also, there were quite a few red herring aspects in Authority. it's been months since I read the books and i'm still trying to figure out if the cell phone was alive!
Well done. This review captures a lot of my thinking (and a lot of my disappointments) with the second and third volumes of the trilogy. The writing was really good, and the character depth was amazing at times. But the payoff was simply not worth the time investment. In a short story or a single novel where the theme is cosmic horror, I’m fine with leaving the seemingly malevolent force driving the story a mystery. But if I am investing time in a trilogy, I want a few more solid answers by the end. As it was, some of the elements that made Annihilation so very creepy, were revealed to be simply red herrings in volumes two and three. Anyway, thanks for an on-target review.
I really enjoyed the lack of definitive answers from the series. I've read it several times and the more i read it, the more authority seems to solidify itself as my favorite of the series. The whole series is themed around humans trying to wrap their heads around something that is so far beyond their reach and failing miserably. Why should the reader be able to get answers that the characters won't ever get? That question is at least what justified and made me buy into the ambiguity.
part of the reason why I liked the movie better than the book in this case is because the movie, unlike the book, makes reference to actual scientific concepts. while the Southern Reach trilogy is certainly science fiction, the books are actually pretty short on any real science. even though the main character in the first book is a biologist, few references are ever made to any aspect of biology, and those that are made are vague. also, Vandermeer has a tendency to give into that tried-and-true Lovecraftian trick of just describing things as "indescribable", thereby allowing himself to write the books without having to give the reader much resolution. I know that the whole point of the books is that there is no resolution, but still, there were parts in the books, especially in Authority when Control is watching the video tapes, that I felt were somewhat cheap.
I actually agree. Also (and I don't mean this to sound in any way disrespectful to VanderMeer, whom I greatly admire) for all that he has stated several times he is not a huge Lovecraft fan, I feel that his writing, as you rightly point out, owes a big debt to Lovecraft's. But maybe it's just that I'm a huge Lovecraft fan, and see connections when there are none, or when they are merely spontaneous.
Oh, I didn't mean to make it sound like his writing as a whole owes a lot to Lovecraft, just the way in which he skirts hard descriptions of things. The "scary things" in Lovecraft's books are rarely, if ever, actually described, and the same goes for Vandermeer's, at least in the Southern Reach trilogy. (I haven't actually read anything else of his, but I do want to!) :)
From Hell, maybe not too soon; The Sandman, I'd really love to - but getting all those volumes sounds rather expensive!! Is there a secret second-hand comic book webstore I don't know about?
Amazon UK has a few used copies of some volumes for as little as 2.00 pounds (and a used copy of 'From Hell' for only 5 pounds) and there's always Comixology, which is selling them for 7 pounds each volume (10 volumes total).
personally I thought Annihilation was the best written of the trilogy, though I liked Authority the best. Acceptance was pretty neat though, too. especially the unusual 2nd person narration. I honestly can't think of any other book that I've ever read that is narrated in 2nd person.
Personally, I didn't care for either of the last two books the first time I read them. Upon reading them again (and again), I found much more to enjoy in each of them. That being said, had they never been made, the world would not be deprived of anything, however, I'm glad they exist. The Annihilation movie was garbage, though.
Ooohhh, this is for me the most disappointing review you've ever done... I had such high expectations after your enthusiasm for the first book. :( Thank you! PS: Heretical question: Could Annihilation be read as a stand-alone?... Or is everything left open at its end, to be picked up in the ensuing two novels? The film adaptation is of the first book or of the entire Trilogy? Cause that felt kinda "completed" as I viewed it...
I would definitely recommend anyone read Annihilation as a stand-alone novel! It feels very satisfying to me as an individual experience. As for the movie, I haven't watched it yet, but I've been told it's not supposed to get sequels; take that with a pinch of salts though ;)
Thank you! I'll do that. I hope that when you read the rest of the "Napoli Tetralogy" by Ferrante - I hear it's a pen name and in reality a famous journalist is behind it - you won't feel the same. I'm waiting for your reviews to go buy those! :)
also, there were quite a few red herring aspects in Authority. it's been months since I read the books and i'm still trying to figure out if the cell phone was alive!
Great short story by Ben Shattuck called Scrimshaw in the Harvard review no 52 . thanks book chemist !
Why do you have a shoe on your shelf lol
You're not the first to ask ;)
Well done. This review captures a lot of my thinking (and a lot of my disappointments) with the second and third volumes of the trilogy. The writing was really good, and the character depth was amazing at times. But the payoff was simply not worth the time investment. In a short story or a single novel where the theme is cosmic horror, I’m fine with leaving the seemingly malevolent force driving the story a mystery. But if I am investing time in a trilogy, I want a few more solid answers by the end. As it was, some of the elements that made Annihilation so very creepy, were revealed to be simply red herrings in volumes two and three.
Anyway, thanks for an on-target review.
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I really enjoyed the lack of definitive answers from the series. I've read it several times and the more i read it, the more authority seems to solidify itself as my favorite of the series. The whole series is themed around humans trying to wrap their heads around something that is so far beyond their reach and failing miserably. Why should the reader be able to get answers that the characters won't ever get? That question is at least what justified and made me buy into the ambiguity.
part of the reason why I liked the movie better than the book in this case is because the movie, unlike the book, makes reference to actual scientific concepts. while the Southern Reach trilogy is certainly science fiction, the books are actually pretty short on any real science. even though the main character in the first book is a biologist, few references are ever made to any aspect of biology, and those that are made are vague. also, Vandermeer has a tendency to give into that tried-and-true Lovecraftian trick of just describing things as "indescribable", thereby allowing himself to write the books without having to give the reader much resolution. I know that the whole point of the books is that there is no resolution, but still, there were parts in the books, especially in Authority when Control is watching the video tapes, that I felt were somewhat cheap.
I actually agree. Also (and I don't mean this to sound in any way disrespectful to VanderMeer, whom I greatly admire) for all that he has stated several times he is not a huge Lovecraft fan, I feel that his writing, as you rightly point out, owes a big debt to Lovecraft's. But maybe it's just that I'm a huge Lovecraft fan, and see connections when there are none, or when they are merely spontaneous.
Oh, I didn't mean to make it sound like his writing as a whole owes a lot to Lovecraft, just the way in which he skirts hard descriptions of things. The "scary things" in Lovecraft's books are rarely, if ever, actually described, and the same goes for Vandermeer's, at least in the Southern Reach trilogy. (I haven't actually read anything else of his, but I do want to!) :)
pick up the gun, control. then jump!
Actually that's the problem with Annihilation already. Much of the foreboding forebodes only scp-like special effects that don't coalesce to much.
Will you be reading The Sandman of From Hell in the near future?
From Hell, maybe not too soon; The Sandman, I'd really love to - but getting all those volumes sounds rather expensive!! Is there a secret second-hand comic book webstore I don't know about?
Amazon UK has a few used copies of some volumes for as little as 2.00 pounds (and a used copy of 'From Hell' for only 5 pounds) and there's always Comixology, which is selling them for 7 pounds each volume (10 volumes total).
personally I thought Annihilation was the best written of the trilogy, though I liked Authority the best. Acceptance was pretty neat though, too. especially the unusual 2nd person narration. I honestly can't think of any other book that I've ever read that is narrated in 2nd person.
Not to be condescending but just because it's an awesome book - Jay McInerney's Bright Lights Big City is a great short novel in the 2nd person :)
I'll totally have to give that a read if I ever see it around! I actually responded pretty well to reading in 2nd person, I'd love to try it again!
Personally, I didn't care for either of the last two books the first time I read them. Upon reading them again (and again), I found much more to enjoy in each of them. That being said, had they never been made, the world would not be deprived of anything, however, I'm glad they exist.
The Annihilation movie was garbage, though.
Ooohhh, this is for me the most disappointing review you've ever done... I had such high expectations after your enthusiasm for the first book. :( Thank you!
PS: Heretical question: Could Annihilation be read as a stand-alone?... Or is everything left open at its end, to be picked up in the ensuing two novels? The film adaptation is of the first book or of the entire Trilogy? Cause that felt kinda "completed" as I viewed it...
I would definitely recommend anyone read Annihilation as a stand-alone novel! It feels very satisfying to me as an individual experience. As for the movie, I haven't watched it yet, but I've been told it's not supposed to get sequels; take that with a pinch of salts though ;)
Thank you! I'll do that.
I hope that when you read the rest of the "Napoli Tetralogy" by Ferrante - I hear it's a pen name and in reality a famous journalist is behind it - you won't feel the same. I'm waiting for your reviews to go buy those! :)