Absolution

The Southern Reach Trilogy, Book 4

By: Jeff VanderMeer

Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot

Ten years after the publication of Annihilation, the surprise fourth volume in Jeff VanderMeer’s blockbuster Southern Reach Trilogy.

When the Southern Reach Trilogy was first published a decade ago, it was an instant sensation, celebrated in a front-page New York Times story before publication, hailed by Stephen King and many others. Each volume climbed the bestsellers list; awards were won; the books made the rare transition from paperback original to hardcover; the movie adaptation became a cult classic. All told, the trilogy has sold more than a million copies and has secured its place in the pantheon of twenty-first-century literature.

And yet for all this, for Jeff VanderMeer there was never full closure to the story of Area X. There were a few mysteries that had gone unsolved, some key points of view never aired. There were stories left to tell. There remained questions about who had been complicit in creating the conditions for Area X to take hold; the story of the first mission into the Forgotten Coast—before Area X was called Area X—had never been fully told; and what if someone had foreseen the world after Acceptance? How crazy would they seem?

Structured in three parts, each recounting a new expedition, there are some long-awaited answers here, to be sure, but also more questions, and profound new surprises. Absolution is a brilliant, beautiful, and ever-terrifying plunge into unique and fertile literary territory. It is the final word on one of the most provocative and popular speculative fiction series of our time.

©2024 VanderMeer Creative, Inc. (P)2024 Blackstone Publishing

Loved it!

The Southern Reach trilogy has been one of my favorite book series since I initially read it 6 or 7 years ago, so I was ridiculously excited to learn that VanderMeer was writing another book in the series. At first I was a little skeptical when I heard that it was going to be a prequel, but I was not disappointed.

The book is separated into three sections, each of them functioning as a somewhat self-contained but related story. Each section was amazing, the prose was beautiful, and though the beginning of the third section was extremely hard to get through on my first listen (the sheer concentration of variations on the f-word is… remarkable, and I don’t usually mind heavy swearing), I’m glad I stuck with it, because that section ended up being one of the most beautifully deranged and disquieting things I’ve ever read.

If you’re looking for clear cut answers for any of your burning questions from the original trilogy, this book will not give you that, but I’ve come to expect that from VanderMeer’s writing. I liked this book so much that I went back and re-read the original trilogy and now I’m listening to this one for a second time.

Oh! And the narrator goes all out for this book, especially in the third section. I highly recommend this audiobook.

Pretty much what I expected

Vandermeer really gets lost in the weeds and has this frustratingly millennial aversion to having ANY kind of payoff, the few he attempts are character moments that feel unsatisfying because theyre so entrenched in an ecosystem he refuses to articulate. In theory this is cool, and sometimes his prose and ideas are excellent, but he lacks the sincerity to create the ladder of mystery and payoff that people would want to climb. he strikes me as a man who enjoys foreplay but can't fuck - dont get me started on the beginning Lowry's part of the story. I found the trilogy to be vaguely unsatisfying outside of Annihilation and this entry rekindled my interest in coming back, but I know I'm in for another round of vague middling millennial blueball mystery with some cool imagery and ideas in between. it was alright

It's ok

The last part is almost unlistenable to start but gets much better. Bronson does a great job as a reader, I'm looking forward to listening to him again. I listened to all four books back to back and I wouldn't do that again, I could have used a little break between them.

Meh

Great story and premise. But the book muddles through boring scenes that are made more frustrating by packed on adjectives that make no sense. If I ever hear something smells like electricity, or boots are “streamlined but still anomalous” again it will be too soon. The narrator’s female voices sometimes sounds like a hentai whimper. Still love the first two books.

Bronson Pinchot is the best

Absolutionis the weirdest book I've read or listened to. If you could listen to this while tripping ballz it would be easier to follow. I did listen to the complete story, replayed many parts in a desperate attempt to make sense of the chapter so maybe the next chapter will divulge some truths. Enjoyed (???) the book even though it's been a lifetime since I was in the expanded mindspace to appreciate randomness. I feel if any actor besides Bronson Pinchot had piloted this journey, my feelings on this book would be vastly different.