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

CHAPTER 3: IMMOLATION

Clues
1. The psychologist appears to have spent the night in the lighthouse.
2. The government's version of events in Area X emphasizes a localized environmental catastrophe stemming from experimental military research.
3. The dolphins seem to have human eyes.
4. The lighthouse seems to have been fortified against something from the sea, something that could climb the tower. There are signs of lots of death within the tower and lots of weapons left behind.
5. The Biologist finds a stash of journals, photos, and cassettes from other expeditions that is 12 feet high by 16 feet wide, indicating that more than 12 expeditions have ventured to Area X.

Questions
1. What are your best guesses about what or who has been attacking the lighthouse?
2. Why are there so many journals?
3. What's been happening to everyone?
4. Who lived previously in the abandoned village between the camp and the lighthouse?

It seems to me that something has been attacking the lighthouse from the sea. Are there some sort of transitional, violent, and intelligent creatures that live in the sea? Perhaps everyone is drawn to the tower telepathically by these creatures and all the expedition members leave everything behind there because that's where most of them die? What happened to their remains? Were they dragged into the sea?

I just checked out a children's book from the library called How Whales Walked Into the Sea, so maybe that's why I'm thinking in terms of some type of intelligent land/sea hybrid creature making the attacks on the expedition members.

It doesn't seem as if it would be possible for previous expedition members to have previously colonized Area X. Nobody ever seems to be there long enough to have time to build homes unless they were pre-fabricated and carted into the area.

It seems that the government has been lying about how long Area X has been around and how many expeditions have gone there ... if the journals are any indication.

Why not be straightforward with future expedition members and give them all the information that has been gleaned from past expedition members? What's the point of secrecy and hypnosis? It seems as if more would come from expedition members who could build upon what was discovered from previous expedition members rather than every expedition needing to reinvent the wheel each time.

I get the impression that the government hasn't been lying about the time Area X has been around, but I think it runs at a different time pace. For instance, one day in the 'real world' can equal a month in Area X. This can account for the accelerated decay of things and also the accelerated evolution of plants/floral/fauna that seems to be around.

I'm also intrigued about 'the border'. I first was under the impression that Area X was in some sort of isolated enclosed area, like a biodome. But if it has access directly to saltwater it seems like it's an open space. So what is the border? It seems like it is not man-made and it continues to grow.

Side note - the border/Area X reminds me of a movie called Monsters. In it, there is a zone cut off from the world because of the monsters in it, but the border grows and changes as things go on. I keep picturing it when reading this book.

Good observations all round here. My personal experience: I had a bit of trouble getting thru this chapter. Bit too slow...thoughts, contemplations, personal insights and observations, too little interaction or action. I missed dialogue here also. But then I'm an impatient person ;-)

Something that I haven't seen mentioned here which would be an obvious obsevation to make ... Are there planes flying over Area X?

Zeke wrote: "Side note - the border/Area X reminds me of a movie called Monsters. In it, there is a zone cut off from the world because of the monsters in it, but the border grows and changes as things go on. I..."

That was a well done little movie.

I still have no idea what chapter I am in, I am almost done with the book...the whole lighthouse thing was creepy. I have a suspicion. But I will keep it to myself, I am not sure if I will spoil the remaining chapters.

But the biologists way to base camp really freaked me out. It was like a horror movie, but I couldn't cover my eyes...I had to read the damn words..

I'm in Chapter 5. I'll get some more chapter threads up when I'm not relegated to thumb typing on my phone. I get the idea from reviews of this book that there's not going to be an answer to our questions by book's end.

Do you guys want to binge-read this series or read 1 book of the series each month? I think I'd prefer to start the next one in July.

Since I'm getting these from the library, I am indifferent as to how we read them, just as long as I can check them out and they are available.

If we DO read the next one in July, then I just need book suggestions to tide me over.....recommendations?

I have the others sitting on my shelf. I can read them any time.

I don't have the other two ready at hand I'm afraid. When I run into them, will probably get them and plan to read, but for now no immediate plans and lots of other books....

I have the next one out from the library already, but I can wait to read it until everyone else wants to! I like the discussion.

Confession - went to the library yesterday to get the other two books and on a whim read the first few pages of book two. Somehow the quick check to see how the book was turned into me reading the first 100 pages. So much better than the first book and I'm planning on rereading it once everyone gets it, but it has me hooked so far. Speaking from experience, the book is best read as soon as possible once you finish the first book.

I agree Zeke. I am reading the second one as well. Almost done with it. Gonna keep my mouth shut. But its hard.

Jennifer wrote: "I agree Zeke. I am reading the second one as well. Almost done with it. Gonna keep my mouth shut. But its hard."

Okay. So let's binge-read the series then if everybody's doing it anyway. :P

Drat. I have to put it on hold at the library, but I'll start up a thread for you guys to go ahead and discuss. At least that gives me the chance to finish the boring book I'm reading now.