Authority A Novel

The world outside of Area X isn't as interesting as the one inside it, but there's more than enough here to keep me going, and flipping the perspective dials up the intrigue another way.

Slower than Annihilation but still interesting enough to keep me reading.

book 3 here i come...

vandermeer's imagining of ecological upheaval? revolution? (these are the words i'm drawn to) is always so incredibly beautiful and all-consuming, yet not hungry... if it makes any sense? never... ravenous or malevolent... it's a gorgeous thing...

druhý díl série, která vypadala velice nadějně. anihilace mě příjemně překvapila, autoritu jsem proto začala číst hned ten stejný den. ale musím říct, že mě hodně zklamala. děj už není o bioložce, ale o agentovi, který si říká šéf. šéfa přeřadili do jižní zóny, což je v podstatě středisko, ve kterém se celá oblast X zkoumá. můžeme si myslet, že šéf oblast X rozluští, že kniha dostane nějaký spád a bude tam tolik plot twistů, že to přečtete na jeden nádech. nic takového se ale nestane. alespoň ne prvních 200 stran, z celkových 297 stran. autor zvolil er-formu, tedy jiný druh vyprávění než v prvním díle, a možná to byl taky kámen úrazu. popisoval každou vteřinu šéfova dne, jaký si dal k snídani moučník a jak vypadal bar, ve kterém si ho dal, kolik tam sedělo lidí a jaký byl jejich životní příběh. ano, v anihilaci se občas od tématu odbočovalo, ale narozdíl od autority to byla procházka růžovým sadem. dvě stě stran úplně o ničem. nedokážu vám říct, co se tam dělo, a to jsem knihu dočetla před hodinou. ano, nějaké ty informace k oblasti X tam byly, ale bylo jich tak málo, že by se celých těch 200 stran dalo smrsknout na 50, kdyby se měly nechat jen ty důležité části. zbylých 100 stran se konečně něco začalo dít, ale nevím, proč to autor nezačal rozebírat mnohem dřív. chyběla mi bioložka, jejíž příběh mě zajímal, i když mi nebyla dvakrát příjemná. chyběla mi oblast X a ta její děsivá, hororová atmosféra. chybělo mi všechno, co dělalo anihilaci skvělou hororovo-fantastickou knížkou. . adaptaci si přečtu, chci vědět, jak to všechno dopadne, abych si o sérii udělala obrázek a kdyžtak jí s těžkým srdcem poslala dál. první díl byl totiž vážně pecka, možná si nechám jen ten a opravdu budu stejně jako sol předstírat, že zbytek série neexistuje. . 2,5*/5*

I’m becoming pretty confident that I’m not cool enough for “Weird Fiction.”

With the first book, Annihilation, the story started strong but the intensity fizzled as I continued on. This story, Authority, progressed quite the opposite; it was a slow-burn thriller that picked up, very strongly I might add, in the last 100 pages or so. The writing is pretty different from anything I've ever read (kind of existential? but the book's also a thriller?) and though I did enjoy the first book, I think I preferred this one. I preferred the narration (omniscient vs. first person). I preferred the descriptions this new narrative style allowed. And I preferred his use of devices, like repetition (see what I did there?) I will say though that due to this different writing style, the book tended to drag on in sections. What left me with a sour taste after finishing the first book was the lack of answers. This book added some reprieve to this, but there is still a lot going on that the reader is unsure about. Hopefully the third book will continue where this one left off and prove a satisfying conclusion to this trilogy!

I feel like it was intentional how confusing the writing is here; as though every word means something more significant than obvious, and that each meaning is layered until this book becomes an onion; countless layers of thoughts and details and mysteries, all working together until it becomes impossible to read just once. I would almost give this a 5— this book was actually grotesque and horrifying, but that multi-layered structure threw me off a few times. Particularly the descriptions of Whitby in places: they were nothing short of sinister.

I have a complicated relationship with this series. I wasn’t a huge fan of the previous book despite loving it in theory. I loved the film adaptation of Annihilation, but the book just didn’t capture me the way that I wanted it to, despite being very intrigued by it. Authority is a direct sequel to the previous book, it is the second in a series of three books called the Southern Reach Trilogy. In an interview, VanderMeer stated that, "if Annihilation is an expedition into Area X, then Authority is an expedition into the Southern Reach, the agency sending in the expeditions." While I loved the idea of following a cast of characters who were nameless in the previous book, I preferred this book where we follow a new cast of characters, whose names we do get to know. I think having the characters remain nameless throughout the story is an interesting idea, but it may also distance the reader from the characters if they aren’t fleshed out or individualized enough, which is what happened with me in the first book. For thirty years, the only human engagement with Area X has taken the form of a series of expeditions monitored by a secret agency called the Southern Reach. After the disastrous twelfth expedition chronicled in Annihilation, the Southern Reach is in disarray, and John Rodriguez, aka “Control,” is the team's newly appointed head. From a series of interrogations, a cache of hidden notes, and hours of profoundly troubling video footage, the secrets of Area X begin to reveal themselves, and what they expose pushes Control to confront disturbing truths about both himself and the agency he's promised to serve, and the consequences will spread much further than that. I was immediately more connected to John/“Control” than I was to any of the characters of the previous book, and I liked the secondary cast of characters introduced here as well. I like how this book builds off of the first while delving deeper into the Southern Reach as an organization and fleshing out the world of this story. While I didn’t greatly enjoy my reading experience of the first book, I do feel like the mysterious and ominous atmosphere is lost from that book to this one, and the tone of this book almost makes it feel like an entirely different series. Your mileage may vary on how these books stand next to each other and how you enjoy the journey from book one to book two. The book felt like it meandered a bit at the 75% mark, but I like how the ending wraps things up while leading to the next book in the series. Overall, I felt like the author could have fleshed out this story more, but I loved John’s character and how his story brings back characters from the previous book while fleshing out the world of the story.

Part 2 keeps things sweeping along. VanerMeer keeps a similiar tone here of the seemingly ordinary pot lid barley holding in the boiling pot of horrors. I found the jump in timeline/ new protagonist (or atleast character perspective) a cool way to carry on a trilogy. One of the things I really appreciate about his main characters is that they seem small in the face of the massive events surrounding them. They aren't always conviently the key or just the right person to fix something. I feel very human along side his characters facing the unimaginable. Literally unimaginable. Which is fascinating. The foes of this book aren't easily explainable zombies, aliens, or vampires. The shadowy government agencies prove as inefficent as they often seem in the real world. The monsters don't have obvious weaknesses. No it's exactly the kind of threat which is truely scary: one which we don't understand. One that has the ability to do things we don't even have knowledge of. Something unmeasureable by scientific instruments or even basic senses. He poses the question to us: How can we expect to deal with something that is beyond our scope of comprehension and that can define the way we do comprehend it? Potential spoilers ahead: I appreciate how he set us up to fail along with the new main character. We had spent a book with one character which our new protagonist is coming to deal with the fall out from. So coming into the book we, the reader, seem to have all this knowledge that our protagonist is lacking. Only we come to find he may know much of it, or worse, none of it mean what we think it does. This isn't even a case of unreliable narrator- more a case of underinformed narrator, dangerously underinformed. As the world crumbles around control, we aren't able to stand above, secure in the knowledge that he'll eventually learn it's secrets or die trying. No, we to find our various comfertable pieces of plot intel crumbling. VanderMeer constantly reminds us to be careful with words. They often have multiple meanings, and to rush into naming things with them might be dangerous. Looking forward to the 3rd!

Slower than the first book but the ending makes up for it. This series is like nothing I have ever read before and I really appreciate that.

Every moment was gripping, somehow I got no closer to solving the mystery but was thoroughly intrigued the entire time.

The Second Installment of the Southern Reach Trilogy.

This story follows a man named "Control" (an alias) as he takes over as Director of the Southern Reach and consequently has to interview, investigate and get to the bottom of Area X. Alongside a wide array of eccentric scientists and a mysterious government official called "The Voice" who calls the shots.

I wanted to love this story just as much as Annihilation, but I found that it dragged and dragged for the most part, 75% of this story was confusing and stale. I found myself thinking that Vandermeer was trying to set an atmospheric allusive dialogue so much that it just all became extremely convoluted and confusing, I could not follow the plot and found myself not engaged and losing interest every 10 pages or so.

The last 30% saved the book for me, the unreliable narration will always be a love of mine and that combined with the eccentric scientists made me keep holding onto this story until the end.

I am looking forward to the last installment in this trilogy because I have heard that it ends really nicely!

хареса ми повече от Annihilation. в началото атмосферата беше като от по-добрите не-дюнски романи на Хърбърт ("Кошерът на Хелстрьом", "Бариерата Сантарога") и някои от разказите му от 70те. може би е нарочно - образът на майката, чисто визуалната препратка към бене-гесеритския Voice и темата за камуфлажа, темата за властта сочат към това. а и да не е нарочно, тогава от "несъзнателната" игра на трилогията с Жанра и жанровете се раждат красиви чудовища.

Where Annihilation was a chilling and atmospheric look inside Area X through the eyes of the biologist, Authority is a claustrophobic look inside the Southern Reach. An organization seemingly crumbling from within under the weight of secrets, hidden truths, and total lack of understanding around what Area X is and what it’s actually doing to those that come in contact with it. Can VanderMeer’s beautiful and purposeful writing save a rather tedious story? This book is not going to be for everyone. Many will find it a grind to get through, but I hope you stick with it because in hindsight it’s really a wonderful trick that VanderMeer is pulling off. My favorite part is the sneaky vibe it pulls off so wonderfully. A feeling of steady dread creeping in, the walls closing in so slowly that you never even notice it happening… until you do. And at that point the story, while still in the very intentional and steady pace VanderMeer uses throughout this series, begins to feel chaotic and unstable. It’s really a beautiful piece of writing. But beautiful writing through a story that is, frankly, often boring isn’t what most readers sign up for. As much as I love how hindsight has let me think back fondly on those slow chapters through the first half of this book, it just didn’t hit me like Annihilation did. I enjoyed this one, but not as much as the chilling, atmospheric bliss of Annihilation, though I’m hopeful for the grand finale in book three. As many have said, you need to just fight and push through Authority (I’m literally biting my tongue to avoid making a John Mellencamp pun here!) to get to the final book in the series. In hindsight, it was enjoyable. In the moment it was often a grind. No matter how you look at it, it falls short of the bar that Annihilation set.

Didn't draw me in as much as Annihilation at first, but ended up being just as gripping in its own claustrophobic, paranoid way. Mark me down as terrified and hungry for a conclusion.

Sometimes I say in my reviews that I like the story ok but the writing, not so much. With Jeff VanderMeer, I REALLY like the writing. The stories sometimes leave me scratching my head and pondering for a while. Sometimes I think I totally follow what's going on. Sometimes I don't. These books take some time and thought. They're full of interesting ideas and weird, allusive references, and things that maybe happened? or maybe not? This is the story of Control, who comes to the Southern Reach to take over from the Director, who disappeared in the last expedition into Area X. The biologist was the only member who returned. Or is it even the biologist we knew from Annihilation?? Control keeps interviewing her, trying to get a handle on what's happening. But he also has lots of issues of his own. And Area X may be expanding. For real this time. This is good stuff. I'd read this again, though I agree with another reviewer that it's more a transitional book between the first (Annihilation) and the third (Acceptance). Some of the scenes described in both books really stick in my mind. Currently reading the 3rd book. Caveat: if you fall asleep reading these books, you may experience some odd dreams from them. Be warned. :)

Very different from Annihilation but that’s not a bad thing at all. The good: excellent length and pace, lots of the same mysterious ambiguity of the first book but with a few more answers and a few more questions, great characters. The bad (?): it is definitely a middle book - lots of things remain unanswered and it feels like very little progress is made. Some people may strongly dislike reading from the perspective of a character who is in a position where he’s set up to fail from every standpoint - his coworkers tolerate him at best, he has very few resources, and he hardly knows why he’s even there. If the thought of a protagonist making little headway, as you yourself make little headway, bothers you, you may not enjoy this book. Personally, I found it the perfect bureaucratic feel for a spy novel, saved by the author’s excellent writing.

Really enjoy this series. Once you get a few chapters in you just can’t stop. Already on to the 3rd book!

A decent follow-up to the first book. Not quite as fast-paced, but that’s understandable given that it is the middle of a trilogy.

Updated review: The first time I revisited this series I skipped this book and only really Annihilation and Acceptance because back in the day I found Authority a slow paced less engaging book that mostly functioned as exposition for the series. Now on my third revisit of the series I decided to give Authority a second shot and wow has my opinion changed. Authority is a slower paced read than Annihilation and Acceptance, and yes it does have a lot of exposition but neither is bad. In Authority we're introduced to the acting director of the Southern Reach who's installed there as a proxy for Central, the organization that oversees the Southern Reach. The book is all about the quirky characters who work at the fading government agency that has lost all relevancy for observing a strange area that really has any known greater scope consequences. The book explores who these people are, who the past director is and her goals, and the looming doom of Area X as it begins waking up and Vendermeer does it in such a slow and engaging way that you're nothing but hyped for Acceptance. Original Review: This books functions mostly as an expositionary entry to the series.

Honestly wtf that’s all I can say like the writing linked to this dudes experiences is crazy and will be starting numero tres so I can figure out what’s going on

Different kind of horror and story than Annihilation, which was very enjoyable. But it did drag sometimes despite the slow build up and structure. Reading it right after the first it seems right to have the cool down and not the same frenetic pacing. Some of my favourite moments are in this one so far, and some of the scariest! Looking forward to the next

I must admit the second part of Southern Reach was a disappointment to me. The story slows down so much, you need to make an effort to keep reading through the middle of the book. Yes, some questions from Annihilation get an answer, but I feel you can see through all the mysteries happening inside the Southern Reach building. No surprising revelations or explanations you didn't see coming...it became frustrating to me.