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Absolution

A Southern Reach Novel

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Absolution

Written by: Jeff VanderMeer
Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot
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One of Time's Must-Read Books of 2024 • One of Indigo's Top Ten Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books of 2024 • Named Best Book of the Year by Barnes and Noble • One of Kobo CA's Best Science Fiction Books of 2024

Ten years after the publication of Annihilation, the surprise fourth volume in Jeff VanderMeer’s blockbuster Southern Reach Trilogy.

When the Southern Reach Trilogy was first published a decade ago, it was an instant sensation, celebrated in a front-page New York Times story before publication, hailed by Stephen King and many others. Each volume climbed the bestsellers lists, awards were won, the books made the rare transition from paperback original to hardcover, and the movie adaptation became a cult classic. All told, the trilogy has sold more than a million copies, and has secured its place in the pantheon of twenty-first-century literature.

And yet, for Jeff VanderMeer there was never full closure to the story of Area X. There were a few mysteries that had gone unsolved, some key points of view never aired. There were stories left to tell. There remained questions about who had been complicit in creating the conditions for Area X to take hold; the story of the first mission into the Forgotten Coast—before Area X was called Area X—had never been fully told; and what if someone had foreseen the world after Acceptance? How crazy would they seem?

Structured in three parts, each recounting a new expedition, this book delivers some long-awaited answers, to be sure, but also more questions, and profound new surprises. Absolution is a brilliant, beautiful, and ever-terrifying plunge into unique and fertile literary territory. It is the final word on one of the most provocative and popular speculative fiction series of our time. Adventure Genre Fiction Horror Literary Fiction Science Fiction Scary Fiction

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What the critics say

One of Time's Must-Read Books of 2024 • One of Indigo's Top Ten Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books of 2024 • Named Best Book of the Year by Barnes and Noble • One of Kobo CA's Best Science Fiction Books of 2024
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As a fan of the originals, I couldn't wait for this one to come out. The story is great, a few sections that drag a bit too much but you get so much more insight into what the characters went through/are seeing in the trilogy. The best part was the last section, despite the profanity, which was funny, and then got repetitive, eventually found an equilibrium and works so well. It really is needed to bring you right into the characters mind. An amazing book, hopefully more to come.

A prequel worth the wait

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Doesn’t add anything to the original (fantastic) southern reach trilogy and the third act is painful to get through.

Meh

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like a ripping, cutting, tearing gale through ones grey matter, a brilliantly written, beautifully paced double whammy of context given and questions raised within the world of Area X. Bronson once again absolutely fucking NAILS the voices of central, of the forgotten coast, and the prose of Jeff. the clean break between perspectives feels exactly where it needs to be and absolutely works for the sort of story already being told. also given the timeline shenanigans, I'd call this a sequel and interquel just as much as a prequel. f*ckin top notch writing from a top notch writer, and a top notch performance from a top notch narrator.

get in the barrel, Jeff.

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I can only conclude that Area X is a perfectly normal bit of swampland where experimental subjects of a mind control program are sent to test their performance. Brain damaged and psychotic, they suffer paranoid hallucinations and kill themselves and each other Time After Time. I am really sorry that I didn't stop after the first book in this series, which I quite enjoyed.

very unsatisfying

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I really enjoyed the trilogy before this, so was excited that a fourth book was coming out. Man, what a disappointment. The novel consists of 3 novellas loosely tied together. Nothing is explained. Characters have confusing motivations. Part 3 is an absolute slog and so filled with endless profanity I had to take frequent breaks to get through it. Just skip this, it adds nothing to the original trilogy.

Skip it, adds nothing to original trilogy

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