderMeer
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
3 stars because VanderMeer is a fantastic wordsmith doing fascinating things, but I really can't rate this any higher because as a novel, it sucks.
It's not really a novel, more like three connected novellas that would've better suited being exclusive material available to super-fans via a Patreon. What I mean is that if you generally liked the original trilogy and hoped this book would reveal new things about Area X/Central/etc. or otherwise expand the universe, you will be disappointed. What's presented here is more like...minutiae about events and characters we already know that only people who starving for ANY new content would find rewarding.
As a reading experience, VanderMeer write really interesting prose and has some amazing images, but story-wise...this dragged. Pacing is all over the place, and each novella ends just as it starts to get intriguing. Plus, there's no narrative payoff.
The only good thing I can say this book did for me is that it made me appreciate Authority and Acceptance more because this book makes them look much better in comparison. Annihilation remains the best novel in the series by far.
It's not really a novel, more like three connected novellas that would've better suited being exclusive material available to super-fans via a Patreon. What I mean is that if you generally liked the original trilogy and hoped this book would reveal new things about Area X/Central/etc. or otherwise expand the universe, you will be disappointed. What's presented here is more like...minutiae about events and characters we already know that only people who starving for ANY new content would find rewarding.
As a reading experience, VanderMeer write really interesting prose and has some amazing images, but story-wise...this dragged. Pacing is all over the place, and each novella ends just as it starts to get intriguing. Plus, there's no narrative payoff.
The only good thing I can say this book did for me is that it made me appreciate Authority and Acceptance more because this book makes them look much better in comparison. Annihilation remains the best novel in the series by far.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cannibalism