Annihilation brims with passion and mystery, inviting readers into a mystical, and perhaps too unknown, world of magic and modernity. 

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Genre: Horror, Science Fiction

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Rating: 3/5.

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“The effect of this cannot be understood without being there. The beauty of it cannot be understood, either, and when you see beauty in desolation it changes something inside you. Desolation tries to colonize you.”

Annihilation is one of those books that I expected so much, yet felt like it couldn’t really deliver. I guess during the time it took between getting the hard copy and for me to actually read it, my expectations increased to unrealistic heights that no book, however perfect, could fulfill. My imagination filled the unknown with what I wanted to see, not what was possible in terms of the story, and the praise I heard all over online certainly didn’t help my hopes. Because one of my most watched youtubers, Murphy Napier, has been naming this book as her favorite for as long as I’ve been subscribed to her channel; her constant approval of VanderMeer’s unique and seemingly unparalleled narrative style and choices made me fall into a false reality where my taste was the same as hers, despite the impossibility of that happening. One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned through my feelings of Annihilation was that there is so much to consider and keep in mind when taking recommendations from another person. Even though the story they are convincing you to read sounds almost addictively appetizing, there is no guarantee that you will enjoy it the same way. There could be countless reasons why that book didn’t really click with you, so you should go into the book with a casually optimistic mindset, not a definite opinion that probably will be proven false once you actually read it.

“Silence creates its own violence.”

First of all, I want to start off with what I liked about this book (cause it’s much easier): simply put, the atmosphere that VanderMeer creates with just a few words is immaculate. Honestly, I will go as far as to say it is perfect: his purpose for every inch of his worldbuilding is crystal clear, and his control in going about how to achieve it is nothing short of flawless. He has this amazing knack of constructing a sense of… distance in the narrative. I don’t think I have, in the multiple years I’ve spent reading nonstop, ever encountered an author who could think of such a terrifying, yet infinitely compelling world that just pulls you in. And when you consider how short this entire book is, it becomes more impressive: in just over 200 pages, VanderMeer gives every single character and setting a depth and detail that feels as if I’ve read about it for a thousand. After flipping through the last page, I was surprised to realize that I felt a sense of absence; now, what happened in the course of the story feels so familiar and friendly, not a feeling I would really expect from such a brief page count. VanderMeer packs so much action into every word to the point where it bursts with energy. No matter what critiques I have, one thing cannot be refuted: he is a master at his craft.

“Some questions will ruin you if you are denied the answer long enough.”

However, I must admit, there was one glaring flaw that overshadowed a lot of my compliments. That is, how mysterious everything was. Even as someone who typically enjoys worldbuilding and the sense of wonder that comes with the unknown, I found VanderMeer’s apparent refusal to give us answers a little bit bewildering. From the moment that our protagonist enters this incredibly compelling world to the very last page, we do not get a single explanation to what is behind the plot: as a reader, one thing I look forward to is the payoff, and how rewarding it is for story lines to resolve and reveal their significance. But instead of giving me that, VanderMeer decided to give me even more questions: what is happening to this magical world that seems to be enveloping the entire human world? Why did it appear? How does it clone those who travel in it? The mystery is never-ending, and that personally gave me a bad taste in my mouth. Now. I do realize that this is all very subjective. There is no such thing as an objectively “good” book that would be enjoyed by everyone in the world. Going back to my earlier point, every reader has their own perspectives and moods that shape their specific experiences. Therefore, I acknowledge that my distaste for VanderMeer’s style is very much a double-edged sword. There definitely is a group of people who will absolutely adore his approach to storytelling, and all I can say is: more power to them!

In conclusion, Annihilation was a story that I had a lot of mixed feelings about, particularly in regards to how hidden everything was. However, there is something so poignant and powerful about VanderMeer’s writing that deserves its own flowers, and I think, in its own way, I will remember the words imprinted on my copy for a very long time. ⅗.

“That’s how the madness of the world tries to colonize you: from the outside in, forcing you to live in its reality.”