this post was submitted on 03 Oct 2023
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Lemmy World Rules

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Just finished reading Annihilation - strange book (lemmy.world)
submitted 11 months ago by AFKBRBChocolate@lemmy.world to c/sciencefiction@lemmy.world
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After seeing it on the list in this thread, I decided to read Annihilation, and I just finished it. As others said it's weird (I like weird, so it's one of the reasons I wanted to read it). The writing style really reminded me of H.P. Lovecraft, which is to say it's a bit stilted. I'm glad I read it - it's an interesting world and the story is told in an interesting way - but it's not a book I'll recommend to a lot of my friends. Some of them, maybe.

Have any of you read it? What did you think?

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[–] nodimetotie@lemmy.world 2 points 10 months ago (1 children)

A little late for the discussion, but wanted to share my thoughts anyway.

I also picked up the book after seeing it on the same list =) Actually, the first time I thought about it was when the movie came out. I was super excited about it (Alex Garland!) but it somehow did not click with me. And then I read the book synopsis and decided to pass. Then this list came up and I finally decided to give it a try. And like many others here, I did not find it all that appealing. I guess it is original and, tbh, I finished it very quickly, intrigued by what would happen next. I liked the mystery of it but not the weirdness. Sometimes it feels like the story is grounded in reality. But sometimes it feels surreal. I can see a parallel with Kafka.

I am curious though if anyone found some hidden meanings and clues one might miss on the first reading. It does feel like the author hid a few things here and there behind words.

One thing I did like and could relate to, was the protagonist, the biologist. She explains how she often got "carried away," worked on something she personally enjoyed instead of on things that would bring her money. It tells a cautionary tale. The biologist did not end up well. And she was a mess.

Not sure if I would have finished it had it been longer. Definitely not looking forward to the rest of the trilogy.

[–] AFKBRBChocolate@lemmy.world 2 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Thanks for the thoughts.

When I think back on the books, I feel like the most impactful part for me was the relationship between the biological and her husband, even though we never meet him. What the author did best was show that growth and progression.

I enjoyed the weirdness, but combining it with the super slow pacing just made it feel unpleasant. I feel that way about some Lovecraft stories.

[–] nodimetotie@lemmy.world 2 points 10 months ago

Their relationship was probably one of the most grounded elements in the story.