I was nervous about this follow-up given how incredible the original trilogy is, but this was a worthy addition. I loved that the rabbits from Authority were brought back in a wonderfully creepy way, every time horror utilizes a typically herbivorous prey animal acting predatory I find the uncanny effect chilling. 

My favorite sections were the first and last. The middle isn't bad, but I've always been more intrigued by the surreal nature of Area X in these stories than anything else. So of course, Lowry's section was the greatest in the book. Lowry drugged out of his mind experiencing both the surreal brain alteration of a trip AND the cosmic horror of his surroundings was so perfectly written and exactly the sort of reason I love VanderMeer. He manages to make pages and pages of f-bombs every other word work without feeling tedious.

And the ending to the book was pulled off perfectly. Area X works best when it's only grasped in the vaguest of ways, and that's how the resolution is brought about. Never knowing if what's happening is a hallucination or real, coupled with a hilarious and forceful personality, this section showcases VanderMeer at his trippy best.