Annihilation (2014) by Jeff VanderMeer

[cranefly]

After watching the movie, I was curious to see how closely it followed the book.  To be honest, I skimmed the latter half.

It's told in first person, which is always tricky.  It's easy to overuse "I" and "me" and appear self-absorbed to the point of annoyance.  By its very nature, this book succumbs to that.  How can it not?  It's such a mind game, the protagonist exploring an incomprehensible alien-tainted region alongside team members who cannot be trusted, and realizing that her own beliefs and memories cannot be trusted, possibly seeded by her handlers or by the aliens.  Everything she sees and thinks is suspect.

Which, over the course of pages, yields a big "so what?" in me.  It's just a whole lot of visions and thoughts -- like a long drawn-out drug trip.  Yes, it's a short novel, but boy does it read long.

I'm actually very surprised that Alex Garland saw movie material in this -- and to his credit I think he might have one-upped the book.  Not that I'm necessarily recommending the movie, but it sure beats what I just read.

I've been impressed with some of VanderMeer's other stuff.  But this?  It was like watching a family vacation slide show where all the photos are blurred.

[King Bob]

I thought I saw really good reviews for that. Now I don't need to bother, which is just as well since I try to avoid trilogies and series in general. Thanks for the warning.

[cranefly]

I thought I saw really good reviews for that. Now I don't need to bother, which is just as well since I try to avoid trilogies and series in general. Thanks for the warning.

Yeah, well, Lady Cranefly is reading it too, and at the halfway mark she is really liking it.  Am I just jaded?

Seriously considering changing my name to Jade...  --cranefly

[Dr. Ivor Yeti]

No, I read the first two of them and about a third of the last book before I got so bored that I wandered into traffic and was killed.

The thing for me is that I really liked his prose. It was Southern Gothic, humid, close, and claustrophobic. It answered questions with more questions and proceded at the pace of a leech. The first book was the best of them.

Another friend read it and he pushed through to the end of the third book. WHen I told him I had bailed early, he looked wistful.

[Drunk Monk]

I enjoyed the movie.  It was droningly sluggish at times, but it kept me engaged nevertheless.  I enjoyed its vision and concept, and the female task force was a good twist, plus it was very colorful.  It just took a bit too long to get going.  The mutations were interesting, so it delivered some good moments.  Natalie, Jennifer Jason, Tessa and Gina were all watchable.  It teetered between absurd self-absorption and brilliant sci-fi horror.  I'm tempted to say it was the polar opposite of Carpenter's The Thing in terms of aliens and ultravi splatter and the ultimate creature reveal was visually rewarding.  

I've never read the book, nor do I intend to read it.