I loved the movie already which I still consider one of the best SF/horror movies out there, so I was really curious to dive into the Southern Reach series especially after hearing the story diverged heavily from the movie. And indeed while the latter borrowed some parts from the book it felt like a separate expedition into Area X so everything felt fresh and full of suspens, and I was on the edge of my page for most of it.

It was really an amazing plus over the movie to be in the main character’s head and see them change through the book from the inside as well. The prose is really dry and methodic while containing lots of beautiful descriptions, overall it does an amazing job at putting you in her head and shoes. I loved also how the “final” scene managed to be transcribed equally beautifully by text than in the crazy visuals of the movie. On that note I thought in terms of showcasing the wildness of the zone’s wilds the book was tamer than the movie, revealing less and playing more on the characters and the psychological horror than the actual “creations” of the zone. So I’m really eager to dig into the rest of the series, especially knowing it’s still ongoing. Now I just need to find them in library 😛