Rian and Kris cross the border to the mysterious Area X for their very first buddy read. The duo discuss Jeff VanderMeer’s Southern Reach trilogy in-depth, and walk away forever changed.

Join our ⁠Patreon⁠ for free to participate in the book discussion!

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

00:58 Kick-off with a quote

06:33 Non-spoiler intro to the trilogy

08:52 Structure of the discussion

10:16 Plot and characters in Annihilation (Book 1)

24:01 Exploration of themes

30:46 Exploration of Authority (Book 2)

40:07 Acceptance (Book 3), more themes, WTF moments

58:43 Favourite WTF moments

01:03:50 Rian’s final points

01:07:31 Author intentions

01:09:38 Thoughts on our first buddy read

01:12:29 How to support the podcast

01:14:18 Links, socials, and intro to the next episode

Annihilation - Jeff Vandermeer

Authority - Jeff Vandermeer

Acceptance - Jeff Vandermeer

Movie: Brick (2005) written & directed by Rian Johnson

An explanation (Jeff VanderMeer article): 

https://commforum.mit.edu/the-spooky-science-of-the-southern-reach-an-evening-with-jeff-vandermeer-3f2faaf0dbb6

Follow Kris and Rian:

⁠A Fictional Escapist (YouTube)⁠

⁠A Fictional Escapist (Instagram)⁠

⁠Rian (Instagram)⁠

Follow Genre Blender for podcast updates:

⁠genreblenderpodcast.com⁠

⁠YouTube⁠

⁠Instagram⁠

⁠TikTok⁠