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Really 2.5 stars. I really wanted to like it more than I did by the end. The conflict and exploration of an altered environment were intriguing and creative. However, pacing was sloooow and uneven. The ending seemed rushed, for all the the beginning was a slow burn. There were a few coincidences that moved the plot along a little too overtly. I appreciated the narrator's antisocial tendencies, but her quick acceptance of death didn't seem realistic unless she's a sociopath, which she doesn't see
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This is the first book of the three book Southern Reach series. I read the first chapter of this book on io9 and was immediately hooked. Described as Roadside Picnic meets Lovecraft, this seems to be about right. {edit: Having finally watched the movie Stalker which is loosely based on Roadside Picnic, I can now say this book's mood and pacing is very similar to that wonderful movie even more so than the book.} I would also compare it to the very beginning of Justin Cronin's The Passage where he
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The prose is great, VanderMeer is a terrific writer, but the story is just not something I care about. A weird, eerily desolate land, characters with no names no background, and no apparent justification for their actions. It really wants to feel mysterious and cryptic, but it doesn't really give me any reason to ultimately care about finding the answers. It's almost exhibitionist, like the author is saying, "look at how cryptic and weird this is. Isn't it weird? And cryptic?"
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A good and interesting story that sets up mysteries with a nice emotional connection underneath all the science-fictional horror and plot. A nice read, but not spectacular. Looking forward to see what VanderMeer does with the sequels.
A fun and engaging read. Reminded me a lot of the show Lost. There were some people. There was a hole in the ground. I really don't know what was going on. But I enjoyed it anyway. I'll definitely pick up the next one in the series.
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I'm not adding a "Weird shit" shelf, but this was "weird shit" Surreal and very lovecraftian in my opinion.
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Mar 01, 2014
Shelby
marked it as to-read
Mar 10, 2014
John Gibson
added it
Aug 31, 2014
Christopher Brennan
added it
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review of another edition
Shelves:
kindle,
nebula-award-winners
Feb 22, 2015
Adalis
marked it as to-read
Apr 08, 2015
Séna
marked it as to-read
Oct 25, 2015
Liberty
marked it as to-read
Aug 25, 2016
Hannah Wilson
added it
Feb 24, 2018
Adam
marked it as to-read
Apr 28, 2018
Morgan
marked it as to-read
Aug 23, 2019
Marius
marked it as to-read
