Control Review: Annihilation

(This is the latest in a series of blog posts in which I review books with the lens of trying to figure out why they work and what we can learn about writing by reading them.)

I, Dalton Lewis, aka Daniel Trump, read another book.

It was called Annihilation, and Jeff Vandermeer wrote it. He wrote it in 2014 or so. Natalie Portman stars in the movie — which I have not yet seen.

What did this book do effectively?

Mild spoilers…

It created tension between the characters effectively. The various people — who have roles but not names — are against each other almost from the start. This conflict is not merely one good person against one villain but confused and scared people who are all a little flawed.

The plot? Four people are sent to investigate an area of the Southern United States that has fallen into disarray and no longer holds human life — that the government knows of. This area — Area X — needs to be investigated again. The government sends lots of teams, and this is one of them.

The development of the protagonist’s backstory really made her into a strong character for me. She has reasons for investigating this mystery and has flaws and a distinct personality. We can see her descend into stress and maybe have some mental health issues as the book unfolds.

Also, the story develops by showing us a mystery that unravels and builds as we read further into the book. We regularly see more information about the nefarious truth behind Area X and see evidence of the deaths that occurred there. Things become more and more complicated.

Another thing is that the characters are not idealized people. They make mistakes and betray each other and don’t know what to do a lot of the time. They fear what is different — that is a key theme to the book, fear of the different. This almost has a Cthulhu feel to it.

This is several novels I’ve read recently in which the development of a continued mystery has been the driving force of the narrative. This theme — the development of a mystery investigated by characters who are at odds with one another — that has potential.

Also the descriptions are excellent. I think that my descriptions need to be better. I need to brilliantly describe everything that is in my novels.

I’ve been on better schizophrenia meds for several days now, and I’m feeling better. Reading more has become a priority for me. I want to be someone who reads books — a lot of books. This will improve the quality of my writing.

Thanks, and take care, friends.

(My novel, The Battle at Malachi Station, is available on amazon now. The link is below. )

Amazon.com: The Battle at Malachi Station eBook : Trump, Daniel: Kindle Store