Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer

Synopsis: Annihilation (amazon)

After I finished reading Lexicon by Max Barry (check out my previous post on this), I jumped on Amazon to check out other books the people who enjoyed lexicon have purchased. The two that stood out were Annihilation and Brilliance. So I went onto the KCLS website to put brilliance on hold because that one intrigued me a bit more. Maybe a week later I went to the library to drop off and pick up some comics. As I was leaving I took a look at the impulse checkout shelves and saw Annihilation. I decided it looked thin enough that I could probably finish it before Brilliance became available, so I grabbed it. The book is thin and short and is part of a saga which seems fun. I was able to finish it in about a week or so and I have to say it was pretty good. I found myself drawn to it with a little less pull than Lexicon, but still constantly thinking about it. The book had a great combination of size and draw for me.


As I began reading the book I was instantly swept away to the world that Mr. Jeff Vandermeer was building. The characters were introduced a little blank, but this is explained later on and you still see glimpses of personality. It was a quick read and the length was right in my enjoyment level. Everything was really concise and well written. I really enjoy the story that is introduced in this book and he did a perfect job of making me want to continue on in the series. This is the first book I have read by the author but plan on reading more (at least two more). The story is great and the characters are very good.

The Best:
I would say the absolute best was using 4 female characters as the leads and only characters. That was a cool choice and I am enjoying seeing that done more often (A great comic example is Velvet by Ed Brubaker). Another great aspect is the web of mystery created by this story. It was really interesting to read and to dig deeper into.

The Worst:
My only real complaint is that there were a few moments while reading the book where I would kind of lose focus on the story and drift off. It was excellent, but there were a few dull spots for such a short story.

Overall:
I would suggest this for most. Its not too graphic and its an easy read. Plus there is a cool sci-fi element to it that i really enjoyed. The book is great and I am excited to read the next book in the series.