Area X has been cut off from the rest of the world for decades. Nature has reclaimed the last vestiges of human civilization. The first expedition returned with reports of a pristine, Edenic landscape; the second expedition ended in mass suicide, the third in a hail of gunfire as its members turned on one another. The members of the eleventh expedition returned as shadows of their former selves, and within weeks, all had died of cancer. In Annihilation, the first volume of Jeff VanderMeer's Southern Reach Trilogy, we join the twelfth expedition.
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.
They arrive expecting the unexpected, and Area X …
Area X has been cut off from the rest of the world for decades. Nature has reclaimed the last vestiges of human civilization. The first expedition returned with reports of a pristine, Edenic landscape; the second expedition ended in mass suicide, the third in a hail of gunfire as its members turned on one another. The members of the eleventh expedition returned as shadows of their former selves, and within weeks, all had died of cancer. In Annihilation, the first volume of Jeff VanderMeer's Southern Reach Trilogy, we join the twelfth expedition.
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.
They arrive expecting the unexpected, and Area X delivers—but it’s the surprises that came across the border with them and the secrets the expedition members are keeping from one another that change everything.
This really hit the mark for me. Very short read, but it had me clinging to the pages. The scenario is peculiar and incredibly eerie. It reminded me of some of Dick's sci-fi short stories, which I'm a fan of.
As the first book in the trilogy, it raises more questions than it provides answers, so I'm looking forward to reading the rest and hopefully finding a satisfying resolution.
Um. I will continue on in the series. It was interesting. But let's see; the prose was... relentless. Like a pressure squeezing my temples. I can't say it was pleasant.
But now I feel obligated to continue. Like in homage to those traveled before.
I'm not sure if I'd call this one of my favorites, but there was something gripping about the way it was written and the slow burn of revelations. The utter unknowableness of everything was crushing, and the mysteries never fully unraveled, but I couldn't put it down.
Un libro inizio di una triologia che mi ha affascinato, non spiega molto, quasi nulla, ma l'atmosfera è sempre tesa, onirica. Un libro ben scritto e che lascia riflettere su molte cose al di la della trama superficiale
I greatly enjoyed the movie, but loved the book even more.
While the movie does a great job of visually portraying everything, it just can't compare to the books and your imagination.
The book also seems to put a bit more focus on the characters conflicts with each other, and what happens between them.
It goes into such detail of the weird things happening in Area X, and all the strange happenings.
I found it less scary, and more beautiful.
Not only is everything amazingly and skillfully written, but just the goings on are beautiful as well, in my opinion.
