2 Book Lovers Reviews
Annihilation
(The Southern Reach Trilogy #1)
By Jeff VanderMeer
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Appropriately, this is going to be a strange one. My Annihilation experience was perhaps as unusual as the story itself. I grabbed the audiobook for this experience. I really wasn’t sure what to expect, I generally set my expectations high when the powers that be decide to turn the book into a movie. They are rarely ever able to duplicate the magic of a fantastic book, but the base is often a sure bet.
Imagine, if you will, a story told by Spock, all emotion, color and emphasis gone. A purely analytical, scientific telling of the events of the story. Annihilation got me thinking more about what I want from a book and not about this particular book. Not a good sign. My decision, give me a Klingon narrator, I want the larger than life emotion, the instability of the protagonist, I want a kaleidoscope of a story.
That being said, I would have to say that the performance of the audiobook was better than the story itself. Carolyn McCormick’s performance was flawless. She embodied the analytical nature of The Biologist (yes, I’ve capitalized the protagonist’s profession, it’s the only way she is identified). The narration made the story mildly interesting. Casting matters.
Following the audiobook, I made the mistake of asking my wife to watch the movie with me (I’ll be hearing about that for some time to come). At this point, my hopes weren’t high, boy oh boy, that did not even come close. I get that not everything translates well to the movie, but this seemed like a completely different story.
Needless to say, I don’t think I’ll be returning to The Southern Reach series in any of its forms. The story gets a 3.5 stars; the audiobook performance a 4, and the movie – a waste of time.
*4 Stars