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Authority (Southern Reach, #2)

Jeff VanderMeer

Start date: February 9, 2016

Discussion: THE SOUTHERN REACH TRILOGY

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THE SOUTHERN REACH TRILOGY

Authority SPOILERS THROUGH END OF BOOK
By Amy (Other Am… · 12 posts · 21 views

last updated Apr 23, 2016 07:56AM

Annihilation thread #3 (ch 5 Dissolution) SPOILERS THROUGH END OF BOOK
By Amy (Other Am… · 54 posts · 22 views

last updated Apr 22, 2016 11:32AM

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Apr 09, 2014 Melki rated it liked it

Shelves: thriller, science-fiction

About thirty-two years ago, along a remote southern stretch known as the "forgotten coast," an Event occurred that began to transform the landscape and simultaneously caused an invisible border or wall to appear.

The women seem to recall little about Area X. They say almost nothing about what they saw and what happened to them during their expedition. John Rodriquez/Control is tasked with finding the facts.

"What do you remember about your husband?"

"That I had one."

"Did you know he came back, lik ...more

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Apr 30, 2014 David Katzman rated it it was amazing

An unsettling study of the ineffable. The indescribable. A slowly constricting knot. Our human edifices are evanescent. Or as I say in my novel A Greater Monster , "A home is paper thin."

Nature is a harsh taskmistress. Nature is implacable. We have been playing with fire for a long time now. Humans think they own the land. The clouds. The air. The water. We do not own it. It owns us. We've been borrowing it without paying back the principal. And it's going to come due soon.

Authority is the se An unsettling study of the ineffable. The indescribable. A slowly constricting knot. Our human edifices are evanescent. Or as I say in my novel A Greater Monster , "A home is paper thin."

Nature is a harsh taskmistress. Nature is implacable. We have been playing with fire for a long time now. Humans think they own the land. The clouds. The air. The water. We do not own it. It owns us. We've been borrowing it without paying back the principal. And it's going to come due soon.

Authority is the second book in Jeff VanderMeer's Southern Reach Trilogy. I urge you to pick up Book 1, Annihilation, which I reviewed here.

Book 2 exudes a slow burning tension that builds a sense of claustrophobia and mystery. It is again a sort of hybrid fantasy (that's literature for you, doesn't always fall into neat categories) with elements of fantasy horror mystery and psychological thrillers combined. The horror, like in Book 1, has a rather a Lovecraftian quality—which embodies this theme of the indescribable I mentioned at the outset. Lovecraft presents a horror behind our dimension, insane indescribable entities that lurk behind all things and that we can never understand. Life itself, even that which is beautiful, is inexplicable. Life just is. No matter the bones of the matter, the physical attributes of animal and plant matter...existence is a mystery. When you look at atoms and electrons and quantum particles...and the mysteries of the big bang and.... In some ways, the Southern Reach trilogy, at least so far in Books 1 and 2, is about that ineffable mystery of existence. And in other ways, it is about the horror of not understanding. That which cannot be named. We all know how the story ends. We all die. No one likes that ending. And it might come for our species, when? A few years with a nuclear surprise? A couple centuries when global warming creates another ice age and clean water shortage? Blink of the eye.

Before getting on to the specifics, I'm simply going to say these are the best fantasy novels I've read in a long time. Erudite and masterful in the writing itself and with honest human characters. VanderMeer is a master of atmosphere, and both books conjure up a haunting, creeping dread that is both frightening and delicious. They were both hard to put down. Highly recommended.

What follows is marked as Spoiler for those who haven't read Book 1. If you have read Book 1, then I won't reveal any major surprises from Book 2.

(view spoiler)[Authority picks up a short time after Annhilation ends. Rather than focusing on Area X, this book focuses on the Southern Reach itself, which is rather like an outpost of the X-Files set slightly in the future (the year is always kept undefined). What is initially quite a surprise is that three of the characters who seemed to die in Book 1, have returned and are being questioned by the Southern Reach researchers.

The story is written in close first-person, just as Annhilation was. In this case, the main character is John Rodriguez who calls himself Control, based on a nickname he was given as a boy by his grandfather. He's third generation espionage...and trying desperately to live up to the harsh legacy of his mother's side of the family. Especially his distant spymaster mother. The plot follows him as he is assigned to take over as the new head of the Southern Reach, which is seen by headquarters as a rather incompetent, bumbling institution...but really, given it is trying to solve an impossible mystery, it's not surprising that outsiders of the Southern Reach would find it to be bordering on utter failure. Well, John is perhaps the perfect outsider to take over this disastrous institution because he himself has had a rather bumbling incompetent career and running the Southern Reach is his last chance to save himself.

Unlike most espionage leaders, John seems rather naive. He tends toward empathy (admits that himself) and seems like the kind of person who never should have gone into the "family business." But he has a lot to prove to himself. VanderMeer portrays him with incredible verisimilitude. Admittedly, he frustrated me at times, but he always seemed real.

Authority follows him literally struggling for authority with a staff that ranges from highly eccentric (not in a comedic way) to the openly hostile. He is not appreciated by the Assistant Director who had strong ties to the former Director, and she frequently and successfully undermines his authority. Respect is a word never used, but authority was really a proxy for respect, and that he was always seeking respect and rarely receiving it. He deeply desired to be respected by his mother, the institution, his co-workers and even those he interrogates. But respect doesn't come easy. It's interesting to note that VanderMeer cast several of the main characters as "minorities." John is half Mexican (his father) and American (his mother), and the Assistant Director is a black woman and divorced after she came out as lesbian. The returned Biologist from Book 1 was Asian-American. This issue of "respect" or authority in some ways I think relates also to their ethnicity, there being an implication that, as they say, if you don't come from the dominant racial group you need to be twice as smart and work twice as hard to get ahead. A sad commentary on the tribal prejudice that arises from economic instability and fear of resource loss. A misplaced/displaced genetic survival urge for food and reproduction.

We follow John as he attempts to solve the mysteries of Area X (and the mysteries of the Southern Reach) and what is happening there. I won't take you any further but will simply say it's another incredible work. Yes, it lacks a neat bow at the end, and I'm sure some will be very disappointed by that. I can only say, this is Book 2 of a trilogy. And sorry...life doesn't have a neat bow. Please refer back to paragraph one. (hide spoiler)] ...more

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Apr 19, 2016 Nate D rated it liked it

Shelves: horror, sci-fi, read-in-2016, weird

Middle volume, the eye of the storm? I think VanderMeer wisely steps back a bit and rebuilds, no longer in the maelstrom of strangeness in Annihilation, but in the mundane world, reframing the narrative as he goes. It works. I'm still finding this series as gripping as anything I've read in a while, without tipping its hand too far and becoming predictable, mawkish, juvenile, or any of the other things that usually push me out of horror narratives at some point. There's a very difficult balancin ...more

11 likes · Like · see review

Jan 14, 2016 Jonfaith rated it liked it

It was as if a different person put the key in the ignition and drove away from everything that was familiar.

Well, shit. It is another Sunday and my sinus issues haven't been resolved, neither have my questions concerning the first volume of this inspired arc. The problem is, I'm afraid, I'm not sure any answers would suffice at this point. Authority is readily described by critics and fans as a spy novel. My experience in the genre may be limited, but this isn't cloak-and-dagger. Authority is m ...more

8 likes · Like · see review

May 15, 2015 Jennifer rated it really liked it

Better than the first installment.Let us be honest, most of the time we are disappointed with the "next in series". All I can say that this was more creepy and intense. And nope still no answers. And I am completely ok with that.It is a brilliant continuation of the first book. Could not put it down. And really I can't say anything more about the story. To say anything would be to:
1.Sound like a crazy person.
2.Sound like a crazy person.
3.I think you might get it. And I do not want to ruin an ...more

6 likes · Like · see review

Jul 09, 2018 Kris rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, science-fiction, 2014-releases

3.5 stars

4 likes · Like · see review

Jun 12, 2014 Michele rated it it was ok

Shelves: science-fiction, weird, dnf

So frustrating. I really liked Annihilation, but Authority was slow, repetitive, and without the sense of wonder. I gave up towards the end.

2 likes · Like · see review

Apr 28, 2014 John rated it it was ok

I really enjoyed the first book, so I'm sad to have to give this one a negative review. But Authority just did not live up to the promise of the first book in the series. By the 50% mark, I found myself impatient to get it all over with.

In the first book, the extreme tension between the characters was believable given the situation. In this book, it seems contrived. Characters, relationships, and plot lines are introduced and then stagnate for 150 pages.

The fact that the ending was good will pro ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Feb 03, 2016 Stephen Bruce rated it it was ok

Shelves: 21st-century, science-fiction, weird

After an exciting and disturbing first book, this one was more of a slog to get through. I admired the author's ability to change the tone so dramatically, bringing in elements of mystery, espionage, and conspiracy fiction. The main idea seemed to be that the weirdness of Area X had somehow infected the outside bureaucracy designed to control and study it. The characters all have different neuroses, allegiances, and theories about Area X that prevent them from working with each other rationally ...more

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Oct 04, 2018 Flora rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: scifi-fantasy-speculative

3.5 stars, really. I think these are books that really need to be read back to back - I did myself a bit of a disservice by waiting a year to read this one. I could broadly remember the first book but I could tell that there were references and allusions (breaches, if you will) that I wasn't fully getting.

It's an odd book and is structurally all over the place but I really appreciate Jeff VanderMeer's writing, his knack with the uncanny. There was a phrase about windows "gathering the grey from ...more

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