Jeff VanderMeer's "Absolution" is a dark mirror to the Southern Reach Trilogy

Thom Dunn

Image: Amazon

A decade ago, author Jeff VanderMeer released Area X: The Southern Reach Trilogy, a sort of weird alien first-contact series where the only thing scarier than pristine nature was the cold, unfeeling bureaucracy of military intelligence organizations. The books were critically acclaimed—particularly the first installment, Annihilation, which…