The third volume in the "Southern Reach" trilogy (after
Annihilation and
Authority) takes us back to the region known as Area X. While book two dealt with the administrator known as Control, who headed up the facility responsible for sending expeditions to the area, in the final volume we revisit not only Control but also the biologist from Annihilation, now known as Ghost Bird, and the lighthouse keeper who lived in Area X before it was sealed off.
VERDICT Those reading with a hope that all will be explained and all loose ends will be neatly tied up might not be happy with this final title. Easy answers are not on offer from VanderMeer, but he does give a sense of closure, and the three books together stand as a remarkable imaginative achievement. Displaying the dizzying skill with imagery and language that have been seen throughout the series, the author leaves readers with some answers, more questions, and an appreciation of the journey.
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