Paperback, 195 pages
English language
Published April 16, 2014 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Area X has been cut off from the rest of the world for decades. Nature has reclaimed the last vestiges of human civilization. The first expedition returned with reports of a pristine, Edenic landscape; the second expedition ended in mass suicide, the third in a hail of gunfire as its members turned on one another. The members of the eleventh expedition returned as shadows of their former selves, and within weeks, all had died of cancer. In Annihilation, the first volume of Jeff VanderMeer's Southern Reach Trilogy, we join the twelfth expedition.
The group is made up of four women: an anthropologist; a surveyor; a psychologist, the de facto leader; and our narrator, a biologist. Their mission is to map the terrain, record all observations of their surroundings and of one another, and, above all, avoid being contaminated by Area X itself.
They arrive expecting the unexpected, and Area X …
Area X has been cut off from the rest of the world for decades. Nature has reclaimed the last vestiges of human civilization. The first expedition returned with reports of a pristine, Edenic landscape; the second expedition ended in mass suicide, the third in a hail of gunfire as its members turned on one another. The members of the eleventh expedition returned as shadows of their former selves, and within weeks, all had died of cancer. In Annihilation, the first volume of Jeff VanderMeer's Southern Reach Trilogy, we join the twelfth expedition.
The group is made up of four women: an anthropologist; a surveyor; a psychologist, the de facto leader; and our narrator, a biologist. Their mission is to map the terrain, record all observations of their surroundings and of one another, and, above all, avoid being contaminated by Area X itself.
They arrive expecting the unexpected, and Area X delivers—but it’s the surprises that came across the border with them and the secrets the expedition members are keeping from one another that change everything.
Very weird with lots of visuals. I feel like the book requires you to use your imagination to formulate the details of the descriptions. I liked this book. Made me curious about the sequels, but I’m feeling like I don’t want to read the next one right away.
Cuando vi la película me pareció que la idea tenía mucho potencial, pero que la ejecución se sentía fuera de foco, y el efecto esperado en una película de ese género me resultó un poco ineficiente.
Ahora, habiendo leído el libro, siento que mi diagnóstico de la pelicula había sido bastante acertado. Sin haberlo leído en ningún lado, mientras avanzaba en la lectura, pensaba que estaba atravesando un buen ejemplar de "terror lovecraftiano" o "cosmic horror" (una descripción que ahora veo es bastante común).
Una gran ventaja que tiene el libro sobre la película es su reticencia a mostrar o explicar las cosas más de lo indispensable. El terror cósmico tiene su efecto al enfrentarnos cara a cara con aquello que origina los horrores, pero nos obliga a apartar la vista, ya que de no hacerlo caeríamos ineludiblemente en la locura o la catatonia, dejándonos solo con algunos contornos sugerentes, …
Cuando vi la película me pareció que la idea tenía mucho potencial, pero que la ejecución se sentía fuera de foco, y el efecto esperado en una película de ese género me resultó un poco ineficiente.
Ahora, habiendo leído el libro, siento que mi diagnóstico de la pelicula había sido bastante acertado. Sin haberlo leído en ningún lado, mientras avanzaba en la lectura, pensaba que estaba atravesando un buen ejemplar de "terror lovecraftiano" o "cosmic horror" (una descripción que ahora veo es bastante común).
Una gran ventaja que tiene el libro sobre la película es su reticencia a mostrar o explicar las cosas más de lo indispensable. El terror cósmico tiene su efecto al enfrentarnos cara a cara con aquello que origina los horrores, pero nos obliga a apartar la vista, ya que de no hacerlo caeríamos ineludiblemente en la locura o la catatonia, dejándonos solo con algunos contornos sugerentes, para que nuestra imaginación llene esos espacios vacíos.
La narración es fluida, con lo justo de descripciones, menos acción de lo que esperaba tras haber visto la película (lo cual es positivo, en mí opinión), y una articulada descripción de la psicología y las motivaciones de la protagonista.
Me resultó atrapante, fácil de leer, y me despertó curiosidad por saber si los libros que la continúan valdrán la pena o serán un mero "money grab".
Content warning General statements about themes and plot events
I am definitely going to come back and reread this one, because I feel there's still some tasty snacks hidden amongst the pages.
Honestly, this book was so good I'm having trouble what to talk about, so I'll just kinda free associate. The writing is amazing. The unreliable narrator is pulled off masterfully. There are scenes in the book that made me physically tense. The end was somehow both a happy ending and a sad ending, which are my favorite kind.
I could say more but honestly, you should just read the book.
Content warning General statements about themes and plot events
I am definitely going to come back and reread this one, because I feel there's still some tasty snacks hidden amongst the pages.
Honestly, this book was so good I'm having trouble what to talk about, so I'll just kinda free associate. The writing is amazing. The unreliable narrator is pulled off masterfully. There are scenes in the book that made me physically tense. The end was somehow both a happy ending and a sad ending, which are my favorite kind.
I could say more but honestly, you should just read the book.
I greatly enjoyed the movie, but loved the book even more. While the movie does a great job of visually portraying everything, it just can't compare to the books and your imagination. The book also seems to put a bit more focus on the characters conflicts with each other, and what happens between them.
It goes into such detail of the weird things happening in Area X, and all the strange happenings. I found it less scary, and more beautiful.
Not only is everything amazingly and skillfully written, but just the goings on are beautiful as well, in my opinion.
I enjoyed the oppressive tone and writing style. Not a book for those who want sharp focussed action. Would have rated it higher my was put off by commenters elsewhere who thought the Novel was the second coming and couldn’t exist alongside the movie.
it's the journal of a biologist exploring an area where things are Wrong and Strange. if that sounds like an enjoyable read to you it probably will be
