Reading 'Annihilation' by Jeff Vandermeer

I still have yet to read the book (don't know if I will). You think they'll make a sequel to the movie, if it does well enough of course.

I'm finished with Book 2. Vandermeer's writing style is what I enjoy the most. He doesn't spoon-feed, yet it is surprisingly easy to follow. Well, until the weird stuff starts to happen. Then he begins to wax poetic and is purposefully vague about the scene he's describing.

Obviously, Lost draws some comparison. But during the Honeymoon phase, before we cared about promised answers. From what I've read about Solaris (novel), there is much overlap.

The concept of scientists being visited by husks of the their loved ones is a large part of Solaris.

From the author: "As Solaris' author I shall allow myself to repeat that I only wanted to create a vision of a human encounter with something that certainly exists, in a mighty manner perhaps, but cannot be reduced to human concepts, ideas or images"

And this is what I believe is a central theme of Annihilation. When the Biologist confronts the creature at the bottom of the Tower, the book becomes incomprehensible. Vandermeer is showing a being that can't be understood by our senses or comprehended by a human mind. So like Lost, don't expect any explanation.


I enjoy how each book (I'm assuming 3 will follow) is a character study of an isolated individual. There is a sense of melancholy and nihilism that follows each character.