Welcome back to my blog. This will be my first book review. I will be reviewing Jeff VanderMeer’s novel Annihilation. It is a sci-fi horror novel out of The Southern Reach Trilogy. I will divide this review into three categories: brief summary (no spoilers) , likes, and dislikes.

Summary

Jeff VanderMeer’s Annihilation is set in “Area X”, which is an unspecified location near a coast. It has been closed off to the public due to the strange and deadly biological life that inhibits the terrain. The main characters are team of 4 women, consisting of a psychologist, biologist, anthropologist, and a surveyor. Their objective is to go on an expedition exploring Area X and its growth, and to determine what deadly factors caused the members of the previous expeditions to e fraught with disappearances, suicides, disease, and severe mental illness. Over the course of the expedition, the team encounters several problems of their own.

Likes

Right off the bat, what stuck out to me is the rich imagery and complex, beautiful language VanderMeer used in his novel. I am a sucker for poetic and detailed descriptions, even when it’s about deadly plants. The vivid and extreme detail to each plant and biological life in Area X was engrossing, and at the same time disturbing (in the best way.) The storyline and imagery surrounding Annihilation’s Area X reminded me of my own fever dreams – fantastical, disturbing, upsetting, and able to evoke strong emotion.

Here is a quote that I enjoyed – “The effect of this cannot be understood without being there. The beauty of it cannot be understood either, and when you see beauty in desolation it changes something inside you. Desolation tries to colonize you.” (VanderMeer, 5). I think that quote perfectly captures a recurring theme in the novel – desolation and beauty go hand in hand.

Dislikes

The novel, for all its rich imagery and atmosphere – was quite slow paced. I found nothing of great relevance to the plot really occurred until the near end of the novel, where it picked up quite a bit. It took me a while to decipher the plot in the midst of the flowery language. In addition, the story left me with many unanswered questions in the end. It ended on a rather unsatisfying note – although I left with answers regarding the expedition team, there was still much to be desired on the state and workings of Area X.