Ratings233
Average rating3.4
John Rodriguez, the new head of a secret agency tasked to monitor Area X—a lush and remote terrain mysteriously sequestered from civilization—is faced with disturbing truths about himself and the agency he has sworn to serve when the secrets of Area X begin to reveal themselves. Original. 50,000 first printing.
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2,856 booksWhen you think back on every book you've ever read, what are some of your favorites? These can be from any time of your life – books that resonated with you as a kid, ones that shaped your personal...
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4 primary booksSouthern Reach is a 4-book series with 4 primary works first released in 2014 with contributions by Jeff VanderMeer.
Reviews with the most likes.
This book is an odd duck–on the one hand it's about world-changing events, but on the other hand it has nice little moments where the protagonist goes for a jog. I like the mixing of scope. Not only does it make the protagonist more interesting, it centers the horror/weirdness in a personal way. A page turner where, frankly, not a whole lot happens until the end–and yet still a page-turner.
My only complaint is that, while the first book was clearly a set up for a trilogy, it at least had a solid ending. This one has a very Empire Strikes Back ending, which isn't a bad thing in itself, but I love it more when authors can give us a contained story and still make us want to read “the next one”.
Could and should have been half as long. Drags and turns a creative premise into a slog. The first was great and still worth reading.
I good quick scifi read. I read this long after reading Annihilation and it immediately drew me back into the setting. Will definitely read book 3.
Area X over the horizon bounded guarded The Southern Reach is the institution given the task of investigating which it has done by probing with little to show. We see the operation of Southern Reach from its newly appointed director. His task to work out what is happening given the mystery surrounding its last director. The reader this time is able or rather the author has the luxury of enabling the reader to relate to the director initially nameless but for his role ... Control.
Are there answers or more understanding amidst the few strange facts. Yes but well no maybe by the end have a better understanding of where we are in relation to Area X and its still bleak.
Third volume on my shopping list, I want answers.