I hate to say it, but Absolution was a swing-and-a-miss.

A decade after publishing the final book in his Southern Reach (Area X) trilogy, Vandermeer returns to his masterpiece of weird fiction with this prequel: Absolution. Full points for continuing the alliteration (Annihilation, Authority, Acceptance, Absolution).

The book begins with a character you can care for—Old Jim, a man with some city miles on him. His strained relationship with his daughter humanizes him. What Central does is just . . . gutting.

My problem with this book is that the descent into weird fiction, where even language breaks down, leaves all that emotion hanging unresolved. I don’t need my books to have tidy endings (I read The Malazan Book of the Fallen, after all!), but I at least expect a coherent story. I suppose that’s the problem with Area-X (the fictional place, not the book): it unravels existence. It unraveled this story too far to be enjoyed.

Vandermeer, Jeff. Absolution: A Southern Reach Novel. London: 4th Estate, 2024.