I’ve read Jeff Vanermeers Ambergris trilogy of books maybe a dozen times.

I will probably keep reading it annually for years to come.

But why? Why has it captured me?

I first read the books on paper, one-by-one.

  1. City of Saints and Madmen
  2. Shriek: An Afterword
  3. Finch

Later, I got the compendium of all three books.

Here’s the cool cover:

It’s edited down slightly and easier to handle. To sit-with.

For a long time I would re-read the trilogy. Often twice a year.

Also, the audiobook is great, specifically Bronson Pinchot (yes, that Bronson Pinchot) in the first two books. He elevates the series. I now prefer his voice in my ears rather than my own in my head.

More recently, I pick out my favorite parts and just re-read those.

Specifically, I love:

  • An Early History of Ambergris
  • The Cage
  • Finch (all of it)

There’s probably more, but that’s what I’ve got off the cuff.

I guess I enjoy wading through “Shriek: An Afterword”, especially the ending. But the build is slow and takes motivation.

As soon as I read “An Early History of Ambergris”, I was hooked.

More formally titled:

  • The Hoegbotton Guide to the Early History of Ambergris by Duncan Shriek

Here’s a summary of this piece (via DeepSeek):

“The Hoegbotton Guide to the Early History of the City of Ambergris” by Jeff VanderMeer, attributed to the fictional historian Duncan Shriek, is a detailed and eccentric account of the origins and early history of Ambergris, a fantastical city. The guide delves into the city’s founding by the enigmatic explorer Cappan John Manzikert, who discovered the ruins of an ancient civilization built by the mysterious gray caps, a subterranean race of mushroom-like beings.

The narrative explores the complex relationship between the human settlers and the gray caps, who initially retreated underground but continued to influence the city’s development. The guide also covers key historical events, such as the Festival of the Freshwater Squid, which has both celebratory and sinister undertones, and the rise of the powerful Hoegbotton family, who play a significant role in the city’s commerce and politics.

Throughout the guide, Duncan Shriek’s voice is scholarly yet tinged with personal obsession and a sense of foreboding, as he uncovers darker aspects of Ambergris’s history, including the gray caps’ possible involvement in various calamities and their cryptic motives. The guide is rich with historical anecdotes, cultural insights, and a pervasive sense of mystery, painting Ambergris as a city where history and myth are inextricably intertwined.

And a better summary from gpt4o:

“The Hoegbotton Guide to the Early History of the City of Ambergris by Duncan Shriek” is a story by Jeff VanderMeer that presents a darkly imaginative and layered history of the fictional city of Ambergris. The narrative unfolds as a pseudo-academic guide written by the eccentric and unreliable historian Duncan Shriek, whose obsessive fascination with Ambergris’s past colors his account.

Summary:

The story details the rise and evolution of Ambergris, a city with a rich, eerie history tied to its original inhabitants, the mysterious gray-skinned Fungal Folk (referred to as “Mushroom Dwellers”). The narrative highlights the brutal colonization of the region by human settlers, led by the tyrannical explorer Manzikert I, who eradicated many of the Fungal Folk to establish human dominance.

The city’s subsequent history is marked by political intrigue, artistic movements, and periodic, catastrophic events like the Silence, during which many citizens disappeared overnight, presumably at the hands of the Fungal Folk who retreated underground but still haunt Ambergris. Shriek’s guide blends myth, historical fact, and folklore, leaving the reader questioning what is true and what is embellished.

Through Shriek’s scholarly voice, the story critiques imperialism, exploitation, and humanity’s tenuous coexistence with the natural and supernatural. It also delves into the psychological and cultural impact of living in a city where the past is an ever-present, oppressive force.

Themes:

  • Colonialism and Violence: The settlers’ treatment of the Fungal Folk mirrors real-world colonization and its consequences.
  • The Unreliable Narrator: Shriek’s biases and eccentricities cast doubt on the accuracy of the account.
  • Myth vs. History: The blend of truth and legend in Shriek’s narrative underscores how history is shaped by those who tell it.
  • Urban Decay and Mystery: Ambergris itself becomes a character, embodying decay, beauty, and danger.

The story is an early example of VanderMeer’s New Weird aesthetic, combining elements of horror, fantasy, and speculative fiction to create an evocative, multi-dimensional narrative. It serves as a foundation for the larger Ambergris Cycle, inviting readers into a world as enigmatic as it is unsettling.

It’s clever, and fun, combining:

  • Deep world-building
  • Weird scifi/horror with “the gray caps” or “mushroom dwellers” (new weird)
  • Mystery (are the gray caps human? the silence? what is going on?)
  • Fiction presented as non-fiction (pseudo-academic)
  • Funny/snide/obsessive narration as footnotes/asides (unreliable narrator)
  • And on.

I think it was initially released as a standalone novella (or “chapbook” or something) published by Necropolitan Press.

I see this review from 1999:

… In The Early History, VanderMeer takes the art of the footnote to new heights - indeed, perhaps half of this slim book consists of supplementary material in the form of footnotes and glossary. …

And this cover on goodreads:

I’d love to get a physical copy of this thing one day :)

(found a copy for $99 USD. Ouch. Collectors item I guess)

Finch, on the other hand is just a ripping story.

I’ve recommend to people to just read it as a standalone. I think it holds up.

For me, it gives some answers about the gray caps and perhaps Duncan Shriek/Samuel Tonsure.

There’s frequently good discussions about the implications of this book on reddit in r/WeirdLit and r/SouthernReach where I like to lurk and occasionally chime in.

I’ve probably re-read Ambergris more than the southern reach/area x trilogy and I re-read that every year also.