This is my CBR White Whale for two reasons. One: I don’t remember when I bought this book, but I’m certain I wasn’t pregnant and the kid is one and a half, so it’s been a minute; two: this beast is nearly 1000 pages. I’m a sucker for cheap books and this was dozens of short stories about time travel – my favorite sci-fi variation – for 2.50 at a local bookstore. I had to buy it, especially because the authors included in this short […]
Annihilation: Consistently CREEPY
While I missed Annihilation in theatres, I was very pleased to see it show up on Netflix. I know there were some mixed reviews, but it certainly got people talking and I was thrilled to see a cast made up almost entirely of women (TESSA THOMPSON) in a real science fiction movie to boot. I had not read the book prior to seeing the movie and had tried to avoid reviews with spoilers. I found the movie deeply unsettling – moody and dark with interesting […]
“The beauty of it cannot be understood, either, and when you see beauty in desolation it changes something inside you.”
I’m a sucker for a book that promises to be a mind-bender and has a bunch of people talking about how weird it is. Enter Annihilation, the first book of the Southern Reach trilogy. The series is about Area X, a strip of coastline that’s been reclaimed by nature and is being shielded from the general public as a military-protected “ecological disaster site.” In the decades since Area X was formed, various expedition teams have gone through the border with the mission of documenting just […]
A satisfying conclusion to the Southern Reach Trilogy
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 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 […]