I can understand why someone might be disappointed going into this book after Annihilation. It’s completely different than the tense alien mystery of the biologist in Area X, instead following Control as he takes over as the director of the Southern Reach. It’s a slow burn but I enjoyed Control’s character so much that it took me over 200 pages to realize that really no actual plot had happened. The slowness of the middle has a purpose, and I wasn’t bothered by it, though I think a lot of people would be. It’s more of a character study of Control and the Southern Reach, one that I stayed invested in. The pace rams up in the last 50ish pages, and I left this book very excited to finish the trilogy.