Savannah Watson

Written by Jeff Vandermeer and published in 2014, Annihilation is the first book in The Southern Reach sci-fi trilogy.

Annihilation follows a group of experts (an anthropologist, a surveyor, a psychologist, and a biologist – the narrator) on an expedition in Area X, a place cut off from the world and over-run by nature and other things. The team’s goal is to map the land and record all observations. But we all know it’s never that easy.

This book was recommended to me by a friend. When he was giving me a synopsis (and trying to avoid spoilers), I remember being a bit confused by the vagueness of his explanation. As I have only read one other true sci-fi novel – The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (which I could/might write a whole other review about because of how much I loved it) – I didn’t know what to expect or if it would even be something I would enjoy reading.

So, let’s just get right to it then. Did I like the novel?

YES!

The sophisticated, artful, and highly believable worldbuilding creates a magical atmosphere at times and a tense one at others. The self-proclaimed honest, yet disconnected storytelling by the narrator leads to feelings of confusion (and doubt, sometimes) throughout much of the story until the resolution. I had questions until almost the final page, and I remember being only three or pages from the end and thinking “do I need to Google what the ending means?” The story is paced well – slow at exposition parts, and fast during action scenes – and there are plenty of twists and turns.

If you are a fan of sci-fi, or are looking to get into the sci-fi genre, I would highly recommend Annihilation. It’s well worth the ride!

• Facebook

---