Week 04 - The Weird - Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer (6 pts)


    This week is all about the weird which may be one of the most interesting genre I have explored up till now. Fiction that falls into this category usually are known for their non-traditional way of storytelling and how it connects psychological trauma with supernatural elements. For this week I read Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer. It is a classic story of character who venture into the unknown and face dangerous supernatural elements that one way or the other connected by science. As your usual Horror Sci-Fi goes little by little each character is eliminated leaving the main character alone with their choices and thoughts. 


Our cast of character in this book have no names and are only known by their roles. Our protagonist who is the Biologist is the one guiding us through this journey as we accompany her through her physical and psychological transformation. The Biologist is a character unlike many that I have experienced. She is a woman who for the most part knows who she is and her choices are not necessarily based on survivor or fear but rather her hunger to understand and observe anything in Area X. Unlike the other people in her team who are one by one killed she is determined and is basically observe into her new environment that helps her reflect on her past. One can say that the reason this character is this way is because of the spores she inhaled in part one but from what I can see she seems to be this determined and enlightened for a long time. The spores only enhanced her but did not change her way of being.


In other forms of media I feel like I have experienced a similar story to the one presented in Annihilation. Especially in recent video game releases such as Death Stranding that is also about the effects on infected areas and how they transform the player’s character into being more connected or involve in the environment around him. This idea of being throw into a supernatural environment to reflect is something that I feel is very successful for a niche audience that likes to experience the same story over and over again as they analyze the puzzle pieces. Annihilation is one of those stories. As a reader I feel like I am only scratching the surface on who the Biologist truly was and understanding the transformation she went to. Especially understanding her relationship with her husband who she seems to have very complicated feelings for. You can see this in the ending of the story where the Biologist decides to go through the path mapped by her husband in other to mainly observe what he did even if she never finds him. This ending I find interesting since she does seem a bit disconnected from her loved one through her memories and seems to enjoy more the company of the natural world rather than him. So, it makes sense she stays in Area X due to her transformation and longing to observe her surroundings. I just wish our protagonist had more opinions on her relationship as much as she did with her studies in order to understand the ending a bit better. But maybe I just need to look at it from another perspective. Overall, I really enjoy this story.

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