The Book Report
By A Bae Hel
I read a lot of books. A LOT. There have been phases in my life where I was too busy or too tired to read. Books have carried me through the best of times and the worst of times. They are the friends we never knew we needed, happy to be shoved into a bag, gathering dust on a shelf, lost under the seat of the car. I am not an expert on literature, but I am willing to explore the genres and find something to engage my mind and hopefully, create growth. I used to be a book snob; only reading the paper kind. Then when I was traveling quite a bit, I discovered the magic of kindle, carrying a library with me. I started dabbling with audiobooks to find a means of providing my mum, who was losing her sight, a means of stimulating her mind. Now I vary between the technologies to get my daily fix.
There is No Antimemetics Division by qntm
Audiobook on Audible
What the hell did I just read?
Occasionally, and it seems to be very rarely these days, you emerge from a book with confusion and wonder at the mind that created whatever it was you just read. I think the last one was Naked Lunch by Burroughs. That was a wild ride.
But this, this was within the science fiction genre, but science fiction we rarely see anymore. Science fiction with a reality completely unrelatable to our current one, except that there are humans. Mind you, some of them are simply shells for the vast and terrifying entity that is slowly, or rapidly sucking up their memories. These entities are intellectual viruses, meme ideas that overwrite your reality. The monsters among us, unperceived are feeding on memories, and memories are how we define who we are. When your memories are gone, what, or who are you? Do you exist?
I am reminded of the nameless horrors of Lovecraft and the Silence of Doctor Who. The writing is cleverly crafted to engage and build the terrifying philosophical mystery evolving in installments and snippets before you. Do ideas create reality? Can a meme start a war? End an empire? Destroy a civilization? Why can’t I remember any more?
The characters are likeable. It is tragic and scary and puts the best of science fiction and horror together on a plate for you to subsume into your psyche and to grip your imagination for days after.
I recommend. I give this one- 5 sleepless nights.
