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the_pale_woman 's review for:
Annihilation
by Jeff VanderMeer
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
I think this is one of those books that is more enjoyable when you go in, mostly blind so I won't go into any details. It's short, so it's not like you really need all the details beforehand anyway. Part of the enjoyment of the story is not fully understanding everything that is happening. I actually liked the slow meandering pace of the story. The end was a little less concrete than I normally prefer, but I found it fitting for the tale.
Another aspect I found fitting was the lack of names. People are referred to by their titles or purpose rather than who they are. I think it tricked my mind into humanizing the characters more, but that thought doesn't really make any sense.
The POV was my favorite part of this work. I rarely felt frustrated with her actions, which is a unique quality for a POV to possess in a mystery.
I would recommend this to people who like surreal fiction. Or for fans of sci-fi with a dreamlike horror fantasy vibe.
Edit:
Having finished the trilogy I feel the need to put a disclaimer here. I hated the last book. The second book is okay but I really wish I hadn't read either sequel. I would recommend reading this as a standalone. You won't get any satisfaction from the tiny morsels of information you're provided in the later books.
Another aspect I found fitting was the lack of names. People are referred to by their titles or purpose rather than who they are. I think it tricked my mind into humanizing the characters more, but that thought doesn't really make any sense.
The POV was my favorite part of this work. I rarely felt frustrated with her actions, which is a unique quality for a POV to possess in a mystery.
I would recommend this to people who like surreal fiction. Or for fans of sci-fi with a dreamlike horror fantasy vibe.
Edit:
Having finished the trilogy I feel the need to put a disclaimer here. I hated the last book. The second book is okay but I really wish I hadn't read either sequel. I would recommend reading this as a standalone. You won't get any satisfaction from the tiny morsels of information you're provided in the later books.