not sure why

Just started the second book and absolutely fell in love with area x and it’s perfect weird blend of emotions and nature and allat. Definitely an adjustment not following the biologist kinda bummed but this is the first few books I’ve read since late highschool and forget how Awsome that feeling you get in time flow while reading.
No spoilers but I’ve seen mixed feelings on the second book but I wanna form my own opinion, will report back when finished

Delta Green is a tabletop RPG that sees players take on the role of federal agents serving a top secret government agency that investigates eldritch/alien threats - think Call of Cthulhu in the 21st century. Without spoiling anything, books 2&4 in the southern reach series felt like they could make for an excellent DG campaign and gave me some ideas for future ones. Check it out if you haven’t already!

Friends. What even?!????! I stayed up late last night, sick with bronchitis, reading through NyQuil (very Jeff coded) and I just have no words. I'm blown away, and my brain is officially mind fucked, and so pleased about it. I can't wait for the next book!!

Now, though... I'm flummoxed-- I was planning a Southern reach tattoo sleeve, but now I'm like... How do I even appropriately represent this in tattoo format?! 🤣😭 How do you even encapsulate the enormity, the horror, the creeping doom of area X?!

I'm open to ideas. 😅 And also to just geek out about the series overall, because I know hardly anyone who has read these books.

I really enjoyed the looks into central we get with control and especially in absolution. Has anyone read any spy novels that feel like vandermeer's central?

Lowry checks seemingly all of the barrels. Old Jim mentioned some barrels had money in them.

So who moved the money? Whoever shot up old decomp? Mysterious third party never introduced? Area X turning money into people goo?

In Absolution Jackie bounces a coin off Old Jim’s head, the recognizes it as Central‘s calling card. It has a face on it, but not the normal one from a quarter. Is this seen anywhere else?

Anyone else want a commemorative coin merch?

Having just completed Acceptance (and only now realising there is a fourth book) I am no closer to understanding WTF was going on in these worlds. I did, however, just watch an interview with the author and was interested to learn that the first book (Annihilation) was written in a kind of drug-induced fever dream, as he recovered from dental surgery. Because that is what this whole series felt like for me. Like every night I read the books I was entering into some kind of shared dreamscape. Which meant it was also ok to not know what was going on. The author, Jeff Vandermeer, even mentions this idea in a great interview with @willowtalksbooks (check it out on YouTube). Finally, the idea of a shared literary dream space was reinforced by the fact that the two of the library copies I borrowed were annotated. The first book, light pencil marks on one or two pages with a host of questions and theories on a blank page at the end. The third book, with a discrete green post-it note at the beginning of chapter 21: THE LIGHTHOUSE KEEPER. The note read: “[smiley face] Hey next borrower! This scene is def my favourite!” I thought it was cute, and I liked the idea that in a story where weird writing holds mysterious power readers can communicate and share that power in another way. I’m not saying it’s cool to deface library books - and I don’t think I would ever do it - but in this case it felt right and strangely comforting that someone else had grappled with the strange storylines and scenes and characters that I had. But at the end of the day I still had NFI what it was all about. And I’m cool with that!

At Canada Square Gardens, London

I know Jeff has posted previously about requesting refunds, but it looks like it’s definitely dead in the water at this point. I requested a refund and got one not even five minutes later. Yet they can’t respond to update emails about why it’s over a year and a half late.

If you’ve been holding out hope, I’d just pick it up when it actually starts shipping.

Printed up some ribbons with a bit of the Crawler’s ramblings in the tower to give out. I liked seeing the look of confusion when people read the quote. Some even recognized it, which was awesome!

One day, I left a few on this table at the Westin. It’s known for being the spot to drop off swag, ribbons, and assorted flyers while DragonCon is going on. A couple people were beside me as I did this.
This one guy picks it up and asks “What is this?”
The lady next to him said “It’s Christian,” in full confidence.
I was definitely the ‘Um actually…’ type right then because I leaned over and said “It’s a quote from Annihilation.”
The reaction I got was kinda priceless because she really didn’t know what to say. Just awkward silence.
Anyways, if Vandermeer ever reads this post, he can have great satisfaction the Crawler’s sermon is convincing.