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Annihilation

Southern Reach, Book 1

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Annihilation

By: Jeff VanderMeer
Narrated by: Carolyn McCormick
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About this listen

 ’A contemporary masterpiece’ Guardian

THE FIRST VOLUME OF THE EXTRAORDINARY SOUTHERN REACH TRILOGY – NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY ALEX GARLAND (EX MACHINA) AND STARRING NATALIE PORTMAN AND OSCAR ISAAC

For thirty years, Area X has remained mysterious and remote behind its intangible border – an environmental disaster zone, though to all appearances an abundant wilderness.

The Southern Reach, a secretive government agency, has sent eleven expeditions to investigate Area X. One has ended in mass suicide, another in a hail of gunfire, the eleventh in a fatal cancer epidemic.

Now four women embark on the twelfth expedition into the unknown.

©2014 Jeff VanderMeer Creative, Inc. (P)2014 2014 by Blackstone Audio, Inc. Adventure Fantasy Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Science Fiction Technothrillers Thriller & Suspense Thriller Technology Suspense
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Opinion is just that, and your mileage may vary, but I loved Annihilation. Not "enjoyed" or "liked"; loved. My response to this book, and inability to articulate it properly is the biggest compliment I could pay the author. It's intelligent, fantastic, tragic, surprising, suspenseful and poignant in a way very few stories are. Even if you're not sure you'll enjoy it, it's worth taking a chance on. I it's just that good.

I read constantly. I've even read a few of the classics. Largely - and pathetically, I realised later - so I could say that, yes, I *had* read Ulysses and, in so doing, earned my citation for bravery in the face of James Joyce. Point is: I read a lot, across many genres, and there have been perhaps 2 or 3 books which captivated me as Annihilation did.

Describing Annihilation is difficult, beyond a fairly banal and generic assertion that it defies categorisation or summary. While it takes elements from sci-fi, horror, thriller, adventure, it is none of those. Annihilation is, however, very much the type of story from which everyone will take a slightly different message. The closest I could come to a genre for it would be philosophical- or existential- horror, but that doesn't begin to properly capture the tone or feel of the narrative.

The subtext and themes throughout are beautifully woven, and never overpower the story; so much so that I'm certain I missed as much as I caught on my first read through. While unique, the author's style has echos of Palahniuk, Easton Ellis, and even Lovecraft. In fact, the protagonist's introspection and internal journey are so well depicted that I wonder how much of themselves the author injected into the narrative.

A contemporary masterpiece

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not terrible, but I wish I'd read another book instead.
it kept me reading long enough to finish it.
a big "meh" from me
voice acting was excellent.

honestly thought the movie did it better

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Beautifully written with eloquence and detail. I feel like I walked through area X along with the biologist. I love books that lead me to start thinking in my day-to-day in a more linguistically-inclined fashion. Clear characters amongst confusing flora and fauna, I was eager to keep listening to see how the biologist faired in her expedition. An accessible introduction to sci fi (with thrilling and dramatic flares throughout).

A fascinating journey through a familiar yet unnerving landscape.

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Amazingly imaginative with unique world building and a suspenseful setting. Hence I am at a loss over how it's so boring. I listened because it was highly recommended and lauded by an opinion I trust, and I can see why it was. But, IMO, that powerful context, setting and suspense doesn't lend well to how heavily the story relies on mundane allegory and sentiment to build momentum. For me the result irritatingly ends up failing to suspend disbelief on so many occasions.

brilliantly imaginative, but...

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Loved the narrator, story was interesting and I loved the way the narrator built suspense. Can't wait for the next two books to come out on Audible!

Intriguing and suspenseful

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Great narrator and a wonderfully hallucinatory and intriguing narrative. The author has the great skill of not attempting to over explain the inexplicable...

Weird SciFi at it's best

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Well written, am curious for the next book as it's a three part series... in hope for some action. Overall, it was interesting and I liked it.

Neutral, but curious enough for the next book.

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I really like this novel that I listened in 2 days. The reader job was also excellent and atuned to the storyline

a very good and original novel

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This book was at once totally other and completely familiar. I hung on every word.

Must read!

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Narrator’s handling of punctuation detracts from the story. Listeners may enjoy the story more if read in this case.

Unusual story

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