Review

Fatima Sheriff reviews Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer

Annihilation tells of a scientific mission into Area X, an amorphous place on the coast of America that was subjected to a cosmic event which shifted the landscape into something alien. Previous missions either haven’t returned or, in one case, the crew have returned separately with complete amnesia. Having been put under hypnosis by their leader to survive the journey in, four new scientists begin their investigation.

From the offset, this intricate tale is shrouded in mystery. We know little about our characters and what has driven them to undertake this hellish expedition. Everything they discover only brings a wealth of more questions, with only glimmering specks of clarity amid the fog of confusion. We only learn about the voyage through the diary of our protagonist, The Biologist, piecing together fragments of her stream-ofconsciousness narration from the moment she steps foot into Area X. Her biased storytelling is gripping and self-aware, as her rational mind points out every incongruent pattern in her thought process. In the buildup of tiny, odd details, like her insistence on calling an underground tunnel they find “the Tower”, everything turns topsy-turvy rapidly.

Companionship serves only as a distraction from the goal, as anonymity is paramount between the central characters, who

are known only as the Psychologist, the Surveyor, and the Anthropologist. While they must work as a team, their expedition is highly individualistic and self-centred. Each has their own missions and diaries to record findings, and conferring could bias their reports. They have also been told to monitor each other’s mental states for any lapse that would suggest that Area X has infiltrated their minds, creating suspicion and caution in every interaction. Panic sets in at regular intervals and, without truly knowing the other characters, it is a roll of the dice how they react in every bizarre situation. One intriguing aspect is the casual way in which the Psychologist uses hypnosis on her team, described in the narration as a normalised aspect of their survival plan for Area X.

What transpires is a fantastical yet terrifying journey into both the mind of the Biologist and the Area itself. It is a brilliant combination of a Shirley-Jackson-esque narrator, observing her own downfall and that of the others, with the best creative aspects of space fiction that describes a sense of adventure alongside the impact of isolation. The difference is that it is all the more unnerving to imagine Area X on Earth, gradually engulfing its continent with its mutated creatures and strange alien atmosphere that drives people to insanity.

As we only observe it through the Biologist’s lens, we can also appreciate the beauty of

Area X, and her scientific curiosity leads to an almost zen-like acquiescence. It seems that by embracing it, she begins to encompass a complex duality of being both entranced and immune to its madness, and we are privy to these intriguing contradictions first-hand. VanderMeer creates a terrifying mental space to inhabit with monstrosities emerging from outside and within, but even at its most disturbing, it is utterly transfixing, and one of my absolute favourite novels.

It is perhaps not for the faint-of-heart, but equally, for those like me not well equipped to read an overly complex Science Fiction novel with Capitalised New Words for every concept, it is remarkably easy to follow and, at around the 250-page mark, doesn’t overstay its welcome or overexplain. Whether you choose to read the next two books in the Southern Reach trilogy to discover more about Area X’s history is up to you, but as a standalone piece, Annihilation is incredibly compelling because of its mystery and the scope for scary hypothetical spirals that this gives rise to.

Artwork: Kiah Fisher, After Glow Joana Viveiros, Anxiety Galaxies IV