3.7
Annihilation
Area X 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 a biologist, who is our narrator. 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.
FictionFantasyLiteraryMystery & DetectiveScience FictionAction & Adventure
RELEASED2014
PUBLISHERFourth Estate
LENGTH195
LANGUAGEEN
Jeff VanderMeer is a writer and editor whose fiction merges elements of science fiction, fantasy, and the weird. His stories frequently examine the intricate connection between humanity and the natural world, uncovering strange and sometimes unsettling phenomena. He is widely recognized for the Southern Reach trilogy, which delves into the enigma of Area X, a cryptic and potentially extraterrestrial zone. Beyond this series, his novels such as Borne, Hummingbird Salamander, and Dead Astronauts depict futures shaped by biotechnology, environmental collapse, and the rise of unusual new lifeforms. VanderMeer has also co-edited several notable anthologies, including The New Weird, The Weird, and The Big Book of Science Fiction, often working alongside his wife, Ann VanderMeer.
3.7
Annihilation
Area X 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 a biologist, who is our narrator. 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.
FictionFantasyLiteraryMystery & DetectiveScience FictionAction & AdventureThrillersSuspense
RELEASED2014
PUBLISHERFourth Estate
LENGTH195
LANGUAGEEN
Jeff VanderMeer is a writer and editor whose fiction merges elements of science fiction, fantasy, and the weird. His stories frequently examine the intricate connection between humanity and the natural world, uncovering strange and sometimes unsettling phenomena. He is widely recognized for the Southern Reach trilogy, which delves into the enigma of Area X, a cryptic and potentially extraterrestrial zone. Beyond this series, his novels such as Borne, Hummingbird Salamander, and Dead Astronauts depict futures shaped by biotechnology, environmental collapse, and the rise of unusual new lifeforms. VanderMeer has also co-edited several notable anthologies, including The New Weird, The Weird, and The Big Book of Science Fiction, often working alongside his wife, Ann VanderMeer.
