Science Fiction

Authority

Authority

  • Downloads：8077
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-06-26 09:55:55
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Jeff VanderMeer
  • ISBN：0374104107
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

The bone-chilling， hair-raising second installment of the Southern Reach Trilogy

After thirty years， the only human engagement with Area X—a seemingly malevolent landscape surrounded by an invisible border and mysteriously wiped clean of all signs of civilization—has been a series of expeditions overseen by a government agency so secret it has almost been forgotten: the Southern Reach。 Following the tumultuous twelfth expedition chronicled in Annihilation， the agency is in complete disarray。

John Rodríguez （aka "Control"） is the Southern Reach's newly appointed head。 Working with a distrustful but desperate team， a series of frustrating interrogations， a cache of hidden notes， and hours of profoundly troubling video footage， Control begins to penetrate the secrets of Area X。 But with each discovery he must confront disturbing truths about himself and the agency he's pledged to serve。

In Authority， the second volume of Jeff VanderMeer's Southern Reach trilogy， Area X's most disturbing questions are answered 。 。 。 but the answers are far from reassuring。

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Reviews

Steve W ，

This book felt promising as it started in the Southern Reach， outside of Area X and its one survivor from Expedition 12。 And it did add color to the story that started in book 1， but it was still slow and not especially satisfying; even listening to it as an audio book at 1。6x speed， it still seemed to drag。I found it interesting to understand more about Control， Grace （assistant director）， and a few others in the Southern Reach central office。 Good to know more about why they sent in so many ex This book felt promising as it started in the Southern Reach， outside of Area X and its one survivor from Expedition 12。 And it did add color to the story that started in book 1， but it was still slow and not especially satisfying; even listening to it as an audio book at 1。6x speed， it still seemed to drag。I found it interesting to understand more about Control， Grace （assistant director）， and a few others in the Southern Reach central office。 Good to know more about why they sent in so many expeditions （more than they admit to the new participants）， even though the outcome never seemed to be very positive （unless you count the confirmation that folks die or come back changed in a bad way）。It was so drawn out， I can't imagine listening to at at full speed or reading it; I doubt I would have completed the book。 Because I had checked out the audio book trilogy （twice， as it turned out， since I can't easily get through 25 hours of extra "reading"/listening in a couple of weeks）， I pressed forward， figuring I was not investing extra time， but filling time during car trips and such。I honestly can't recommend the book。 As I mentioned in my review of book 1， I would have given it 3 stars， but the rating names said "3: I liked it"， vs。 "2: It was ok"， so 2 it was。 It wasn't horrible， but it wasn't a keeper for me。 。。。more

Stacey Rinaldi ，

Ugghhhh， this book was a drag。 Book 1 was so great and exciting， a real page turner。 Book 2 never got to any point about anything。 I almost could not finish it。 Hopefully Book 3 will turn it back around。

Dave ，

This book is a stark departure from its predecessors in that basically nothing happens throughout the book。 The main character serves as a conduit to give more backstory on area X and the government's attempts to understand and contain it。 The biologist plays only a small role in this book， but it seems like maybe the next book will pick back up again with the main character from this one and the biologist actually doing something interesting。 The last hundred or so pages contain the meat of thi This book is a stark departure from its predecessors in that basically nothing happens throughout the book。 The main character serves as a conduit to give more backstory on area X and the government's attempts to understand and contain it。 The biologist plays only a small role in this book， but it seems like maybe the next book will pick back up again with the main character from this one and the biologist actually doing something interesting。 The last hundred or so pages contain the meat of this novel， which I enjoyed， but the first two hundred pages were a waste of time， seemingly impactless on the overall story。 I don't recommend this book unless you loved the first one。 。。。more

Arnab Chakraborty ，

Middle volumes in trilogies are often difficult affairs。 The response to Vandermeer's Authority has been confusing at best， and vitriolic at worst。 Personally， I think most reviewers really dropped the ball on this one。 I don't know how Acceptance will turn out， but for everyone out there worried that the second book is a boring trek through the bureaucratic process surrounding a catastrophe， rest assured it's also a gorgeous meditation on the nature of observation， on the way we desperately try Middle volumes in trilogies are often difficult affairs。 The response to Vandermeer's Authority has been confusing at best， and vitriolic at worst。 Personally， I think most reviewers really dropped the ball on this one。 I don't know how Acceptance will turn out， but for everyone out there worried that the second book is a boring trek through the bureaucratic process surrounding a catastrophe， rest assured it's also a gorgeous meditation on the nature of observation， on the way we desperately try to force meaning onto something we don't understand yet， and how our fears of contamination inform how we isolate ourselves from our ideas， and fail spectacularly in the process。 I should have read this much earlier， but am thankful that I did so at all。 A beautiful book。 If you're a science fiction fan， I could do worse than sell this book to you in the following way: think Kafka's The Castle by way of Stanislaw Lem's Solaris and the Strugatskys' Roadside Picnic， or The Snail on the Slope。 Traces of Ballard too， everywhere。 。。。more

Thomas Fore ，

It’s a fine novel。 But after visiting Area X， all I wanted was to go back。

Caitriona ，

。。。goodness

Elizabeth ，

Too much exposition， the last few chapters picked up but I don't think they were worth it。 3 stars because I have hope for the next book。 Too much exposition， the last few chapters picked up but I don't think they were worth it。 3 stars because I have hope for the next book。 。。。more

Tod Roberts ，

Odd in a good way。The story seems like a dream。 Real but not。 It streams through your conciousness like a sentient entity， like a stranger but familiar yet out of reach。

Brendan ，

A pivot from the style and perspective of Annihilation， Authority works well as a mystery/thriller that just gets weirder and weirder as it progresses。 I found this just as engrossing as part 1。

Megan ，

Very different from the first one， much more like a tense paranoid bureaucratic exploration than a thrilling forest expedition。 Slightly dragged towards last half of the middle， but the end was spectacular。 Can't wait to see what the third one has in store。 Very different from the first one， much more like a tense paranoid bureaucratic exploration than a thrilling forest expedition。 Slightly dragged towards last half of the middle， but the end was spectacular。 Can't wait to see what the third one has in store。 。。。more

Ivana ，

Ovo bi bilo mnogo bolje da je dužine prve knjige。

chey chey ，

3。5/5While I didn’t enjoy this one as much as the first one， I’m still captivated by the world Jeff Vandermeer has crafted here。 Excited to read the next one ASAP！！

David Zollinger ，

While some parts could’ve used the light touch of decors or third edit， the new spy thriller-esque direction of the second book of the trilogy keeps you fascinated and on your toes while combined with the sci-fi horror allegory of climate changes all consuming maw

Sean ，

I really didn’t like this one。 The first in this series was intriguing and mysterious in a very Lovecraftian way， but this one only seemed mysterious in a completely trivial way。 It felt like the whole story was alternating between introspection which didn’t seem to matter to the story and interrogations of various characters which never seemed to yield anything。 Every little tidbit of new information about the central mystery of this story was hard fought after many pages and there was effectiv I really didn’t like this one。 The first in this series was intriguing and mysterious in a very Lovecraftian way， but this one only seemed mysterious in a completely trivial way。 It felt like the whole story was alternating between introspection which didn’t seem to matter to the story and interrogations of various characters which never seemed to yield anything。 Every little tidbit of new information about the central mystery of this story was hard fought after many pages and there was effectively no payout。That being said， I was not able to give this book my full attention and much of it read in smaller bits。 So it’s likely that I missed a lot of the subtle character development and the details being hinted at。 。。。more

Steven ，

I loved this book though it's hard to explain why。 As I read the other reviews I find myself agreeing with all their complaints; Authority is full of banal office politics， it's hard to follow， none of the characters are particularly likeable， etc。 Yet I still loved reading this book。 Something about the confusing interplay of too many unimportant details with the ignorance of the state of the world drew me in。 I resonated with the anxiety and confusion of the main character and shared his feeli I loved this book though it's hard to explain why。 As I read the other reviews I find myself agreeing with all their complaints; Authority is full of banal office politics， it's hard to follow， none of the characters are particularly likeable， etc。 Yet I still loved reading this book。 Something about the confusing interplay of too many unimportant details with the ignorance of the state of the world drew me in。 I resonated with the anxiety and confusion of the main character and shared his feeling of being an outsider， both with respect to the events of the book and to reality。 。。。more

Michelle ，

I'll admit， at first I struggled to get into the story with this book。 With Annihilation， I felt immediately hooked， mainly due to the plot involving the entry into Area X。 While Annihilation explores the journey into a mysterious， alien region， Authority takes a common， boring setting and shows how horror can hide in plain sight。 The beginning of the book is slow， but the stage it sets is necessary。 There is no better way to learn about the Southern Reach than through the eyes of Control， the n I'll admit， at first I struggled to get into the story with this book。 With Annihilation， I felt immediately hooked， mainly due to the plot involving the entry into Area X。 While Annihilation explores the journey into a mysterious， alien region， Authority takes a common， boring setting and shows how horror can hide in plain sight。 The beginning of the book is slow， but the stage it sets is necessary。 There is no better way to learn about the Southern Reach than through the eyes of Control， the newly appointed director of the agency tasked with investigating Area X。 As Control learns about the inner workings of employees treading water in an agency that has been left afloat， the anonymous voice that barks orders at him through the phone， and the mystery that is the biologist， you find yourself pulled in。。。 And that is exactly when the trap is sprung。 If you saw my progress through this book， you would see that I devoured the second half at twice the rate of the first half。 As I type this， the only thing keeping me from reaching for the third book and diving right in is the desire to sleep tonight。 If you like stories involving espionage and suspense I highly recommend this read。 。。。more

Andrew ，

An utterly baffling sequel。 VanderMeer abandons almost everything that made Annihilation so great and instead focuses on the story of a character I really struggled to like， care about， or really believe in。 Some fun flourishes of unnerving gothic/Sci fi but overall a real missed opportunity。 Will read the final one to see if the series gets back on track。

Kat Nakaji ，

I see this book as a world-building book for the Southern Reach series， less focused on action and more focused on building context for the world surrounding Area X。 I liked the book overall and it set up an exciting start for the third book。 The second book of the Southern Reach series gives a different view of the mysterious area。 The first book took place mostly inside of Area X and the experiences of the twelfth expedition。 This book takes place after the twelfth expedition and explores the I see this book as a world-building book for the Southern Reach series， less focused on action and more focused on building context for the world surrounding Area X。 I liked the book overall and it set up an exciting start for the third book。 The second book of the Southern Reach series gives a different view of the mysterious area。 The first book took place mostly inside of Area X and the experiences of the twelfth expedition。 This book takes place after the twelfth expedition and explores the rippling effects of Area X on Southern Reach and the researchers dedicated to studying it。 The book is still filled with mystery as the main character struggles to make sense of Area X and his own connections to the space。 。。。more

Katie ，

Nothing happened。 Seriously。 I loved the first book - but I didn't like the second book in the series。 It lacked plot progress and character development - because I didn't truly feel like anything happened during those 350 pages。 Nothing happened。 Seriously。 I loved the first book - but I didn't like the second book in the series。 It lacked plot progress and character development - because I didn't truly feel like anything happened during those 350 pages。 。。。more

Oliver Terrones ，

Después de los sucesos en el Área X， Control intenta averiguar qué fue lo que sucedió durante aquella primera expedición al Área X。 Lo leí solo porque el primer tomo fue épico， pero en este tanto el tono como el ritmo cambia mucho y solo se recupera al final para continuar con la historia。

Michelle ，

Control （the main character） was like a headless chicken running around。 Didn't really get into this story， at all。 Unlike its predecessor。 Control （the main character） was like a headless chicken running around。 Didn't really get into this story， at all。 Unlike its predecessor。 。。。more

Scott Lee ，

This novel is--especially compared to most of the multi-volume novels published as trilogies etc。 in Science Fiction and Fantasy--really a stand alone novel related to Annihilation。 It is also a very different type of book。 Annihilation is an apocalyptic journey into "Area X，" a mysterious sealed off portion of the south-eastern United States perhaps extra-terrestrial in origin （VanderMeer cagily avoids confirming）。 In that it has that quest element underlying the plot， it is a more typical scie This novel is--especially compared to most of the multi-volume novels published as trilogies etc。 in Science Fiction and Fantasy--really a stand alone novel related to Annihilation。 It is also a very different type of book。 Annihilation is an apocalyptic journey into "Area X，" a mysterious sealed off portion of the south-eastern United States perhaps extra-terrestrial in origin （VanderMeer cagily avoids confirming）。 In that it has that quest element underlying the plot， it is a more typical science-fiction novel。 Authority follows an entirely new cast of characters within The Southern Reach--the government agency responsible for Area X and the expeditions such as the one followed in Annihilation。 This is more a tale of office politics and inter-agency competition than a straight science fiction story。 And while Area X maintains its surreal nature from the first book， it's at a distance， and only indirectly experienced。 So， the Southern Reach seems like a typical dysfunctional office for much of the novel before the climax brings the feel/atmosphere of Annihilation's excursion 。 This difference has clearly turned off any number of the reviewers I saw here in looking through， and if the expectation of strict continuance of style and plot led them to their frustration I get it， although I don't agree。 The interoffice politics provide an opportunity to present the history of both Area X and the Southern Reach itself （to an extent）， and the juxtaposition of the relatively mundane bureaucratic setting/environment and the sheer surrealness of the elements of Area X that intrude into that setting worked really well for me。 And then the ending。。。well。 Since I won't spoil anything I'll just say that the atmospheric， surreal feeling of the first book slowly re-enters this one， and by the end you know for certain you're reading a book dealing with the same bizarre intrusion into our familiar reality that the first book dealt with。 。。。more

Francesco Tanzillo ，

C'è un grosso problema con i libri di VanderMeer: ad un certo punto il mcguffin diventa troppo più interessante di tutto il resto。Arriva un certo punto in cui la prosa， le descrizioni dei paesaggi fatti di una natura incontaminata e contaminante， la caratterizzazione dei personaggi， tutti gli elementi del romanzo sbiadiscono e il Come passa in secondo piano rispetto al Cosa。Sono sicuro che Jeff sia consapevole di questa sua， chiamiamola abilità， ma potrebbe essere anche un handicap， e fa di tutt C'è un grosso problema con i libri di VanderMeer: ad un certo punto il mcguffin diventa troppo più interessante di tutto il resto。Arriva un certo punto in cui la prosa， le descrizioni dei paesaggi fatti di una natura incontaminata e contaminante， la caratterizzazione dei personaggi， tutti gli elementi del romanzo sbiadiscono e il Come passa in secondo piano rispetto al Cosa。Sono sicuro che Jeff sia consapevole di questa sua， chiamiamola abilità， ma potrebbe essere anche un handicap， e fa di tutto per nascondere i progressi che i suoi personaggi fanno nel mistero attraverso teatrali cambi di scena e "rivelazioni" che vengono prima esibite in quanto esistenti e poi nascoste come in un lezioso gioco di prestigio。Ora， credo che per leggere Autorità sia strumentale aver dimenticato parte di Annientamento， per immedesimarsi maggiormente nella ricerca di spiegazioni di Controllo， lo scrittore lo sa e rimescola le carte in tavola per allontanarti dalla soluzione sepolta， forse， nel terzo volume。VanderMeer è un furbo， sa farsi leggere anche velocemente ma non so se è il mio tipo di furbo a causa di quel senso di inconcludenza e vaghezza che finisce per caratterizzare il giro che fa fare al suo racconto。 。。。more

Dustin Dwiggins ，

I'm so confused。。。 I'm so confused。。。 。。。more

Hannah ，

This was just a whole lot of workplace drama， not enough of literally anything conclusive about the obscurities that were alluded to Area X from the very beginning。 Except maybe a handful of minor glimpses。 Almost timidly rendered。 Almost as if afraid of expending the scarce fragments there were that constituted the general idea or lack thereof。 Almost in the absence of the needed authority over its own course。 This never goes beyond the confines of the Southern Reach， which could have been an i This was just a whole lot of workplace drama， not enough of literally anything conclusive about the obscurities that were alluded to Area X from the very beginning。 Except maybe a handful of minor glimpses。 Almost timidly rendered。 Almost as if afraid of expending the scarce fragments there were that constituted the general idea or lack thereof。 Almost in the absence of the needed authority over its own course。 This never goes beyond the confines of the Southern Reach， which could have been an interesting setting as a classified government agency reputed for ecological disasters alone， but the reluctant prodding was just relentless。 Hoot and holler， though I’m still interested enough to know how this is all going to end in the last book。 。。。more

Jennie ，

I listened to this on audible and the narrator was great。 The book is ok， better than Annihilation。

Lauren ，

Absolutely amazing， I will not be able to sleep after some of that imagery， truly a fitting and amazing sequel to annhilation。 i get shivers from the writing that could so masterfully produce such intense suspense and downright horrorific descriptions。 fantastic， wonderful， i need to let it process before finishing this trilogy because *wow*。 terroir indeed。

Daren Callow ，

This book is the very essence of a slow-burner。 I can't say I didn't enjoy it， but I can't rave about it either。 If you like Stephen King-esque steady disquiet then this is for you。 I've bought the third one and will read it， so I guess I'm here for the duration。 This book is the very essence of a slow-burner。 I can't say I didn't enjoy it， but I can't rave about it either。 If you like Stephen King-esque steady disquiet then this is for you。 I've bought the third one and will read it， so I guess I'm here for the duration。 。。。more

Emma Ní Mhurchú ，

I honestly don't know how to feel about it， I'm hoping I enjoy Acceptance more I honestly don't know how to feel about it， I'm hoping I enjoy Acceptance more 。。。more

Christina ，

I liked Annihilation much better。 The main character in this book， to be honest， I absolutely hated him， which made it pretty hard to enjoy the story， given that it mostly consists of his thought processes。Which is a pity because I do like the world building and I want to know how the mystery unfolds， but I had to slog through it to find out and almost decided not to finish it。Here's to hoping book three is once again written from a different perspective？ I liked Annihilation much better。 The main character in this book， to be honest， I absolutely hated him， which made it pretty hard to enjoy the story， given that it mostly consists of his thought processes。Which is a pity because I do like the world building and I want to know how the mystery unfolds， but I had to slog through it to find out and almost decided not to finish it。Here's to hoping book three is once again written from a different perspective？ 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Authority

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Authority&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Authority&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0