A review by cheazcakeguy
Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer

dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I loved this book. The concepts were strange, the mystery of area x intriguing, and the biologist as a narrator was unique, if a little wooden. The atmosphere of this novel is tense, eerie, and slowly feeds the confusion and horror of both the characters and the reader. The tension between the characters is palpable at times. I was slightly less satisfied with the ending than I was hoping for, though this is the beginning of a trilogy so I can't expect to get all of the answers by the end of book one. My biggest complaint is the pacing is a bit uneven at times - the narrator spends what feels like long sections of the book contemplating their situation and the strange phenomena going on, which is true to the character as an observant scientist but isn't always enjoyable to read. However with how short this book is, that can be easily forgiven. This is a near-perfect modern Lovecraftian sci-fi horror novel (much better than anything I've read by Lovecraft myself, for sure!). Easy to recommend to any sci-fi or horror fan who has a penchant for weirdness. 
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