After a ten-year hiatus, sci-fi author Jeff VanderMeer is giving fans a surprise fourth installment in the Southern Reach series. The first three books were all published back in 2014 to critical acclaim, and the first novel, Annihilation, was adapted into a film of the same name starring Natalie Portman in 2018. Now the trilogy is becoming a tetralogy with the fourth novel, Absolution. The book arrives on October 22, and preorders are available now at Amazon.
To celebrate the upcoming release, new 10th Anniversary Editions of the first three Southern Reach novels–Annihilation, Authority, and Acceptance–released in July. The new editions have cover art that matches Absolution.
If you need to catch up on the Southern Reach series before Absolution, your cheapest option in physical format is the Area X single-volume hardcover featuring the first three novels. Your cheapest option overall, however, is the Jeff VanderMeer’s Weird Worlds Humble Bundle, which is available until August 24, and contains digital copies of the Southern Reach series as well as VanderMeer’s other fiction.
$26 ($30)
Absolution continues the tale of Area X–a mysterious, uninhabited coastal region where unexplainable phenomena occur. Fans of the first three books will finally get many of their lingering questions answered, though the novel will also introduce new mysteries for readers to unravel. In short, this return trip to Area X will be much like the first three outings, offering a thought-provoking narrative that’ll stick with you long after you close the book.
The 464-page hardcover novel is broken up into three parts, with each section covering a new adventure. It’ll likely make a great addition to bookshelves too, as its colorful, abstract cover is a gorgeous piece of artwork. Absolution is the longest novel in the Southern Reach series by nearly 100 pages.
Get 11 books for only $18
The Jeff VanderMeer Humble Bundle supports a great charitable cause and comes with 11 books for $18. Along with the first three Southern Reach series, you’ll get all of VanderMeer’s other notable fiction. You can get the first book at Humble for only $1 and the trilogy plus one other book for just $10, but the full bundle with 11 books for $18 offers the best value by far. Here are the books you’ll get, all of which are delivered instantly in EPUB format to use on any electronic reader or reading app.
- Annihilation (Southern Reach 1)
- Authority (Southern Reach 2)
- Acceptance (Southern Reach 3)
- City of Saints and Madmen (Ambergris 1)
- Shriek: An Afterword (Ambergris 2)
- Finch (Ambergris 3)
- Borne
- The Strange Bird (A Borne Story)
- Dead Astronauts (Borne sequel)
- Veniss Underground
- Dead Astronauts
- Hummingbird Salamander
If you’d prefer to own VanderMeer’s non-Southern Reach books in physical format, there are some nice deals at Amazon, too.
Most notably, you can buy the single-volume hardcover edition of the Ambergris trilogy for only $24.50 (was $35). This 880-page edition of Ambergris is the only way to get City of Saints and Madmen, Shriek, and Finch in one package. It also has the benefit of matching the previously mentioned single-volume edition of the original Southern Reach Trilogy (Area X).
Other standout deals include the wildly inventive novel Borne for $11 (was $19) and its sequel, Dead Astronauts, for $13 (was $19). You’ll also find his debut novel, Veniss Underground, available in a reissued 20th edition format for $11 (down from $19).
Beyond VanderMeer’s fiction, you’ll find Wonderbook: The Illustrated Guide to Creating Imaginative Fiction for $16 (down from $28, and great for aspiring novelists), The Big Book of Classic Fantasy for $19 (down from $25), and The Big Book of Modern Fantasy for $15 (down from $26). The pair of fantasy anthologies were co-edited with VanderMeer’s wife, Ann.
And if you want to see the film adaptation of the first Southern Reach novel, you can grab the Annihilation 4K Blu-ray edition for $22.58 (was $26) at Amazon.
Jeff VanderMeer Books
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