Annihilation: Book One of the Southern Reach Trilogy

Jeff VanderMeer

Feb 2014 · Harper Collins

About this ebook

Area X has been cut off from the rest of the continent for decades. Nature has reclaimed the last vestiges of human civilization, and the government is involved in sending secret missions to explore Area X. The first expedition returned with reports of a pristine, Edenic landscape; all the members of the second expedition committed suicide; the third expedition died 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 months of their return, all had died of aggressive cancer.

Annihilation opens with the twelfth expedition. The group is composed of four women, including our narrator, a biologist. Their mission is to map the terrain and collect specimens; to record all of their observations, scientific and otherwise; and, above all, to avoid succumbing to the unpredictable effects of Area X itself.

What they discover shocks them: first, a massive topographic anomaly that does not appear on any map; and second, life forms beyond anything they’re equipped to understand. But it’s the surprises that came across the border with them that change everything—the secrets of the expedition members themselves, including our narrator. What do they really know about Area X—and each other?

Ratings and reviews

A little vague so you need a good imagination. Great read for those who like "puzzles" Edit: as I continued to read and finish the second book, the vagueness all starts to make sense. This trilogy will not disappoint. And if my review means anything to anyone, I have never been a "reader". Recently re-read "do androids dream of electric sheep" so I could watch Blade Runner 2045, and there was a trailer for "Annihilation". This is the only reason I even decided to read it. I don't read. I read Philip k. Dick because of the movie "A scanner darkly" And the movie "blade runner" and it's recent post film "blade runner 2045". I read "fight club" before seeing the film because it was the shortest book back in highschool that my grade 11 English teacher allowed me to read and write a book report and analysis on.

I'm about 75 percent through this and it's pretty average, I might drop it. Lots of slow buildup with characters you don't care about. Every twist or reveal is pretty meh but the characters reaction are over the top. This feels like bootleg Roadside Picnic. Edit - Note that this is not a novel version of the movie. I liked the movie better

I will be honest this book didn't really interest me enough to purchase till I saw the trailer to the upcoming movie. As the trailer is made to be more action for the general populace don't expect a lot to happen it is a bit slow. That being said it is a trilogy. I finished the first book in the series and am generally surprised that "roadside picnic" wasn't a inspiration for this novel. The pacing is a bit slow, there isn't a lot of character build up so you feel a bit disconnected from the group. What there is though is a lot of mystery and a big puzzle. (That all fits together at the end of the trilogy I'm told) If you enjoy reading a tale where nature is turned upside down and having to your imagination run wild with the little details they provide then I recommend this book. If you already read "roadside picnic" then check this one out. If you enjoyed this and not read "Roadside Picnic" then you must read that. Avoid this book if you want detailed characters or an explanation of everything they encountered.

About the author

JEFF VANDERMEER is an award-winning novelist and editor, most recently the author of the critically acclaimed Borne and the New York Times–bestselling Southern Reach trilogy. VanderMeer is also the co-editor, with his wife, Ann VanderMeer, of The Big Book of Science Fiction. He grew up in the Fiji Islands and now lives in Tallahassee, Florida.Web: JeffVanderMeer.comTwitter: @JeffVanderMeer