Authority

Abstract

Authority is the second novel in the Southern Reach trilogy and the sequel to Annihilation. While the first novel in the series takes place inside Area X, the second one is partly set in the headquarters of the Southern Reach agency and it follows protagonist John Rodriguez, better known as Control. The story is set in the aftermath of the failed twelfth expedition to the enigmatic Area X. Control, the newly-appointed director of the agency, is investigating the mysteries behind the previous expeditions, which seem to follow the patterns of lab experiments, determining, for example, that an all-male eleventh expedition would be followed by an all-female twelfth excursion. The objective of these forays is to understand the unexplained changes to the ecosystem of the region that lies beyond a mysterious border. Control starts interrogating the biologist, who unexpectedly returns from Area X, though the woman in question claims she is not the biologist and asks to be called Ghost Bird, which suggests she might be a clone. When Area X envelops the headquarters where Control operates from, he escapes and follows the biologist/Ghost Bird, finding her in a field of study where she had conducted experiments prior to any association with the Southern Reach. Upon meeting her again, Control crosses the portal this woman had created and both of them enter Area X.