Annihilation is a 2014 novel by Jeff VanderMeer. It is the first in a series of three books called the Southern Reach Trilogy. The book describes a team of four women (a biologist, an anthropologist, a psychologist, and a surveyor) who set out into an area known as Area X.

Is Annihilation faithful to the book?

Alex Garland's Annihilation, the mind-bending science fiction journey into the world of Jeff VanderMeer's Southern Reach books, is an astounding film. ... But Garland found a way to make the film into its own creature. His version is simultaneously faithful in spirit and shockingly bold in its departures in plot and theme.

Is the book Annihilation scary?

Annihilation Has Horror and Sci-Fi Imagery

The bodies of some of the characters mutate in terrifying and bloody ways. However, some of the imagery of the flora and fauna altered by the Shimmer can be rather beautiful - if creepy and surreal.