ONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS OF 2024:The New York Times, Washington Post, New York Magazine, TIME, Kirkus, Literary Hub, GoodreadsThe surprise fourth volume in Jeff VanderMeer’sSouthern Reachseries—and the final word on one of the most provocative & popular speculative fiction series of our time.When theSouthern Reachtrilogy was first published a decade ago, it was an instant sensation, celebrated in a front-pageNew York Timesstory before publication, hailed byStephen King& many others. Each volume climbed the bestseller list; awards were won; the books made the rare transition from paperback original to hardcover; themovie adaptationbecame a cult classic. All told, the trilogy has sold more than a million copies & has secured its place in the pantheon of twenty-first-century literature.And yet for all this, forJeff VanderMeerthere was never full closure to the story ofArea X. There were a few mysteries that had gone unsolved, some key points of view never aired. There were stories left to tell. There remained questions about who had been complicit in creating the conditions for Area X to take hold; the story of the first mission into theForgotten Coast—before Area X was called Area X—had never been fully told; and what if someone had foreseen the world afterAcceptance? How crazy would they seem?Structured in three parts, each recounting a new expedition,Absolutionis a brilliant, beautiful, & ever-terrifying plunge into unique & fertile literary territory. There are some long-awaited answers here, to be sure, but also more questions, & profound new surprises. It is the final word on one of the most provocative & popular speculative fiction series of our time.°°°Jeff VanderMeeris the author ofHummingbird Salamander, theBornenovels (Borne,The Strange Bird, &Dead Astronauts), &The Southern Reach Trilogy(Annihilation,Authority, &Acceptance)