Authority: (10Th Anniversary Edition): The bestselling second science fiction novel in the now-classic Southern Reach Series (The Southern Reach Trilogy)

In the second volume of the Southern Reach Trilogy, questions are answered, stakes are raised, and mysteries are deepened … Following the disastrous twelfth expedition chronicled in ‘Annihilation’, the second book of the Southern Reach trilogy introduces John Rodriguez, the new head of the government agency responsible for the safeguarding of Area X. His first day is spent grappling with the fall-out from the last expedition. Area X itself remains a mystery. But, as instructed by a higher authority known only as The Voice, the self-styled Control must battle to ‘put his house in order’. From a series of interrogations, a cache of hidden notes and hours of profoundly troubling video footage, the mysteries of Area X begin to reveal themselves—and what they expose pushes Control to confront disturbing truths about both himself and the agency he’s promised to serve. Undermined and under pressure to make sense of everything, Rodriguez retreats into his past in a labyrinthine search for answers. Yet the more he uncovers, the more he risks, for the secrets of the Southern Reach are more sinister than anyone could have known. In this top-tier literary fiction, VanderMeer masterfully blends sci-fi and action, creating a unique mashup that keeps readers on their toes. The technological aspects of the narrative add an extra layer of thrill, making Authority a must-read for adventure enthusiasts. For fans of Ray Nayler (The Mountain in the Sea), Christopher Buehlman (The Daughters' War), T Kingfisher (Paladin's Strength), Ursula K. Le Guin (The Left Hand of Darkness), and Boris Strugatsky (One Billion Years to the End of the World).