Creepy, atmospheric, and trope-defying. Four team members are inserted into Area X as part of a Twelfth Expedition, ostensibly to collect samples and report back their findings.

The main character, an introverted biologist, lost her husband to the Eleventh Expedition. Kind of.

In surreal, dream-like prose VanderMeer slowly (sometimes sluggishly) drags you along on a tale that never feels like it has an answer, but is still fascinating none the less.

I can't even imagine what the movie adaptation will be like!