Was pretty sure I wasn’t going to get complete answers on the nature of Area X nor closure on all of the characters, however, I was already dedicated towards finishing and finding out what I could. 

Area X is basically so alien, so extraordinary, that it cannot be rendered into taxonomy. The five senses alone aren’t enough to accurately describe what it is and what it does to humans. This book bounces along the perspectives of the psychologist / director of book one, Control / John of book two, Ghost Bird (aka the double of the biologist of book one), and Saul Evans, a gay ex-minister turned light house keeper that eventually became the Crawler from book one. 

This book was far more enjoyable to me. I was so invested in the biologist from book one, and it annoyed me tremendously that the protagonist changed in book two. Control was okay as a character, but what spurred me along reading the second book was my desire to find out what happened to the biologist! While I enjoyed Ghost Bird and her attempts to live up to, correct the mistakes, and understand the memories of her original, I really wanted the biologist back. 

Fortunately for me, eventually we get to read the letter left by the OG Protagonist and what happened to her!

Still, I was left scratching my head throughout this series constantly wondering what the heck I read. Everything is described in such an ambiguous way, and probably something you could reread multiple times and walk away with a different understanding. 

I just wish there was more closure. I was also left disappointed that Control and Ghost Bird from book two didn’t ride into the sunset together, for obvious reasons as Area X’s affect on him, but there were cute moments of affection between the two.

I really enjoyed Saul’s perspective, a gay ex-minister with a lover named Charlie.

It’s tragic what he becomes, the crawler, the first modified creature coming out of Area X and being left to write ominous words in fungi within the tunnel,

but his love for Charlie was genuine and touching. He’s not so overly stereotypical gay that it overshadows who he is as a person and what he does. I didn’t feel pandered to. Saul felt authentic, real, a man, due to the time and occupation he is in having to stay in the closet, but still loving Charlie as best he could. I loved Saul. 

Very good book! Just wish there had been more closure of all the characters and their plots, but I’ll take what I can get!