Annihilation
Ratings951
Average rating3.7
i really enjoyed this. it was like a strange, impersonal, atmospheric dream being told by an unreliable narrator. one which raises more questions than answers. if you are ok with a book that withholds information from you and never quite explains it, i would recommend this sci-fi
Super interesting the descriptions in this book were absolutely crazy that ending wow
Very eerie and unsettling!! Idk much about the movie but I wish it was more like the book
THos book was interesting. I had to re-read several paragraphs a couple of time due to its format but otherwise it was a goo initial story.
Maybe a perfect book? Love the way the narrative voice both enhances our understanding of the chilly, detached protagonist and contrasts the insane world she's in. Love the narrative restraint-- a tight 200 pages, we're in and out. Not a sentence wasted. Judicious!!
Just didn't really resonate with me. Also, How does she know she doesn't return home?? She 100% could have... She kind of makes that point 1000 times.
Wow. What a book.
The vibes in this book are immaculate. So creepy, so intriguing, and contains a sharp tension that permeates the whole novel. I was enraptured and kept on the edge of my seat the whole time, literally could not put the book down. This is the kind of book where everything is just so well construed and every detail matters. Every reveal in this book is impeccable. It continues to shock you even past when you think you have a handle on the story. I loved the prose as well, and the way I was easily able to connect to the main character. I quickly became invested in her story even if it wasn't the most relatable for me.
An easy five stars and I'm eager to continue with the rest of the series.
Jeff Vandermeer is a renowned author I had never read before this book, the first in The Southern Reach Trilogy. I couldn't put Annihilation down, it was so different, so clever, so... magnetic. I only wish the two other books part of the work are as good as this one, which I can do nothing else than recommend.
"We all live in a kind of continuous dream,” I told him. “When we wake, it is because something, some event, some pinprick even, disturbs the edges of what we’ve taken as reality.”
1) This book definitely lives up to the hype. 2) AGHHH I wish I didn't listen to the audiobook. The narrator felt so calm and objective that it really took away from how everything was spiraling around her in such a confusing way, which is what the best part of this book is. I get that she's a biologist, and her accepting what's happening to her and around her is part of what's so appealing, but the writing style already reflects that, so the bland voice of the narrator just made it feel really one note. Which really sucks, cause I think if I had read this instead of listening to the audiobook it would have been a 5 star for me. I think I'll probably re-read it on my kindle next year.
When you see beauty in desolation it changes something inside you. Desolation tries to colonize you.
Anyways, this short book packs a punch. The book takes place in Area X, in which an expedition group of scientists enter in order to explore it. The group consists of the psychologist, the surveyor, the anthropologist, and our MC, the biologist. This is only the second book I've read where none of the character's get names, only titles, and just like with Nightbitch, I thought it was really effective. Because we're not getting to know the characters, their only importance is their role, and other than that they serve as a vessel for the reader to gain context about this strange area they're in. Even The Biologist's most important and prominent traits are somehow related to her being a biologist, which we see a lot when she reflects on her and her husband's relationship.
I am just the biologist; I don’t require any of this to have a deeper meaning.
The book is so short and the plot is so... weird... that saying anymore will ruin the fever dream-like quality of slowly delving into this universe and uncovering it's secrets, so I think it's best to go into this one as blind as possible.
Summary: it's giving cosmic alien biologist major wet dream. Love it.
Somehow I've avoided knowing anything about this book throughout its popularity and adaptation into a movie (I also haven't seen this). Still, the book subverted my expectations as I had no idea it was a work of weird fiction. I enjoyed Van der Meer's writing style - there's an element of Cormac McCarthy in there, somewhere.
Excited to read the next one, eventually.
woah! scared me! i havent felt that kind of absolute dread in a while. i saw the movie when it first came out and loved it bc it scared the shit out of me too but after reading this theyre like two totally separate entities and not comparable imo they both have different strengths and make wayyy different conclusions about the material here
Tarkovski is in heaven screaming and crying and throwing up cause he didn't get to adapt this
A beautifully written book about...something...
i'll have to re-read this again
the world is brilliant, the main character is heartachingly relatable, and i just really had a blast reading it.
Well, after my last review, I'm very surprised to be back here so soon. I read this book in two or three days, which is remarkable. I couldn't put it down. I read 50 pages one day, and finished it the next time I picked it up. I won't lie. This may have to do with the fact that I saw and loved the movie some time ago. The book is different, but the essence is there. It just pulled me in.
This book is pure science fiction, but in a natural world type of way, not a space and aliens type of way. Essentially, there's a strange area of the world – Area X – that is cordoned off by the military. They send in expeditions to investigate. The book opens with the twelfth expedition going in. According to Goodreads: “The group is made up of four women: an anthropologist; a surveyor; a psychologist, the de facto leader; and our narrator, a biologist. Their mission is to map the terrain, record all observations of their surroundings and of one another, and, above all, avoid being contaminated by Area X itself.”
Much of this book and what it's trying to say is intangible and ethereal. I don't really know what's going in. There's a lot of mystery. And that can be a bit frustrating, having no answers. But for some reason it doesn't bother me. The environment, the characters, the prose... All of it is enthralling. Annihilation is now one of my most favorite books.
I would like to continue the series, but I'm almost nervous the sequel won't be as good, and it would taint the experience. I think I'll put some time between now and picking it up.
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A memorable, beautiful cosmic horror story with an interesting world, characters/monsters, government, etc. A truly amazing mix of science fiction & cosmic horror that translates into a well thought out story, though you could argue there is more focus on the cosmic horror than science fiction. I would fully recommend this book to fans of science fiction horror. One of the things that propelled this to book in quality was the mesmerizing scene with the crawler at the end, including before & after that section. If it weren't for that scene, this book would still be great.
5/5 - Damn this was so good, I can see this being one the best books I will read this year! Everything about Annihilation should have meant that I hated it, but some how it just worked so well for me.
The majority of aspects in this book are super vague, which I can see a lot of people disliking, however I feel this really added to the overall plotline making this idea of the “unknown” even more prevalent.
I found Area X super eerie and the idea of being alone in there absolutely sent shivers down my spine. Being inside the biologist's head for the entirety I found extremely fasicinating and her lack of realiablity made the plotline so much more interesting adding a further layer of depth to what was going on.
Overall, I normally find SciFi books just not my cup of tea, however this couldn't be further from how I felt about Annihilation and I really look forward to reading the rest in the series!
