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Area X Three-Book Bundle: Annihilation; Authority; Acceptance (Southern Reach Trilogy) by [Jeff VanderMeer]

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Jeff VanderMeer

Area X Three-Book Bundle: Annihilation; Authority; Acceptance (Southern Reach Trilogy) Kindle Edition

by Jeff VanderMeer (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

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—

Annihilation is the first volume in Jeff VanderMeer’s Southern Reach trilogy, Authority is the second, and Acceptance is the third.

Area X—a remote and lush terrain—has been cut off from the rest of the continent for decades. Nature has reclaimed the last vestiges of human civilization. The first expedition returned with reports of a pristine, Edenic landscape; all the members of the second expedition committed suicide; the third expedition died in a hail of gunfire as its members turned on one another; the members of the eleventh expedition returned as shadows of their former selves, and within months of their return, all had died of aggressive cancer.

This is the twelfth expedition.

Their group is made up of four women: an anthropologist; a surveyor; a psychologist, the de facto leader; and our narrator, a biologist. Their mission is to map the terrain and collect specimens; to record all their observations, scientific and otherwise, of their surroundings and of one another; and, above all, to avoid being contaminated by Area X itself.

They arrive expecting the unexpected, and Area X delivers—they discover a massive topographic anomaly and life forms that surpass understanding—but it’s the surprises that came across the border with them, and the secrets the expedition members are keeping from one another, that change everything.

After the disastrous twelfth expedition chronicled in Annihilation, the Southern Reach—the secret agency that monitors these expeditions—is in disarray. In Authority, John Rodriguez, aka “Control,” is the team’s newly appointed head. From a series of interrogations, a cache of hidden notes and hours of profoundly troubling video footage, the secrets of Area X begin to reveal themselves—and what they expose pushes Control to confront disturbing truths about both himself and the agency he’s promised to serve. And the consequences will spread much further than that.

It is winter in Area X in Acceptance. A new team embarks across the border on a mission to find a member of a previous expedition who may have been left behind. As they press deeper into the unknown—navigating new terrain and new challenges—the threat to the outside world becomes more daunting. The mysteries of Area X may have been solved, but their consequences and implications are no less profound—or terrifying.

Print length

897 pages
Language

English
Publisher

HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date

September 15, 2015
File size

2226 KB
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Editorial Reviews

Review

''[A] wonderfully creepy blend of horror and science fiction . . . Speculative fiction at its most transfixing.'' --Kirkus Reviews (starred review) on Annihilation

''Thoroughly suspenseful . . . VanderMeer weaves together otherworldly tales of the supernatural and the half-human.'' --Booklist (starred review) on Annihilation

''Original and beautiful, maddening and magnificent.'' --Warren Ellis, author of Crooked Little Vein

''I'm loving the Southern Reach trilogy by Jeff VanderMeer. Recommended by an indie bookseller. Creepy and fascinating.'' --Stephen King --This text refers to the audioCD edition.

About the Author

Jeff VanderMeer is an award-winning novelist and editor. He has twice won the World Fantasy Award and has been a finalist for the Hugo Award, Philip K. Dick Award, International Horror Guild Award, British Fantasy Award, Bram Stoker Award, Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award, and the World Fantasy Award. His fiction has appeared in the Library of America's American Fantastic Tales and in multiple anthologies. His recent books have made the year's best books lists of Publishers Weekly, San Francisco Chronicle, and Amazon.com. He writes nonfiction for the Washington Post, New York Times Book Review, Los Angeles Times, and the Guardian, among others. He grew up in the Fiji Islands and now lives in Tallahassee, Florida, with his wife.

--This text refers to the audioCD edition.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B012OHXFM6
Publisher ‏ : ‎ HarperCollins Publishers (September 15, 2015)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 15, 2015
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 2226 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 897 pages
Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 0008288216
Lending ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled

Best Sellers Rank: #1,184,439 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #52,837 in Science Fiction (Kindle Store)
- #91,343 in Science Fiction (Books)

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Jeff VanderMeer

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Called “the weird Thoreau” by the New Yorker, NYT bestseller Jeff VanderMeer has been a published writer since age 14. His most recent fiction is the critically acclaimed novel BORNE, which has received raves from the NYTBR, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, and many more. Paramount Pictures has optioned BORNE for film.

VanderMeer's Southern Reach trilogy was one of the publishing events of 2014, the trilogy made more than thirty year’s best lists, including Entertainment Weekly’s top 10. Paramount Pictures has made a movie out of the first volume of the Southern Reach, Annihilation, slated for release in 2018 and starring Tessa Thompson, Oscar Isaac, Gina Rodriguez, Natalie Portman, and Jennifer Jason Leigh.

His nonfiction appears in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, the Guardian, and the Atlantic.com. VanderMeer also wrote the world’s first fully illustrated creative-writing guide, Wonderbook. With his wife, Ann VanderMeer, he has edited may iconic anthologies. He lives in Tallahassee, Florida, with two wonderful cats. His hobbies include hiking, reading, and bird watching.

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J. Aaron Bellamy

Thought-provoking and incredibly rewarding - can be complex

Reviewed in the United States on July 10, 2018

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First things first, this book (technically three books) is not for everyone or for every occasion. This isn't a quick casual read. Feel free to read some of the bad reviews and attempt to piece together the real truth here, which is: this is an amazing book for anyone that is willing to engage it at an intelligent level with their full attention. If that doesn't sound like your cup of tea, or it doesn't sound like something you can fit in right now, save it for later or pass altogether.

I'm going to proceed with this review as if these three novels: Annihilation, Authority, and Acceptance, are one novel. Mostly for simplicity, but also because I believe that the best way to read these novels is back to back, as if they were parts of a single novel. Though they are very different from each other and explore different themes, characters, and even have slightly different styles, they are linked in ways that a typical trilogy is not. I like to think of them as three segments of a circle. While I'd think of a standard trilogy/series more like a dotted line.

Area X, or the Southern Reach Trilogy, is one of the finest novels I've ever read. Maybe not in my top 10 of all time (amongst Moby Dick, Anna Karenina, Dune, Catch 22...) but definitely in my top 20. It has everything a serious reader could possibly want in a novel: beautiful and evocative (if haunting) prose, distinct and complex characters, an unbelievably well realized setting, a mysterious and engaging story, and rich thought-provoking subtexts and themes. It just doesn't hold your hand, which can make it challenging at times. If you begin to read with the idea that you are setting off on a path into a thick wood at dusk, by Authority, the trail will be faint and the light of day near gone, and by Acceptance, you're lost, its full night, and there are sounds all around you, mostly from unknown sources. You light your lamp to see, but it's almost more terrifying in the gloom than in the dark.

And that leads us to what kind of book this is: it's a creepy one. In fact, a scene about midway through Authority is easily the creepiest scene I've ever read in any book - and I've read a lot of creepy books (honorable mention to the phone ringing in the Ruins).

Again though, this book isn't for everyone. I can't stress that enough. It simply has a different mission than a more mainstream novel. You wouldn't sit down to a John Grisham book and be like, 'not as good as The Sound and the Fury', that wouldn't make sense. If you sit down to Area X with those kinds of expectations and aren't ready for a quick turn to something dramatically different, it will fail you, and you it. Personally, I turned my reading into a kind of daily meditation. I found that I could only read it when my mind was fresh and at its sharpest, and even then, I'd catch myself continually wandering. The imagery and pace are seductive to mind wandering, and I simply pulled back, went back a few lines, and started again. This weird mindful reading and mindful awareness of my own crazy thoughts was a singular and very rewarding experience. As a result though, I had to read some ‘regular’ books on the side to relax in the evenings.

This is a must read if you think you can do it. Don't be afraid, just be prepared. I'm thrilled to have discovered VanderMeer and plan on reading his other works over the coming years.

85 people found this helpful

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Loftwing

AMAZING EXPERIENCE!!!

Reviewed in the United States on March 23, 2018

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I first finished Annihilation the end of 2017. I loved it, but not necessarily a favorite. I decided to hold off for the next two novels because I had a lot of books I was currently reading. I couldn’t wait for the movie to come out and once I saw it....twice..... I stopped what I was doing and read through parts of it again and my heart was racing with excitement as I read through the next two novels. The book and movie (more of a re-telling and loosely adapted) complimented each other so well and changed my perception, and ideas about it’s true meaning in a way I have never experienced with a book or a movie. This truly was one of the most unique and incredible experiences I have ever had.

33 people found this helpful

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Book with possibilities, but they were never quite realized

Reviewed in the United States on March 2, 2019

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I bought this book after seeing the movie Annihilation, which really was bizarre ( I think I liked it, but I couldn't really understand the subtleties that are usually present in a book form).

So, first of all the movie and the book have little to do with each other...the book is much more detailed, much longer, and much more bizarre (yeah, who knew it could be?). The book was more grounded in some ways (not all the team were carry automatic weapons for instance - which was just silly in the first place if they are not military). The book was less grounded in other ways... A giant staircase in the ground? - why exactly?

You come out understanding the bigger picture from the book - IF you can survive reading some of the very detailed and pointless writing. So yeah, by reading the book some of the movie questions were answered, but I ended up with a LOT more unanswered questions than I started with.

Overall, I doubt I will ever suffer through reading this book again. It has a really good basic plot that is twisted and tortured into near obscurity. It is chalk-full of ridiculous events. It has many wonderfully alien events and plot points as well. I left the book unsatisfied, a bit depressed, exhausted, and relieved it was over. Not my usual sort of book.

16 people found this helpful

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miasarx

Wish there were more like this one!

Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2017

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This is a pretty great read. One of the only books I've ever read where immediately after I finished it, I had to go back and reread it to see if I missed anything. It is fascinating, creepy, mysterious, well -written. You have to read carefully to pick up all the hints. Another indication of how much it grabbed me, was that I sent two copies to friends. I still don't fully get it, either. But that is part of its magic.

23 people found this helpful

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nothingness

I like them both but I like the book a bit better than the movie

Reviewed in the United States on July 20, 2018

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I am so glad I didn't read this before seeing the movie. The movie is very very loosely based on this book. Other than a few details, the movie is basically completely different. And although I did enjoy the movie (I do understand why the movie is what it is because I am not sure the book would translate well into a movie on its own as it is quite deliberate in its pacing), I prefer the book a bit more, it is much more subtle and provides a much fuller picture of the protagonist's relationship with her husband as well as her own life and motivations. If you enjoy a nice quiet read, this is a very enjoyable book. However, if you want to be entertained in the Hollywood way, this may not be a good idea.

6 people found this helpful

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Reviewer19

Good series, slightly disappointing in places

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 1, 2020

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Annihilation: Very Good start to the series and was very impressed with the gripping storyline and tone in which Vandermeer writes. Reads like a classic Sci novel echoicing HGWells and Wyndham and was surprised to find this was only published last century. Would definitely recommend for fans of scifi, distopia and forward thinking novels and for those who have seen the film which sadly does no service to such a good book.

Authority: Sadly this is not as good as the first book and gave up a third of the way through for over a year. Recently finished this and the ending is well worth the read. Not as gripping in places but the avenue which Vandermeer leads the reader down and the introduction of many new characters in the Southern Reach, make the third book a most read. Can't wait to find out what happens next!

Acceptance: This is a good ending to a good trilogy which, despite being slow during the second book, soon picks up pace and surprises in many places. Well worth the read although I was still left feeling disappointed at the forgettable ending, it was a good read. Would recommend for the difference in style to other science fiction books.

3 people found this helpful

mike

Brilliant start, but wandered a little

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 16, 2018

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I was hooked in the minute I started reading Annihilation, and was keen to see how the story turned out, but the second and third books seemed, to me, to be slightly directionless - attempting to increase the mystery surrounding the main characters at first and then (much) later revealing more about them and how they were inter-connected. However all sorts of threads never got resolved (or even seemed to just vanish) and - unless I just missed it! - even the explanation of why Area X came into being was (I thought) a bit thin, and I never quite understood what the purpose of it was. either.

BTW: The film of the first book just about works if you haven't read the story, but doesn't really capture the mystery of the text or even the feeling of the unknown and dread in that first volume.

4 people found this helpful

Des Lewis

this remarkable book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 8, 2021

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The more I think about it in recent days, the more I think the book centres upon a unique treatment of (linguistic or literary?) Alzheimer’s, with at the start of the above review my referring to ‘unrembering’ (a word used in the book) and the outcome we are shown of the outset regarding the linguist and reference to the ‘flowering plant’ as objective correlative of something that ideally never dies, too, amid the encroaching sea images. The book, I infer, is full of the author’s own personal memories transcribed as objective correlatives within a shifting Area X that is this book – to try fix these memories within the shifting borders of the gestalt mind that is us.

The detailed review of this remarkable book posted elsewhere under my name is too long to post here.
Above is one of its conclusions.

jeffrey penny

Mountains of madness meets Solaris....

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 14, 2018

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Not quite as compelling for me as Lovecraft,but with the unanswered,and unanswerable quality of Lem's Solaris,this was a good read,occasionally wandering off track(book 2,especially),but a troubling,disturbing tale of an "anomaly",an anomalous slowly advancing event from "elsewhere" creeping into the world we know.Is it good?Yes.Is it great?Possibly,depending on your prior reading.As I say,for me,less compulsive than Lovecraft's hints and insinuations,less vast in concept than Solaris,but with some of the mystery of both.So,a sort of synthesis of greatness,but not quite equalling either,to my mind.But as far as it goes,well worth reading...but who can match Lovecraft or lem for uanswered,but hinted at,mysteries?No one I can think of,and sadly,not Jef Vandermeer,brave attempt as it may be.Worth reading,certainly.A replacement for its inspirational sources,no.Perhaps no one can really match those greats.So,to me,Lovecraft meets Lem,with a touch of Greg bear's Blood Music--a melange of horror and mystery that doesn't replace those others,as good as it is.

Richard Sanderson

Exhausting, fascinating and ultimately very moving

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 14, 2021

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I left considerable gaps between the three books, which as I read the third one seemed unwise as I grappled with who the different characters were. Nevertheless this is an extraordinary book, at times a spy thriller, or a nature guide, or just very good science fiction.To me it seems the most realistic depiction of what contact with aliens (if that's what this is!) would actually be like-utterly baffling, understanding tantalizingly out of reach. But don't let this put you off, this is a book about humanity and has real heart.

One person found this helpful

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