''Absolution'' is a 2024 novel by

Jeff VanderMeer Jeff VanderMeer (born July 7, 1968) is an American author, editor, and literary critic. Initially associated with the New Weird literary genre, VanderMeer crossed over into mainstream success with his bestselling Southern Reach Series. The se ...

, and the fourth entry in the '' Southern Reach Series''. It is both a prequel and sequel to the ''Southern Reach Series''.

Background

The three previous books in the ''Southern Reach series'' were written and published within the span of a few months in 2014, and VanderMeer only started thinking about writing ''Absolution'' in 2017. VanderMeer claims that the idea for ''Absolution's'' plot came to him almost fully formed on 31 July 2023, at which point he wrote continuously until 31 December. He then submitted it to his publisher, who accelerated pre-production steps to shorten the time until it was released. In the days leading up to the publishing of ''Absolution'', VanderMeer was forced to evacuate from his home in

Tallahassee Tallahassee ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of and the only incorporated municipality in Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2024, the est ...

Florida due to

Hurricane Helene Hurricane Helene ( ) was a deadly and devastating tropical cyclone that caused widespread catastrophic damage and numerous fatalities across the Southeastern United States in late September 2024. It was the strongest hurricane on record to ...

, mirroring the themes of systemic environmental events in ''Absolution'' and other books in the series.

Plot

A team of biologists explore the region that is to become Area X in order to study local

alligators An alligator, or colloquially gator, is a large reptile in the genus ''Alligator'' of the family Alligatoridae in the order Crocodilia. The two extant species are the American alligator (''A. mississippiensis'') and the Chinese alligator (''A ...

. The team then is attacked by a pack of carnivorous rabbits with cameras on their back. The biologists become insane, and encounter a paranormal entity that attacks them. The government then covers up the incident. The book then focuses on Old Jim, a local bar owner and a member of the Central agency, who is sent to investigate the expedition and a group of occultists performing experiments in the lighthouse. Finally, the book details Central's first doomed expedition into the newly awakened Area X. Among their members is Lowry, who later oversees Central's operations in the Southern Reach.

Reception

''Absolution'' received positive reviews from critics. The ''

Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' praised ''Absolution'', stating that despite low expectations, it maintained the same quality as the original trilogy. They note that the book managed to overcome the common issue of horror becoming less effective in longer works. The ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' generally praised the novel, stating that the opening sections were "some of VanderMeer's best writing." The ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' positively compared the horror and grief depicted in the book to the paintings of

Hieronymus Bosch Hieronymus Bosch (; ; born Jheronimus van Aken ; – 9 August 1516) was a Dutch people, Dutch painter from Duchy of Brabant, Brabant. He is one of the most notable representatives of the Early Netherlandish painting school. His work, gene ...

, and the

Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...

described the book as "maddening, haunting, and compelling."

References

External links

The first chapter of Absolution
on

Wired Wired may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * ''Wired'' (Jeff Beck album), 1976 * ''Wired'' (Hugh Cornwell album), 1993 * ''Wired'' (Mallory Knox album), 2017 * "Wired", a song by Prism from their album '' Beat Street'' * "Wired ...

The second chapter of Absolution
on Reactor Magazine {{Jeff VanderMeer 2024 American novels 2024 science fiction novels American science fiction novels Weird fiction novels English-language novels Farrar, Straus and Giroux books