Geekly Reader discussion

So we begin the first of hopefully many discussions. Post your thoughts and/or questions below.

Ok. So this is our selection? I'll buy the book and begin reading... soon.

Yes, by a vote of 2 to 1 and 1, this book is the winner for our group read for the month of April. Then mid-April I'll put up a poll to select our May group read.

Ok. Book purchased. I'm 62% done with what I'm reading now, so hopefully I'll be able to start Annihilation in the next week or so.

Cool! I've got the book too and will start it soon.

Lisa wrote: "Cool! I've got the book too and will start it soon."

Awesome!

So I'll get the ball rolling...what did people think of Area X? What the heck is going on?

Jason wrote: "So I'll get the ball rolling...what did people think of Area X? What the heck is going on?"

:( I'm really sorry. I'm having a hard time with this book. And it may be its just not my cup of tea. I'll give it another try in the coming week.

Area X is freaking me out. We have chosen a thoroughly disturbing story. I don't see any obvious connection, but reading this gives me the same feeling (not a good feeling - a pulled down, bothered feeling) as the Dark Tower series by Stephen King.

Yes, I got much the same feeling from the Dark Tower as well. It is one of those books that I had a hard time visualizing what was happening partly because I didn't want to have that running through my mind. But the story telling has really drawn me in. What did you think of the use of the character's roles rather than names?

I'm finding the lack of names eerie, but also an interesting way to keep the reader at a distance from the characters. They're not people. They're a job. Which also makes it strangely uncomfortable for the biologist to keep telling us details about her life and her previous connection with Area X ... like she's doing something wrong or invasive because she is only supposed to be a generic job.

I'm riveted by the strange tunnel vs tower tension, but it makes me uncomfortable. What were your initial reactions to the tower/tunnel?

What I got from the tunnel/tower debate was that w/ a tower there is a decent into "the unknown"...ending in a probable dead end and we're not going to like what's down there. Whereas, a tunnel signals the hope that there is a another side, and we may not like the journey in the dark but at least we'll get through it. And I feel like it kinda captures how I feel about where the book is headed. IF the story is a an uncomfortable tunnel then there is a chance to come out on the other side with answers and I'll keep going. But if we are just headed down a dark, strange buried tower, then I'm apprehensive about that. Do you think you will read the next one?

I promise I will start reading the April selection any time now; almost certainly before the end of May.

The great thing about Goodreads is this discussion will be here waiting. Can't wait to see what you think.

I finished this book on Saturday, and as of today (Monday) I can't decide whether I liked it well enough to read the second one. I did like the way it ended, and for me the most interesting aspect of it was not the mystery of Area X and the Tower, but the background volunteered by the Biologist as it related to her experiences in Area X. I felt like she was realizing that she treated the expedition and the mystery of the place the way she should have treated her marriage, especially after reading her husband's journal. I thought the book overall was a sort of commentary on human interactions, and the fear of interdependence and truly knowing another person, having them truly know you. Her thoughts on the advancement of the border seemed to echo her entire attitude toward her marriage. That was my take on it anyway, that it was sort of a hidden love story, a woman who relates better to things that don't relate to her, trying to relate to other humans (or at least, one other human).
I hope a late post is okay.

Caitlin wrote: "I finished this book on Saturday, and as of today (Monday) I can't decide whether I liked it well enough to read the second one. I did like the way it ended, and for me the most interesting aspect..."

Caitlin, I really like your take on it. Not something I was really focused on when I read, but thinking back on it I can totally see the comment on social interactions. I knew there was something deeper here. And I saw you mentioned in a facebook post, that you had thoughts of The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verril, which I also thought about as I read this. I am still trying to figure out what was going on in that tunnel/tower with the writing on the wall, etc. Is there a deeper, symbolic meaning?

The Tower itself is puzzling, and one of the reasons I'm thinking about reading the rest of the trilogy is to see if they explain that on a non-symbolic level. The writing seems to be an invitation to assimilate, to let Area X in, especially given the fact that the Biologist got too close and inhaled spores and that's how she became "infected" with it. Maybe if we knew more about what the Tower is, it'll become more clear what it means. I definitely just talked myself into reading the rest of it!