This is going to be a short review, Not because I hated Absolution—on the contrary, I loved it—but because, as I say in my Locus review, you should go into reading this novel as wholly underprepared as an expedition to Area X.*

If you’ve read the Southern Reach trilogy—truly one of the best trilogies of the 21st Century, deserving of a Hugo—then you’ll love this. No, VanderMeer doesn’t ruin Southern Reach or Area X by tying up loose threads; if anything, he creates more of them (the evil bugger). And while the novel is over one hundred pages longer than any book in the trilogy, it still maintains that sense of cosmic dread that made the series so fucking awesome a decade ago (because, yes, Absolution marks the tenth anniversary of Area X). 

If you’ve never read the trilogy, well, obviously, I think you should if you have any interest in horror with a Thomas Ligotti/Lovecraftian vibe. But if you did read the trilogy and never could understand the fuss, just know that I think you’re wrong and that this novel won’t change your mind.

And that’s it, that’s the review. If you want to know all my thoughts—including a bit more about what Absolution is about**—then you know where to go.

*Also, I’m going to take any excuse not to write a dull plot precis. 

**Though, I keep it really short.***

***Did I mention how much I hate writing plot precis?