Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer
Reviewed by: Sarah Baker, Circulation
Genre: Weird Fiction
Suggested Age: Adults
What is the book about?: Thirty years ago, an event occurred, leaving behind what is now called Area X. This is the tale of the twelfth expedition to go in. A party of four unnamed women, referred to only by their occupations (The Biologist, the Psychologist, the Anthropologist and the Surveyor) have entered Area X. Inside the area, they find a jungle-esque paradise with no people. After a four day hike, they set up base camp. The next day they find a structure that our narrator, the Biologist, refers to as The Tower. This structure actually goes deep underground with little on the surface. There they discover words written on the walls. Within 72 hours, everyone but the Biologist is dead. And is she even still human? There’s clearly more going on than they were told. Can the Biologist escape Area X?
My Review: I chose to go with the audio book this time. It’s short, clocking in at 5 discs. The narrator does a good job, but there were times I felt like I was listening to NPR and not a book about exploring an uncharted area. This is definitely a book with an unreliable narrator. The whole book is essentially a gigantic journal entry. And toward the end, the Biologist outright tells us that she has omitted or altered things. The Southern Reach, the leaders of this project, definitely aren’t telling their teams everything. The story felt like it was picking up at the end of disc one, but it never felt like it resolved. It just sort of….petered out. The blurb described this as being about Area X, but at least half of it is the Biologist describing her relationship with her late husband. That style isn’t my cup of tea, so that left me feeling flat as well.
Three Words That Describe This Book: Intriguing, Unexpected, Riveting
Give This a Try if You Like… Spill Zone by Scott Westerfield, Lost City of the Monkey God by Douglas Preston, unreliable narrators
Rating: 3/5
About FDL Reads
FDL Reads is a series of weekly book reviews from Fondulac District Library.