Thai Murphy’s Reviews > Area X: The Southern Reach Trilogy > Status Update

OOOOHHH MMMMYYYYY GOOOOOOOOOOD FUCK

THIS IS INFURIATING

Ok ok the building to the climax is more evident in act 3 and I am enjoying that aspect but omg this book feels SO SLOW

I will obviously wait till the end to voice my final judgments but it’s not lookin great atm.

Every single chapter in this part has clicked clues neatly into place. And now the incredibly vague nature of the first 2 parts feels less unsatisfying cause you weren’t meant to understand and to put the information together. You were meant to think and wait till the information snaps into place. Pretty cool so far will keep updated.

Ok finished the second part (book 2) and I have some thoughts. Really enjoyed the unraveling that took place even if it felt just a little abrupt. I wish there had been more surreal scenes to set things up or to lean into horror elements at certain points. I think it fell flat because it felt like it was a mystery that was being unraveled but ending didn’t satisfy. Good cliffhanger ending tho.

This is such a slow burn. Like I feel like the book is methodically drip feeding bits and pieces of information that is gonna pay off but it’s incredibly difficult to see any kind of pattern. It’s gettin juicy!

So I’m about an hour and a half into the second book and I’m liking it a lot. It’s a very different perspective from the last one but its arguably more intriguing then the first book so far.

Finished book 1 Annihilation. Have some gripes but overall it was much easier to listen to than read. I still love the atmosphere that is so intensely bizarre and surreal. But dear lord the pitfalls of a man writing a woman. Every time the character mentions anything about her sex life I cringe hard.