Amy and Erin's Amazing Diarchical Club of Books You Should Read With Us discussion

CHAPTER 1: INITIATION

Clues:
1. They have a red danger indicator.
2. Watches and compasses are forbidden.
3. A transference took 18 months
4. There are rotting cabins and wagon wheels.
5. Sea animals have adapted to brackish water.
6. The setting seems to be Florida
7. There's a lighthouse
8. There's a powerful moaning at dusk.
9. No attempt at contacting the outside world is allowed for fear of contamination.
10. Nothing taken with them could match our current technology.
11. They're not allowed to share their journal entries with each other.
12. To reach the border, they have to enter a bright room and crossing has to be done with care lest their minds trick them.
13. The psychologist is the most important person, and she's hypnotizing everyone to possibly see things differently than they truly are.
14. They'd been told not to look back upon arrival, but what she saw when she looked back was hazy.
15. Previous teams have failed, some even killing each other or themselves.

Are there any clues I've missed?

Questions
1. So, what do you think is going on?
2. Any ideas about the tower/tunnel?

My first thoughts were that this was time travel or parallel worlds, but nobody's tagged it as such. Now I'm wondering if this is just a virtual reality world.

Well I read the first chapter. What I've been thinking all along, is this real? So that aligns with your assumption of a virtual reality world... Or is this in the head of the biologist who tells the story. Or is she hallucinating, or is SHE the one hypnotized.... or unbalanced. I think this person will turn out to be a key, deciding factor in this story.
What also struck me is the weird composition of the group and their behavior. The psychologist seems to play a pretty dubious role too, re. the hypnotizing scene. Then again, all we know is what the biologist tells us about her...
The stories about the previous expeditions. Equally weird. Suicide, shot each other, wondered off one at a time and wounded up home (so howcome that was allowed even or how did that happen, looking at the fear of contamination....) showing strange behavior...
With all this happened, why would you ever consider going out on a new expedition. Seems pretty creepy and risky to me.
For the rest... to be honest, I don't have clue yet ;-) Hope I have some more reading time in the next days, but it looks like work will take more time now.

I think that perhaps the occupations are a big clue about what the point of the expedition may be. They need a psychologist, anthropologist, linguist, and biologist.

Psychologist = to hypnotize the participants to calm them down and allow them to do their work without questioning
Linguist = to analyze the writing on the walls
Anthropologist = to study the people who have lived there
Biologist = to study the biological aspect of the wall writing

The location reminds me a little of the island in Myst. It appears empty, but you have to read the clues. But it's a little more sinister like the ever-growing and sentient hallway in House of Leaves. I get the idea that Area X is in some way sentient.

More about my virtual reality idea in a thread about the 2nd chapter. Spoilers.

I have to agree; who would want to volunteer with such negative outcomes for participants: murder, suicide, deadly cancer, etc. I guess you'd have to find people who were more interested in the experience than whether or not they survive. It's like the people who want to go to Mars. At this point, they assume that it's a one-way ticket. But it's the fulfillment of a lifelong dream.

So far I am fascinated, addicted, and way creeped out. My personal theory, given the clues so far, is that the mysterious Southern Reach has created Area X, and either

a) it has gotten out of their control, necessitating they send frequent expeditions to figure out a way to stop its insidious powers over people
b) it is their own personal experiment, and the expedition members are but lab rats, sent into Area X so the Southern Reach can observe the effect it has on them

I'm picturing almost a "The Cabin in the Woods" scenario, where the story is going to take more than one surprising sharp turn before we reach the end.

One question for Amy: how does the Surveyor fit in? What is her purpose on the team given what we've seen of Area X so far? Or is she there more to be the muscle than because of her skills as a surveyor?

I'm listening on audiobook during my commute, so I can't wait for the end of the work day so I can find out what happens next!

Hmm ... the purpose of the surveyor? I would imagine that it's too further map the area and/or the tunnel/tower.

Whatever Area X is, it's definitely gotten out of control. And it definitely seems that the team members are but lab rats.

I wonder at the significance that they're all women this time? Are they not?

I wish I had waited to read it with you. I know I would have enjoyed it more. I have no one to blame but my own stupid self.