Reviews

Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer

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meghaha's review against another edition

3.0

"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.”

The sense of dread and mounting unease was really well done. Otherwise this book felt sort of anti-climatic. I was expecting more to happen than just the tunnel/tower. To be fair, it's a very brief book, so I suppose there wasn't room for much else.

“...for what was a map but a way of emphasizing some things and making other things invisible?”

The unnamed narrator, the biologist, is so removed and emotionally reserved that it can be alienating. Vandermeer trusts his readers and believes that because she's gone on a suicidal mission, we'll understand that even if she doesn't --can't -- admit to feeling much of anything about losing her husband, she's grieving. I usually love it so much when an author trusts his readers like that but it felt almost too muted in this case. Especially when

Spoiler

she found her husband's journal and realized the man who'd died was a doppelganger, that he might be alive on some island

, I expected that finally there should be some sort of emotional reckoning. Too much to hope for, I suppose.

It was a bit odd seeing this book and VanderMeer blow up like this. I remember picking up Veniss Underground (I never finished more than a few stories) years ago while looking for more weird fiction and he seemed rather obscure at the time. Next thing I know, Natalie Portman is starring in a film based on his work. At least I can finally watch the movie.

“Silence creates its own violence.”

dsnowflack's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Beautiful, weird, ephemeral. A journey into a nature beyond human understanding and control. The whole thing comes undone. Evolution and maybe a little love. Big vibes.