Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer is the first of his Southern Reach trilogy.  It tells of the story of Area X which has been cut off from the world for many years. The reason is unclear. Either no one know why or most likely the government is not saying. Not many people know it is there. Several expeditions have been sent to the area, but have never returned or those who do return are former shells of themselves.  The twelfth expedition consists of four women only known by their occupations.  The biologist, the psychologist, the anthropologist and the surveyor.  The linguist was scheduled to go, but for unknown reasons dropped out.  The psychologist is in charge, but the story is told by the biologist who volunteered to go and we don't know why until about the middle of the book.  They do not know each others names. They are supposed to map part of the area and then return.  Knowing that other expeditions have failed, racks up the tension immediately.
Jeff writes in a very descriptive and atmospheric style.  You feel as though you are there hearing the nighttime moaning and seeing the eerie signs of previous human habitation.  Instruments are useless. The crew distrust each other immediately and it is discovered that the psychologist is able to hypnotize them in order to change their thinking.  What other secrets are they keeping from each other?  Does anyone survive?
The tower which is the first building they explore was not on any maps they brought with them or maps which were found when they first entered the site.  The tower has its own secrets. What they find in the tower will change the life of the biologist forever. And who or what is the Crawler?  What is the purpose of the spores released by the Tower?  As the biologist says "I am aware that all this speculation is incomplete, inexact, inaccurate and useless.  If I don't have real answers, it is because we still don't know what questions to ask."  I am glad this book was divided into three parts.  Even though it is a page turner, there is a lot to digest.  The second and third part of the trilogy is coming out this summer.