I had such high hopes for this book, due to rave reviews
from the likes of Tor.com
and io9.
I am pretty bummed that to be disappointed. To be fair, I expected this to be
a post-apocalyptic science fiction book. After reading, it’s much closer to horror.
In my defense, the back cover summary made it sound like post-apocalyptic SciFi – 11 expeditions have ventured into Area X, the first of which
found paradise. The rest met various gruesome ends. Expedition 12 is about to
head out to explore the mysterious area lurking beyond the border. I’d love to
be more specific, but the book doesn’t have named characters or provide any
meaningful background, even as the story unfolds. I never got the context that could have saved the novel for me.
The novel is set up as a mystery, but never has the payoff
of a solution. Instead, strange elements are introduced, abandoned, returned
to, subverted, and abandoned again. There’s a tunnel that’s also a tower and
possibly alive, a lighthouse that draws expedition members for no apparent
reason, hypnosis that doesn’t seem to work like real-world hypnosis, and a main
character who may be glowing or losing her mind or both. The mere 195 pages are
filled of descriptions that manage to leave you without a clear picture of what
is being described. Basically, there’s a lot going on without anything to tie
it all together.
VanderMeer does an excellent job creating a creepy
atmosphere – I couldn’t read it before bed once the main character really got
to exploring the strange landscape. Yet, as the tiny novel progressed, my
general confusion displaced any lingering fear I might have had.
Verdict: Dismissed.
Though this is the first in a trilogy and later installments may provide the
answers I was waiting for, I have no desire to proceed any further into this
convoluted series. Some members of the DC book club were fans though, so if a
horror novel that leaves most to your own interpretation sounds intriguing,
check it out.
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