The Southern Reach Trilogy by Jeff VanderMeer. Annihilation, Authority and Acceptance

Format: Paperback

Pages: 195, 340, 341

Series: The Southern Reach Trilogy

Source: Library

Genres: Science Fiction

Publisher: HarperCollins Canada

Publication date: Through February 4th to September 2nd, 2014

The beauty of it cannot be understood, either and when you see the beauty in desolation it changes something inside you.

First impression

When I first approached the Southern Reach trilogy, I did it with almost everyone praising it, talking how weird it was. The Sword and Laser Book club had it as their February pick and that’s when I decided to definitely give it a go. Weird, you bet: with a lot of things going on, shifting POV from the first to the second and then in the third having a mix of about 4 of them there is a lot going on and this (at least in my case) makes you want to continue reading, even if just to know what exactly is going on down in Area X.

However, because off all the buildup, when I got to book 3, my expectations where pretty high. I wanted a mind blowing conclusion…and it just wasn’t what I got, which is why I ended up giving just a 3/5 to the last book. It was a closing, but almost a predictable one, and what I was liking about the other 2 books was exactly how unpredictable they felt.

People who asked questions didn’t necessarily liked being asked questions

Final thoughts

One thing I have to say for VanderMeer is that he is a terrific storyteller. All through the trilogy I would read and read without noticing how much time I had spent just siting turning pages. He writes in a manner that grabs you and won’t let you go. All of the characters are flawed, all of them have secrets and he presents them in manner that you cannot help but to want to know what else are they hiding, from the reader and even from their selves.

Annihilation is written as a diary, and it sets the story in Area X. We get to know the premise, the mystery of the area, but not the reasons behind it. A lot of people have complained that it can be too descriptive, being told in the eyes of a biologist, but maybe precisely because of this I found it fascinating. A world described in a biologist tone is always fascinating for me (yes, I am a biologist). Acceptance on the other hand, is told in the voice or at least through the eyes of Control, a government agent (?) that is now in charge of the division studying Area X. He will give more background not only to the Area but to the characters that were briefly introduced in the first book while at the same time, revealing deep issues of himself. By the time you are reading Acceptance some of the pieces have fallen into place but still, the whole image is a fractured one, and so this last installment jumps back and forward in time, to at the end merge altogether with the final reveal.

However, this reveal of sorts, didn’t cut it for me. I won’t give anything away, since this is a review for the whole series, but I felt that the “conclusion” lost impact. It felt, for lack of a better word, like a “meh” moment, which is sad when you are so invested and so intrigued by the other 2 books.

I’m not saying that it’s not an entertaining and well-built work. I would still recommend it to people looking for something different, merging SciFi and mystery. I would just recommend to keep the final expectations a bit lower. Maybe in that case, others won’t feel disappointed as I unfortunately felt.

Some things you can be so close to that you never grasp their true nature

The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell

Format: Paperback

Pages: 408

Series: The Sparrow #1

Source: Library

Genres: Science Fiction

Publisher: Ballantine Books (Random House)

Publication date: September 8th 1997 (first published January 1st 1996) 

There is a difference between being responsible and being culpable

First impression

When I first finished this book I needed some time to re gather my ideas. I fell for the narrative and continued reading because at every step of the book the typical interpretation of things is questioned. How relationships are built and what makes a sentient society. How we define culture and friendship and abuse. The end (no spoilers, don't worry) of Sandoz's story made me cringe uncomfortably mostly because it made so much sense and the sorrow and hatred he had developed suddenly fell right in place with all the context. While I liked this book in general, I cannot bring myself to go for the sequel. 

It's like all sickness [...] His heart desires something he cannot have

Final thoughts

The Sparrow jumps from different time points: Early in time the discovery of extraterrestrial life and the quest to find it in person and in the future the story told by the only survivor who makes it back to Earth, Emilio Sandoz. He is a changed man and through the book we learn what type of person he was before joining priesthood, while on Earth and after traveling to Rakhat.

As I advanced in the book I noticed that I just needed to know more about each character, even if at first they would feel secondary to the story; while I admit that the beginning was quite a slow start for me, once the pace picked up I was passing pages like there was no tomorrow.

My favorite characters were by far were Anne and George Edwards, not only as a couple (a very nice and complex couple) but as individuals they were so interesting. How I would love to have dinner parties like theirs all the time! Imagine the fun of it. I cannot say that there was a character that I didn't like, even the priest (and I just forgot his name) that was so against Sandoz. Because all of the characters come from such different backgrounds, they add to the complexity of the team in an intricate way that for me at least made it even more involving and more touching as I learned more about them.

I absolutely loved the way the author deals with the subjects of faith, love, friendship and off course, culture. Particularly when presented with the 2 main alien groups. Unlike a lot of other reviewers, I didn’t cry but I have to admit that it was a very emotionally charged book, for all the subjects I mentioned before. Every character that left the story did it in a way that you would remember them.

More than a religion questioning, I feel the main point of the book is an anthropological question. That said, and as interesting as I found this first installment, I can’t find it in me to go for the sequel. I keep feeling that The Sparrow moved me as much as it could and it genuinely scares me to ruin the experience if the sequel doesn’t live up to expectations. I would recommend this book for fans of Science Fiction with a lot of philosophical questioning behind.

Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card

 

 

Why I read this book?

Believe or not until this year I didn't really know about this book. I was not a adept science fiction reader and I have to thank The Sword and Laser book club for changing that. Then this year (probably influenced by the upcoming movie) a lot of people around me starting talking about the book and after my boyfriend bought a copy of the book and really liked it I decided it was time to see for myself what the whole thing was about.

What's the book about?

In a (distant?) future the Earth was attacked by an alien race, the Formics (as a scientist I find their name quite amusing, especially after they way of live is described) and although the Human race won the last battle, the fear of the aliens coming back is a constant. However, the strategy has changed and the military now recruits kids instead of adults in order to form them into the ultimate soldiers. Ender Wiggin is one of these soldier kids and apparently he might also be the answer to all of our problems.

What about the main character?

Ender is a third child, and this fact is mentioned several times as it marks his psyche a lot. He is inevitably compared with his brother Peter (a hot tempered boy with more issues than you care to know) and his sister Valentine (a girl consider to be "too empathetic" and hence useless in battle). Brightness seems to run in the family, since all three of them are above average, but Ender is seemly the only one with the right balance, albeit he does not think the same way. Because he is very young (6 years old when he starts) his brain is very adaptable so he responds to new situations faster than an older person would. He is extremely gifted in strategy, not only in battle but in day to day situations, which will make him seem a bit heartless at certain times when he is just awkward.

Final thoughts

At first I thought I was going to give this book a 4, but it was the twist at the end, charged with so much, with so many unexpected feelings (mine and the characters) that made this an exceptional book for me. In a way, I even enjoyed the characters of Peter and Valentine, particularly when their stories grow stronger; they weren't just side characters and I liked that. It made me a bit sad that their role was cut off from the movie, as I was disappointed to see that they rushed Ender's passage through Battle and Commander School, but I guess making it into two movies would've been too much of a risk. 

 

Independent of Scott Card's world views, I think he made an amazing job in building this world and the characters; creating characters that are meant to be kids and forced to act like adults can't be easy, but the book delivers this beautifully in a manner that empathy comes easily.