One of my all-time favorite science fiction books is Arthur C. Clarke's Rendezvous with Rama, a strange novel with no real plot to speak of; instead, it's simply about the exploration of a vacant alien craft that has drifted through our solar system, leaving us nothing to go on except our observations and theories. It's a book that came to mind often as I read the astonishing, unsettling Annihilation, which follows an expedition into Area X, a strange area of the world that feels like nothing so much as a version of our world that's gradually becoming a Lovecraftian nightmare. There's little true "story" to Annihilation; instead, VanderMeer immerses us in this world and leaves us trying to figure out what's happening, what has happened, and what will be happening next, all simply by observing the strange world of Area X. There's fungus that spells a madman's rambling, a bloodstained room that hints of a horrific last stand, and much more, but what does it all mean? VanderMeer offers no answers, only unsettling, oppressive atmosphere and a nearly alien world to get lost in, and the end result is deeply satisfying and hard to escape, even long after you're done reading it. But even beyond his rich world-building, VanderMeer offers subtlety to spare, including the slow reveal that our characters aren't necessarily the blank slates they might appear to be. Trying to convey the feel of Annihilation is hard to do; it's a book that almost entirely works by immersing you in its strange world and the minds of its characters, and one that will only work for you if you can give yourself over to VanderMeer's odd, hypnotic prose. So it's not a book that will work for everyone...but for those that are intrigued, you'll find it a haunting, unsettling knockout, a strange horror novel that lingers with you, unsettles you at your core, and turns out to be incredibly hard to shake off.
- Josh Mauthe
- Josh Mauthe
