This was…interesting. Starting out with a strong beginning, a little bit of a wandering middle, and a compelling ending, Jeff VanderMeer charges ahead with his Southern Reach trilogy.

We follow John “Control” Rodregiz as he picks up the pieces from ANNIHILATION and deals with the fallout of losing the director to Area X. Little does he know that he will have to deal with secrets upon more secrets and try and make sense of the incomprehensible.

The book starts strong as we are introduced to Control and we find ourselves in the midst of the fallout of Annhilation. The Southern Reach is in chaos after having the director leaving with the last expedition and there are even more questions that need to be answered. Control is given a mess to handle as he steps in as director and contending with the resentful assistant director. And this is aside from the looming, oppressive mystery that Area X still presents.

I did not mind this entry at all, answered some questions, while opened the door to many many more. I’ll be interested to see where the story goes. VanderMeer’s prose is always a pleasure to read. There were some more moments of unsettling tones and events, which VanderMeer is an expert at, I’m finding. This ended on much more of a cliffhanger than the previous book so I will have to read Acceptance very very soon.