Annihilation

I finally read this! Been meaning to for awhile. I kinda liked it. I appreciated it was short. I didn't love it.

What I liked best is how it reminded me of two other things I've liked. One is the video game Pacific Drive which must have drawn heavily on this novel for inspiration for its backstory. (Great game btw, underappreciated).

The other is the general tone connection to SCP Project fiction. My favorite in that genre is There Is No Antimemetics Division but there's a wide variety of creepy writing in this genre. VanderMeer's novel reads like a particularly well written book that was inspired by some SCP fanfic he wrote when he was 19. Only he's a proper novelist now and writes a solid book.

One thing I liked in the book as a side story was the relationship between the main character and her husband. I guess it wasn't just a side story, it becomes a key part of the central mystery. That is a nuance I didn't expect to find in creepy sci-fi. It was a welcome human touch.

I'm curious about the movie. I like Alex Garland. Update I saw the film. It's a well made movie that has very little to do with the book other than vibes.