Reviews

this is all three books in one. i feel like the series got better with each book. the tone, setting, and tense jumping is out there and hard to follow sometimes but, man, it all comes together in acceptance. also props for the unhinged text jumpscare in authority that was nuts. the characters are some true freaks which is really what elevates everything here imo

glonnstew's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

tonayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

5.0

thedesmok's review against another edition

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challenging mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

jrskjr's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

vengefuldime's review against another edition

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4.0

I would say the books were 5, 3, and 4 stars respectively for me. While I enjoyed finishing the series, it never returned to what I liked the most about the first book. I will say that the descriptions were always a highlight- I very much enjoyed the atmosphere of the surroundings. The natural world is shown in vivid snapshots that give a feel for the wider world beyond the characters. Even though there are a variety of settings I can see, smell, feel, etc. all of them clearly. The characters in Annihilation are referred to only by title, with very minimal (if at all) physical descriptions. They’re more stand-ins, even the biologist, who is deeply introspective. I feel that this works well in having a distance between what they are to themselves and what they are to a complete outsider. Their dialogue is stiff and unusual, which I would normally not like but did intrigue me early on. They are incorrect and unnatural, and they show something being wrong before they fully realize it. The tone is uncomfortable or frightening because of its alienness. Area X is strange because the rules are unknown, and it will not try to make in self understood. I did become attached to the biologist, and appreciated the unresolved ending as it felt very correct for the tone.

However, the next book was very different and I felt much less interested. It was interesting to see the same style of description in an office setting, but there was much more character focus. There were satisfying moments of unease, but the second and third books were longer in a way that could drag out. The character dialogue was cleaner and more accurate, but the descriptions felt clunky and out of place. After empathizing with the biologist, Control’s perspective never did end up clicking with me. My main petty dislike was his attraction to Ghost Bird that felt clingy and distracting, but mostly his focus was on aspects I was not interested in. The third book being a collection of perspectives brought it back up again for me. While we discover a bit more, I end up with more questions than answers (a positive thing). I think it was still a little longer than it had to be, but I enjoyed the setting again. I especially liked Saul’s sections, which are tragic in the right way. I would recommend the entire series differently based on what a reader is looking for, but personally I would recommend the first book on its own.

clonegarden's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious reflective

5.0

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