Far Horizons: Tales of Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Horror. Issue #13 April 2015 | Page 66
Jeff VanderMeer
Book Reviews
by Pete sutton
Annihilation
Area X has been contained behind the border for 30
years.
So starts the first book in a new trilogy from Jeff VanderMeer. The Southern Reach has sent 11 expeditions
into Area X. Many of them have failed to come back,
or have come back changed. Our narrator is one of 4
in the 12th expedition, she is a biologist and joins a
psychologist, surveyor and anthropologist. This is her
story. This is the story of the 12th expedition. This is
the story of, well let’s not reveal too much here shall
we?
This is an example of isolation fiction with a hearty
dollop of paranoia on top of the fear and mystery.
VanderMeer weaves a web of wi cked weirdness that
conceals to reveal. We have so many questions that
are not answered and may never be but this is because
the mystery is, well mysterious. Our narrator is no
more clued up than we are and, crucially, compromised. Can we trust her? Can we trust anyone on the
team? Can we trust The Southern Reach? Why aren’t
expeditions allowed to take cameras, or telecoms, or
most other modern technology but are allowed to take
guns? What is the true purpose of the expeditions?
What is Area X? What is the significance of the Lighthouse? Do we really want to know what the strange
noises in the night are? Why did the Biologist join the
expedition?
There are several VanderMeerisms (yes that is a word)
that will appeal to fans of his earlier work (no spoilers but I bet you can guess what I mean) but this is a
slightly different tale to those he has told before. He
describes a real and lush landscape in almost cinematic terms. He also manages to make it feel uncanny
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with a few deft touches and
therefore even though the palette is light he achieves a darker
tale. I was in the story from the
first paragraph, rushing gladly
through the book simultaneously desperate to know what
was going to happen and deeply
dreading knowing in case that
knowledge were to change me
irrevocably.
It will be compared to Roadside Picnic by the Strugatskys no doubt and possibly Dark Matter By Michelle Paver and there are brief elements of familiarity here if you are well read in the Weird. However
VanderMeer has carved a compelling and fresh tale
that may owe a passing nod to Lovecraft but only in
the same way that a modern car would owe a nod to a
Model T. If any complaint were to be levelled at this
it would be that we are forced to wait some months
before the second in the trilogy is released. Will we
get our answers in that tome? Do we want answers?
Perhaps it’s safer not to know.
Below are the reviews of the other two books in the
trilogy. Perhaps it’s better to read Annihilation before
reading those reviews? As no doubt there will be slight
spoilers.
Overall – I can only describe this as VanderMeerian
(yes that is also a word) in its brilliance. If you’re a
fan of VanderMeer go, buy, read! If you’re not a fan of
VanderMeer why the hell not?
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