Area X: The Southern Reach Trilogy: Annihilation; Authority; Acceptance (The Southern Reach Series) Hardcover – November 18, 2014

First things first, this book (technically three books) is not for everyone or for every occasion. This isn't a quick casual read. Feel free to read some of the bad reviews and attempt to piece together the real truth here, which is: this is an amazing book for anyone that is willing to engage it at an intelligent level with their full attention. If that doesn't sound like your cup of tea, or it doesn't sound like something you can fit in right now, save it for later or pass altogether.I'm going to proceed with this review as if these three novels: Annihilation, Authority, and Acceptance, are one novel. Mostly for simplicity, but also because I believe that the best way to read these novels is back to back, as if they were parts of a single novel. Though they are very different from each other and explore different themes, characters, and even have slightly different styles, they are linked in ways that a typical trilogy is not. I like to think of them as three segments of a circle. While I'd think of a standard trilogy/series more like a dotted line.Area X, or the Southern Reach Trilogy, is one of the finest novels I've ever read. Maybe not in my top 10 of all time (amongst Moby Dick, Anna Karenina, Dune, Catch 22...) but definitely in my top 20. It has everything a serious reader could possibly want in a novel: beautiful and evocative (if haunting) prose, distinct and complex characters, an unbelievably well realized setting, a mysterious and engaging story, and rich thought-provoking subtexts and themes. It just doesn't hold your hand, which can make it challenging at times. If you begin to read with the idea that you are setting off on a path into a thick wood at dusk, by Authority, the trail will be faint and the light of day near gone, and by Acceptance, you're lost, its full night, and there are sounds all around you, mostly from unknown sources. You light your lamp to see, but it's almost more terrifying in the gloom than in the dark.And that leads us to what kind of book this is: it's a creepy one. In fact, a scene about midway through Authority is easily the creepiest scene I've ever read in any book - and I've read a lot of creepy books (honorable mention to the phone ringing in the Ruins).Again though, this book isn't for everyone. I can't stress that enough. It simply has a different mission than a more mainstream novel. You wouldn't sit down to a John Grisham book and be like, 'not as good as The Sound and the Fury', that wouldn't make sense. If you sit down to Area X with those kinds of expectations and aren't ready for a quick turn to something dramatically different, it will fail you, and you it. Personally, I turned my reading into a kind of daily meditation. I found that I could only read it when my mind was fresh and at its sharpest, and even then, I'd catch myself continually wandering. The imagery and pace are seductive to mind wandering, and I simply pulled back, went back a few lines, and started again. This weird mindful reading and mindful awareness of my own crazy thoughts was a singular and very rewarding experience. As a result though, I had to read some ‘regular’ books on the side to relax in the evenings.This is a must read if you think you can do it. Don't be afraid, just be prepared. I'm thrilled to have discovered VanderMeer and plan on reading his other works over the coming years.

Like nothing I have ever read before. An amazing series for Science Fiction fans.

i like the writing style, ideas, descriptions, the second and third books taper off a bit and are too long for what's being presented, but the first book is so good i didn't mind the other two. i enjoyed stewing in this world a while

I’ve been traveling all week for work and I have to say – nothing in this world feels as good as coming home. There was a time – long ago – when I enjoyed business travel – particularly international trips. I got over that pretty quickly – now it’s just work. The most joyful aspect of traveling for work these days is coming home – pulling into the driveway – seeing the light streaming out from an open front door – silhouetting Daisy and Butterscotch who are always waiting for me with wagging tails – jumping all over me like they haven’t seen me in a year – then getting that big, warm, wonderful hug from my wife. For me, that’s what makes a trip worthwhile these days.Another source of joy involves the extra reading time that comes with travel. I’ve never been able to work on planes – too little space – too many people – too many distractions. I now just embrace the time as an opportunity to read. Combine that with the time you have in the hotel room after all the work is done and I’m usually able to make some real progress on whatever book I’m into at the time.When I left for this trip, I was halfway through the 2nd book in the Southern Reach Trilogy – “Authority”. By the time I got back home yesterday, I’d finished both “Authority” as well as the final book in the trilogy – “Acceptance”. I promised to come back and post final thoughts once done and this will be my chance.In my first post on the Trilogy, I mentioned that I wanted to finish the books before the release of “Annihilation” as well as my concern about how anyone could turn this body of work into a movie. I’m doubling down on that after finishing all three books. THERE…IS…NO…WAY!! I like Natalie Portman and I’m sure they’ve made an entertaining movie but I’m also pretty sure that it bears only a passing resemblance to the book and to what Jeff VanderMeer has managed to accomplish with it.I’ll still probably go see this movie. I’ve checked the reviews and it’s actually hard to tell what I should expect. On Rotten Tomatoes, it scores much higher with critics than with audiences. Given the density and complexity of the story – that may be a good thing – no way to tell. Having finished the books, however, I feel like I should finish this trip and see what Hollywood has done with – or to – a pretty amazing book.I’ll start by saying that I found these books to be beautifully crafted. For me, VanderMeer’s language was hypnotic and immersive – it drew me in and focused me. There was nothing going on in my head while I was reading that didn’t involve what I was reading. Not sure if this is true for others but all too much of what I read these days allows me to skim and drift and read on autopilot and still enjoy the story. That was not the case for these books. In order to appreciate what VanderMeer is doing, you have to truly pay attention to every paragraph and page. I read these books in a very deliberate way – anything else and I know I would have either missed things – or missed feeling things.I also felt that the way VanderMeer structured the story across three separate volumes was really impressive. He increases both the complexity and the pace of the narrative in every volume. He offers up small things early on but provides no indication of their eventual significance. He uses the first two volumes to put all his pieces on the board and pose questions. The third book brings everything together and connects almost every dot in a relentless and very satisfying way. I read through these books without a pause – progressing automatically from one volume to the next – didn’t even think about putting them aside or stepping away. I treated them like a bucket of popcorn – once I start, I am not going to stop – not even going to pause – until there’s nothing left but a small pile of lonely, unpopped kernels.Ultimately – by the time I finished – these books left me tired – “stick a fork in me cuz I’m done” tired. I had a similar feeling after finishing “The Stars Are Legion” but was very dissatisfied in that case because I just didn’t find much meaning in the story – it was a bit of a hot mess – very hard to connect with on any level. Southern Reach is different – you can’t help but connect with these books. They force you to think – to turn inward and ask yourself a whole host of questions about how you relate to the people around you and to the world in which you live.The books became quite personal for me – demanding introspection and self-evaluation – never a bad thing in my experience. I think any story that leaves you asking questions about yourself has done a pretty profound thing. Short to long – they’re hard but satisfying work and I’d highly recommend them. I’d also recommend that you have something light and fun and frothy to turn to once you’re done – more on that in my next post.

Perfect

I finally found it. Love it

5 stars for this trilogy.. It has been sitting in my basket ever since I saw the movie annihilation. And what can I say.. As per usual the books far surpass the movie. The southern reach series is a work of art, I genuinely never wanted it to end. My only gripe as a reader of horror is that I would have liked to seen more gore but the descriptions and scene setting in these novels are marvellous regardless. Thoroughly enjoyed every moment.

Excelente libro de ciencia ficcion

nébuleux et vague. Même à la fin du troisième tome on reste sur sa faim.