Annihilation
Annihilation (Southern Reach Trilogy, 1), Jeff Vandermeer. Farrar. Straus and Giroux Originals (ISBN: 9780374104092) 2014.
Summary: A team of four women investigate a mysterious uninhabited coastal area from which some previous expeditions ended badly.
The team of four women had to hike into Area X to their base camp, crossing a mysterious border. They are led by a psychologist. The other three are a biologist, an anthropologist, and a surveyor. They remain anonymous to one another. They’ve been told there had been eleven previous expeditions, some of which ended badly. The second ended in a mass suicide, the third in members killing each other. The previous expedition concluded when members returned drained of personality and memory, all dying from cancer.
Each of the members keeps her own journal. The story is told from the journal of the biologist. Although directed to a lighthouse, they are drawn to a structure not documented located near the base camp. Three call it a tunnel because of its underground character. But the biologist insists in calling it a Tower. As they descend into the structure, they note strange writing consisting of a script written in fungus. The first words read: “Where lies the strangling fruit that came from the hand of the sinner I shall bring forth the seeds of the dead….” When the biologist gets close to study the organism, it sprays her with spores.
The visit marks a point at which their expedition begins to unravel. The biologist begins to notice changes. Notably, she is no longer susceptible to post-hypnotic suggestions from the psychologist, although she plays along. The anthropologist disappears. The surveyor and the biologist find her dead while the psychologist stands guard aboveground. They believe the entity, dubbed “The Crawler,” which is writing on the walls mauled her. Then the psychologist, who they come to discover had been with the anthropologist, is missing
The biologist, who continues to change, becoming luminous, goes to search for the psychologist at the lighthouse. Most significantly, she finds among a pile of journals, that of her husband. Later she finds the dying psychologist. Surviving subsequent attacks from a swamp beast and the surveyor, who she kills, she must figure out what to do next.
What is apparent is that much of the truth about Area X has been concealed, including what really happened to her husband. We learn Area X is expanding. The book, the first of a trilogy, ends without concluding. It left me with a lot of questions. What do the authorities know about Area X? What is the significance of the Tower, its scrawled message, and the Crawler? Why is the lighthouse so important? Why the pile of journals? How many expeditions have there actually been? Why did so many go bad? And what will the biologist do and what will she find?
I guess we must read on in the trilogy. While I am curious to understand what is going on, I’m not sure I like either this world or those who people it. The mystery intrigues me, but I’m not sure I care that much. Actually, I’ll take that back. I do care about the biologist. I want to know if she survives and if she finds the answers she seeks about her husband. As for the rest, I could take it or leave it.