Authority, just divided up more.
Just as wordy, full of dialogue from characters that run around in circles both physically and mentally, and drags just as much as Authority. Not any of the fun suspense, dread, and horror of Annihilation. This series really did die for me after the first book, and I'm glad I finished it. I must admit this was more interesting and expounded on the story more than Authority, but every single answer he gives you either raises another question, or is a vague "answer" that still leaves everything open-ended. Essentially the majority of the answers you get are speculation on part of the characters, with nothing definite. So since nothing really gets resolved throughout this series, I'd say quit on the enjoyable one and don't read past Annihilation.