A review by gohawks
Authority, by Jeff VanderMeer

2.0

Wow. This book really disappointed me. After reading the first one, I was certain this one would be a slam dunk. But it was quite different. Where the first one has a deserted island Lost/ The Ruins sort of feel, this is really a spy novel about the covert wing of the CIA investigating the haunted/alien/man-eating island. The writing itself certainly transcends the genre, but the plot feels overly bogged down and long. In the first book, we are constantly receiving new information about the mystery of the island. In this book, we seem to be given the same information over and over while the hero slowly spirals downward trying to decide who is on whose side. Not very compelling, and I speed read through the last few chapters. I'm not sure if I'll give the finale a look.