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There Is No Antimemetics Division
by
An antimeme is an idea with self-censoring properties; an idea which, by its intrinsic nature, discourages or prevents people from spreading it.
Antimemes are real. Think of any piece of information which you wouldn't share with anybody, like passwords, taboos and dirty secrets. Or any piece of information which would be difficult to share even if you tried: complex equatio ...more
Antimemes are real. Think of any piece of information which you wouldn't share with anybody, like passwords, taboos and dirty secrets. Or any piece of information which would be difficult to share even if you tried: complex equatio ...more
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I'm resisting the urge to write any sort of in-universe or knowing wink of a review, and you should too. It would be like whipping out your recorder and tooting along to a symphony orchestra.
This is a fantastic exploration of a particular SF/horror subgenre by the master himself. There are precursors and adjacent fiction - Langford's BLIT, the concept of "infohazards", The Laundry Files - but this is just on a different level.
Partly thanks to its origins on the web via the SCP Foundation proje ...more
This is a fantastic exploration of a particular SF/horror subgenre by the master himself. There are precursors and adjacent fiction - Langford's BLIT, the concept of "infohazards", The Laundry Files - but this is just on a different level.
Partly thanks to its origins on the web via the SCP Foundation proje ...more
Nov 12, 2020
James Hughes
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
science-fiction
These stories scared the crap out of me. I think the idea of memes that are self-camouflaging, that eliminate their own traces, reflects a deep existential unease and questions about epistemological uncertainty, in a moment when 40% of Americans are lost in conspiracy theories, compounded by the near certainty of a future in which we will be able to manipulate perception and memory in a far more profound way. How do we fight an enemy that denies its own existence?
This book reads like the Laundry Files weird older sibling.
Time jumps and memory gaps are used effectively to convey the struggle against inhuman threats to memory and identity.
The plot spirals inward, sprinkling clues like breadcrumbs for you to piece together. If you like that kind of thing (as I do) it's great. But if you are looking for a fast-paced read with spoon-fed information, then this is not the tale you are looking for. ...more
Time jumps and memory gaps are used effectively to convey the struggle against inhuman threats to memory and identity.
The plot spirals inward, sprinkling clues like breadcrumbs for you to piece together. If you like that kind of thing (as I do) it's great. But if you are looking for a fast-paced read with spoon-fed information, then this is not the tale you are looking for. ...more
As a premise, fantastic. Full of interesting ideas and some great storytelling, especially when focusing on human interactions. However, in broad sweep a disappointing book. If you start from an interesting logical premise, then add a shaky idea on top, then continue stacking shaky ideas one after the other, then eventually you get to a point where anything is true, and any statement you make about the storyline can possibly be true as well - but you have no way of knowing.
A great idea, pushed t ...more
A great idea, pushed t ...more
The idea is absolutely brilliant. Its implication on the story are refreshing and very amusing. The story gets mind-bending and the twists are pure pleasure. Honestly "The is no ..." is the most refreshing SF story I've read in a long time. At least the initial 50-60%. The final part gets very abstract - it's not a real world with a crazy twist anymore - the implications of the changes introduced by author are so deep and far-going that it pretty much loses the connection with the reality we can
...more
“How would you fight something that kills you if you think about it?”
Take a second right now and really think about how a creature like that would work: one that can’t harm you until you know it exists, and by then – it’s too late . A monster that devours not just the victim, but the idea of the victim too. A thing whose footprints are the gaps in your mind where people you knew used to be.
“There is No Antimemetics Division” by qntm is the best kind of science fiction. It’s the kind that asks a ...more
Take a second right now and really think about how a creature like that would work: one that can’t harm you until you know it exists, and by then – it’s too late . A monster that devours not just the victim, but the idea of the victim too. A thing whose footprints are the gaps in your mind where people you knew used to be.
“There is No Antimemetics Division” by qntm is the best kind of science fiction. It’s the kind that asks a ...more
What Sci-Fi was made for.
Suffers a little due to its structure and method of creation, and its goodness is heavily front-loaded, but still warrants a 5 due to extreme creativity and mind-fuckery.
Suffers a little due to its structure and method of creation, and its goodness is heavily front-loaded, but still warrants a 5 due to extreme creativity and mind-fuckery.
Surprisingly good -- easily the best work of fiction related to SCP (which is mostly mediocre Reddit-teenager creepypasta), though maybe there are some gems out there that I'm not aware of.
Quite good for sci-fi, less impressive as actual literature, but I've slowly learned to lower my standards and just go along for the ride, when possible; the prose is just good enough to not be distractingly bad, and for a self-published $0.99 Kindle novel . . . I mean, I'll take it.
The idea/non-idea of antim ...more
Quite good for sci-fi, less impressive as actual literature, but I've slowly learned to lower my standards and just go along for the ride, when possible; the prose is just good enough to not be distractingly bad, and for a self-published $0.99 Kindle novel . . . I mean, I'll take it.
The idea/non-idea of antim ...more
Truly original science fiction is rare, but somehow qntm has stuck on a whole vein of new ideas. This antimemetics concept is brilliant. There is a Lovecraftian element here, sure, and a whole host of other influences, but the way this narrative is told, and the intellectual core of it is really something that I've never encountered before.
This is a story about creatures that feed on information and memories, such that half of this novel is about people trying to guard their own memories - they ...more
This is a story about creatures that feed on information and memories, such that half of this novel is about people trying to guard their own memories - they ...more
The idea was indeed brilliant but because of it's scattered structure and intentional plot holes I had trouble immersing in it. Each time things started to line up and make sense, author jumped elsewhere in time/memory space therefore it was exploited too far up to a point where unfortunately I didn't care too much about the characters or the plot.
...more
Originality is off the chart, storytelling is a little thin in places. Hard to comprehend parts which could only be described in metaphor.
Smooth, poignant, clever, with almost none of its original context weighing it down. (It is an auteur work appended to the 5000 page group novel “SCP”.)
The redactions of “Ará Orún” make an excellent poem.
The redactions of “Ará Orún” make an excellent poem.
Actual rating : 4.5
RTC
RTC
A friend and I watched season 2 of The Witcher recently. It was great, we enjoyed almost every minute of it even though most of our live texts while watching the show basically amount to, "I have no idea what's happening, but I love it!"
I feel much the same way about There Is No Antimemetics Division - I loved it, but most of the time I wasn't sure what was happening.
Like The Witcher, where my only experience is with the world is the TV show, I went into this book knowing nothing at all about ...more
I feel much the same way about There Is No Antimemetics Division - I loved it, but most of the time I wasn't sure what was happening.
Like The Witcher, where my only experience is with the world is the TV show, I went into this book knowing nothing at all about ...more
4.5/5
"SCP-3125 is adapted for survival in an ideatic ecology considerably more violent and hostile than our own. (Here, "our own" refers to human head space: the set of all ideas which human have or are biologically capable of having.)"
Very spooky and brilliantly original in it's existentialist horror but a little kitschy when it comes to the more pedestrian action sequences which are flush with Shyamalan mind-games and cheesy punchlines. This wanes noticeably as the novel progresses and the cli ...more
"SCP-3125 is adapted for survival in an ideatic ecology considerably more violent and hostile than our own. (Here, "our own" refers to human head space: the set of all ideas which human have or are biologically capable of having.)"
Very spooky and brilliantly original in it's existentialist horror but a little kitschy when it comes to the more pedestrian action sequences which are flush with Shyamalan mind-games and cheesy punchlines. This wanes noticeably as the novel progresses and the cli ...more
Definitely one of those books that you just have to let wash over you and not ask too many questions, and just allow your deeper subconscious to figure it all out. The logically strict aspie side of myself often finds this difficult so I really had to resist going over every word over and over again... so if anything this was a good bit of brain training. Did I enjoy it? Maybe not as much as I'd like to. I think this one deserves a reread though.
...more
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I had high hopes for this book. It could have been so much better. The basic premise was outstanding; how do you fight something that changes your memory? Wonderfully original concept. The author played with the character’s memory but also threw in some time-travel as well. Unfortunately for me, the novel’s back and fourth structure became confusing and rather frustrating in the second half of the book, and I usually enjoy this kind of stuff. I give the author points for opening our doors of per
...more
This person may be the new Charles Stross...
... and who knows, may be personally less of an a-hole. As binge-worthy as they come!! peanut butter peanut butter
... and who knows, may be personally less of an a-hole. As binge-worthy as they come!! peanut butter peanut butter
Best book I've read in last twelve months. It's rare for something to seem fresh to me, where I feel like anything could happen (and be justified), but this book did that.
The structure seems fragmented throughout, more cameos and short stories, but they do join into a bigger thing when you step back and look at the pieces - a form which exactly matches the theme and contents of the book. Form matching theme isn't easy to pull off, but it works here. So, when I finished the book, I immediately sk ...more
The structure seems fragmented throughout, more cameos and short stories, but they do join into a bigger thing when you step back and look at the pieces - a form which exactly matches the theme and contents of the book. Form matching theme isn't easy to pull off, but it works here. So, when I finished the book, I immediately sk ...more
I enjoyed this book a lot, mostly for the concept of the antimeme and because it made me think. The links and references to other popular culture are fun to make and spot, X-Files, Fnerds and Lovecraftian/War of the Worlds style invaders. There's also a game I loved playing called "Control" which is extremely similar but also completely different and I had that game, its female protagonist and all of its creepy underground objects in bunkers firmly in mind throughout (in fact, for anyone interes
...more
This book simultaneously broke my brain and my heart. Also it was terrifying.
This is probably the most unusual and unique alien invasion book I've ever read. It is packed with original ideas and is so creative that I'm surprised to actually find it among the heaps of sci fi books.
...more
Kudos to the Monomythical newsletter for convincing me to pick up a self-published book that is also based in a creative commons-shared wiki-based internet universe thingy (I won't even pretend to understand how those spaces work as it's not my scene).
This is excellent sci-fi horror that reminded me a lot of Jeff Vandermeer's Area X books - somewhat similar scares, with a love story at the centre, and metaphorically potent. ...more
This is excellent sci-fi horror that reminded me a lot of Jeff Vandermeer's Area X books - somewhat similar scares, with a love story at the centre, and metaphorically potent. ...more
The director of an ultra clandestine agency which is in charge of battling antimemes attempts to solve a puzzle which, by its nature is something she cannot remember. We jump around in time at various points in her life as small pieces are made known.
If you’ve played the video game Control there are some aspects of this that are familiar. Objects that are usually innocuous have other properties that relate to these creatures that are not just in the peripheral, they cannot be perceived at all, ...more
If you’ve played the video game Control there are some aspects of this that are familiar. Objects that are usually innocuous have other properties that relate to these creatures that are not just in the peripheral, they cannot be perceived at all, ...more
How to fight monsters you can't remember
The Antimemetics Division fights or contains monsters that either eat your memories, or can't be perceived, or or that you simply can't remember. Institutional memory is very hard to retain in the Antimemetics Division. And there is no need a low key love story stuffed into the cracks.
I really loved this book. I loved the fact that puzzles. I loved the monsters. I loved the deeply backgrounded love story.
A lot of the book reads like an encyclopedia. This ...more
The Antimemetics Division fights or contains monsters that either eat your memories, or can't be perceived, or or that you simply can't remember. Institutional memory is very hard to retain in the Antimemetics Division. And there is no need a low key love story stuffed into the cracks.
I really loved this book. I loved the fact that puzzles. I loved the monsters. I loved the deeply backgrounded love story.
A lot of the book reads like an encyclopedia. This ...more
My last read of the year, cleared hot. Man, this was like long form SCP, and totally wild.
Three or four stars, that is the question.
I knew nothing about the book when I started reading it, hadn't even read the back side, so I enjoyed finding out together with the characters the Lovecraftian horror unfolding. With the name I kind of expected something funny, with memes, but no; this is a story about a world where there are things unknown to almost everyone, things with the power of antimemetics, i.e. the power to not get noticed. So gigantic creatures can walk the earth with no one se ...more
I knew nothing about the book when I started reading it, hadn't even read the back side, so I enjoyed finding out together with the characters the Lovecraftian horror unfolding. With the name I kind of expected something funny, with memes, but no; this is a story about a world where there are things unknown to almost everyone, things with the power of antimemetics, i.e. the power to not get noticed. So gigantic creatures can walk the earth with no one se ...more
*** 3.5 Stars rounded up for Goodreads ***
It’s a good read. It really is. But it would’ve been, should’ve been great if it wasn’t for the second part and the meh ending. It could’ve easily been a 5 star book and it’s barely a 3.5 star in my book.
Ok let’s start with the good. The atmosphere is great. Although a little bit too tropey at times, it nails down the Lovecraftian feeling. This is Lovecraftian/cosmic horror done right. In fact, as sci-fi/horror blend, it’s way better than most modern out ...more
It’s a good read. It really is. But it would’ve been, should’ve been great if it wasn’t for the second part and the meh ending. It could’ve easily been a 5 star book and it’s barely a 3.5 star in my book.
Ok let’s start with the good. The atmosphere is great. Although a little bit too tropey at times, it nails down the Lovecraftian feeling. This is Lovecraftian/cosmic horror done right. In fact, as sci-fi/horror blend, it’s way better than most modern out ...more
There is no antimemetics division was an absolute ride and a half. i cannot even begin to describe the mind bending, headache inducing, skin crawling, and just overall incredible writing found in this novel. its a bit of a learning curve at the start but thats the kind of thing you're dealing with here. in more simple terms this story was incredibly unique and qntm did an incredible job at fleshing out the characters, settings, and just the general feel of reading the book. every single chapter
...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goodreads Librari...: Please add page number | 3 | 9 | Feb 06, 2022 06:53AM | |
Goodreads Librari...:
Book under wrong author with same name
|
6 | 35 | Jul 10, 2020 09:51AM |
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