From the Bookshelf of The Sword and Laser…

Annihilation (Southern Reach, #1)

Jeff VanderMeer

Start date: February 1, 2015

Finish date: February 28, 2015

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What Members Thought

Apr 04, 2020 Silvana rated it liked it

Shelves: audiobooks, sff-2020-reading-challenge, z-2020-sf-novel-novella, reading-with-friends, sci-fi, series-i-abandoned

It's hard to rate this book. I enjoyed it, but less than Borne. I felt detached from the characters even though they are well written. So this is more 3.5 stars rounded down. I like to think that I am saving the stars for the next book in the trilogy.

The worldbuilding and description is vivid and immersive, as one could expect from VanderMeer.

I also liked that it read like a Gothic horror story. Therefore it is not strange that it won the Shirley Jackson Award. ...more

18 likes · Like · see review

Jun 14, 2015 Emily rated it it was ok

Shelves: scifi

I loved the concept of this book, but the writing style was distracting. As my brother-in-law said, "it's clear that it's written the way that somebody's brain works, but mine doesn't work that way." Mine either, I suppose. ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Mar 24, 2018 Udayan rated it really liked it

Atmospheric, evocative, thoughtful and yet mysterious. Another masterpiece.

Not deviating from the well researched TBR list is working well this year.

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Nov 08, 2015 Heather rated it really liked it

Fantastically strange and ominous. Bit by bit, there are revelations about the characters and Area X, some of which enlighten, others of which befuddle further. You don't come away fully understanding what's transpired, and the mood of the book is all the better for it. Excited to dive into the next two in the trilogy. Super weird, and I loved it. ...more

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Jun 04, 2016 Keri rated it really liked it

Shelves: reread-occasionally, dystopian, horror

I hated it for the first couple chapters. I couldn't get into the writing style mostly the almost journalistic (even though I know that's what it is supposed to be but it doesn't quite make it there to me).

But the weirder it got, the more I wanted to read. ...more

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