Okay, so reviewing this book is going to be kind of tough. It picks up directly after the events of Authority, and it is full of spoilers, so I don’t want to do any of that. What I might do instead is make a list of why I liked this book, in as vague terminology as possible: The writing. I’ve mentioned Jeff VanderMeer’s craft before, but it bears repeating. The man can put an exciting and terrifying story together. He is patient in setting up […]
Continuing a strangely fascinating sci-fi series
I was thoroughly intrigued by Jeff VanderMeer’s Annihilation, which I read in preparation for the Natalie Portman adaptation to be released in 2018. Of course, since my library had the next two books in the trilogy, I thought, Why not? and borrowed the whole set. I am delighted to discover a strange and thoroughly interesting series of books from a talented and inventive writer. The events of Annihilation are written from the perspective of the biologist. VanderMeer switches gears here, and he writes from the […]
A raw and gripping memoir about body, desire, and longing
I read Bad Feminist for a previous CBR, and really liked it a lot. Roxane Gay’s voice is crucial in feminist discourse, and I highly recommend her to anyone who wants to be a better intersectional feminist. That said, Bad Feminist was billed to me as a hilarious book, and it absolutely is not. That’s not a knock on it, but the marketing. I did feel, however, that the marketing for Hunger was much more appropriate and left me more prepared for what I was […]
My favorite book of 2017
Hello, favorite and best book of 2017. This is a book that needs to be shouted from the rooftops, because it crawls into your bones and won’t release you from its spell. Jesmyn Ward is a magnificent writer, as I discovered when I devoured Salvage the Bones. I’d heard that her newest novel, Sing, Unburied, Sing was short-listed for the National Book Award, so I grudgingly added to my library holds list, interrupting my read-the-books-on-my-shelf project once again. And what a worthy interruption. This is […]
This year’s surprise 5-star book
Guys, I am not going to lie. This novel knocked me over in ways I was not expecting. I had resisted reading Lincoln in the Bardo for months, because I was not sure about how good it would actually be. But when it won the Man Booker Prize (still plenty of shade for the committee to open it up to Americans; guys, we DO have the National Book Award, you know), I caved and put in a library hold. The first twenty pages made me […]
A strange but excellent thriller
I am a huge Alex Garland fan. I *loved* Ex Machina and Sunshine and have since sought out his other screenwriting ventures. When I found out that his new movie releases in 2018, I was so excited. And then I found out that there was a book attached. Even better. My sister had read and recommended Jeff VanderMeer’s Southern Reach trilogy, of which Annihilation is the first book. I thought, Let’s start here. And what a wild ride it is. Area X is thought to […]
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