Book Review: Annihiliation by Jeff VanderMeer

LOST meets Lovecraft meets Crichton. That's what this book is, and if that doesn't draw you in, it's probably not for you. It certainly drew me in. Since this is the first of a trilogy, many more questions are raised than are answered, and if you don't like that, it's probably not for you. (Although I think the mysteries will be resolved in a way that satisfies those frustrated by LOST's ending.) The biologist mostly acts like a biologist -- I would have liked to see her hypothesize more. Also, the plot gives hypnosis too much power, but this may be explained later. Overall, it's incredibly brisk, and manages to be both creative and realistic. I have quibbles about how things are done but again, it's hard to judge on the first book, and the overall story is compelling and interesting. My only dilemma now is how long to wait before reading book 2.