A review by booksthatburn
Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
ANNHILATION is built on twin pillars of grief and uncertainty, as the biologist of a four-woman expedition into a strange land begins to mistrust her present she tries to reassess her past.
There are many obvious analogies to draw in the way the biologist's ruminations on her history are driven by her attempts to analyze her increasingly disturbing present. For me they land in this strange middle zone of, on the one hand, being fairly obvious comparisons to draw in a novel and thus feeling a bit boring, and on the other hand they completely make sense for the character to have pondered and journaled in this situation. They're so perfectly fitting that it seems obvious, but nevertheless I was rarely bored.
I ended the book feeling like I knew a great deal about the biologist (but never her name), and not very much about Area X itself. What she was able to convey was confined to a few (very cool!) areas within what is implied to be a much larger space.
I'm intrigued enough to move on to the sequel. There are a lot of little moments I love, tiny descriptions and ways of thinking about the world, and I would happily read more of those.
There are many obvious analogies to draw in the way the biologist's ruminations on her history are driven by her attempts to analyze her increasingly disturbing present. For me they land in this strange middle zone of, on the one hand, being fairly obvious comparisons to draw in a novel and thus feeling a bit boring, and on the other hand they completely make sense for the character to have pondered and journaled in this situation. They're so perfectly fitting that it seems obvious, but nevertheless I was rarely bored.
I ended the book feeling like I knew a great deal about the biologist (but never her name), and not very much about Area X itself. What she was able to convey was confined to a few (very cool!) areas within what is implied to be a much larger space.
I'm intrigued enough to move on to the sequel. There are a lot of little moments I love, tiny descriptions and ways of thinking about the world, and I would happily read more of those.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Blood, Gore, Body horror, Gun violence, Violence, and Death
Minor: Sexual content, Terminal illness, and Cancer