Ben’s Reviews > Annihilation > Status Update

Hits like a nuclear bomb

Immolation

Continues to fascinate. The puzzle of Area X becomes deeper, more nuanced, more unexplainable. Even as we get more information, the answer is less clear than ever.

The biologist is becoming more clear, however, as we learn more about her. I found myself near-tears as she recounted her husband asking her to be present in their relationship, and now all she’s left with his is journal.

More to say. The narrator continues to fascinate, not just because of her unreliability but from her past beginning to emerge in the second chapter. We become more “integrated” with the narrator, but we are yet unsure why she thinks the way she does, what factors influence her decisions. But we know she is compelled to explore the unknown. Driven by a fascination of Area X and its effects. Exploring the frontier

Totally and utterly unnerving. So many moments of the hitherto-unseen phenomenon of Area X sent shivers down my spine. A sliding organism writing with another organism as an instrument upon the surface of another organism. A desecrated body. So many unknowns, shifting and turning the mind of the reader. There are many puzzle pieces, but many are missing. How they link is unknown. Much like Area X.

Initiation

One of the most fascinating opening chapters to a book, up there with “The Hellbound Heart” and “A Game of Thrones” for best opening chapters.

I love the storytelling approach. I don’t read many first person POV books, and this is written excellently. The narrator is a fascinating character, as are the others. They’re stripped pretty bare, but the secrets will emerge. Excellent imagery.