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Severance
Severance - The Lexington Letter
When does the cost of staying silent become greater than the price of speaking up? A desperate woman risks everything to expose the sinister company at the heart of Severance, the thrilling Apple Original series from director and executive producer Ben Stiller and creator Dan Erickson, now streaming on Apple TV+, about a daring experiment in "work-life balance."
From the minds behind the series, this is the story of Lumon Industries employee Margaret "Peg" Kincaid.
When Peg gets hired at Lumon, she undergoes Severance, a surgical procedure pitched by the company as an effortless way to separate her personal and work lives. Everyone has their reasons for wanting the easy solution Severance promises, but when Peg realizes that not all is as it seems at the company, she uncovers a reality that's far worse than the problems she wanted to escape.
At the heart of this story, Peg's shocking confession reveals the darkest side of corporate America. It raises a chilling question: How far will Lumon Industries go to protect its secrets?
From the minds behind the series, this is the story of Lumon Industries employee Margaret "Peg" Kincaid.
When Peg gets hired at Lumon, she undergoes Severance, a surgical procedure pitched by the company as an effortless way to separate her personal and work lives. Everyone has their reasons for wanting the easy solution Severance promises, but when Peg realizes that not all is as it seems at the company, she uncovers a reality that's far worse than the problems she wanted to escape.
At the heart of this story, Peg's shocking confession reveals the darkest side of corporate America. It raises a chilling question: How far will Lumon Industries go to protect its secrets?
43 pages, ebook
First published March 18, 2022
51 people are currently reading
1672 people want to read
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* They are officially published under that name
* They are traditional stories not attributed to a specific author
* They are religious texts not generally attributed to a specific author
Books whose authorship is merely uncertain should be attributed to Unknown.
See also: Anonymous
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 524 reviews
March 8, 2025
Severance is the most underrated show on television.
The show itself is already underrated, but "The Lexington Letter"? Completely and utterly slept on. Honestly though, that's Apple's fault. Why does no one know this exists?? It's literally free!!! FREE!
If you haven't watched the show, look away from this review immediately. Boot up your TV and watch the series. Then come back. Because I'm whipping out some theories.
I am in shock as to how much this letter reveals that we don't learn in season one of the show. I will lay out each aspect here and describe any implications I think each one provides.
1. Macrodata Refinement as Terrorism
This letter suggests that the "mysterious and important" work that MDR does is somehow orchestrate violent attacks against competitor companies. Yeah, you're gonna need to read that again. I know I did. Absolutely wild that this novella proposes this when the show suggests nothing like it. I can't help but wonder if this is a direction things will go in season two, or just a red herring.
2. The Four Tempers
The show includes a quote from Kier Eagen about what he identifies as "the four tempers". They are Woe, Frolic, Dread, and Malice. This letter, and the following MDR guide, reveal that these are the categories MDR sorts numbers into.
What really blew my mind though is that these tempers connect to the weirdass sex dancers at the waffle party. Each one is dressed as a character to match one of the tempers (fool, bride, crone, and ram). Upon rewatch of season one, I also realized these characters match those in the painting in the wellness center, "Kier Taming the Four Tempers".
The Severance Wiki suggests that this temper model is inspired by the archaic idea of "humors of the body" controlling behavior and disease.
3. Lumon is a Nationwide Company
This excerpt takes place in Topeka, KS while the show takes place in Kier, PE (a fictional state). This demonstrates that Lumon is a national company, but also suggests to me that maybe the office in the show is the headquarters.
4. The Bad Soap
It's confirmed that Lumon began as a "topical salve company" but has now grown into encompassing some sort of bioengineering in general. Still vague on specifics, but after perusing the wiki, I came across the detail of the Bad Soap.
In the show, there is normal (albeit unlabeled soap, as Irving points out) in the bathrooms, but also Bad Soap used as punishment. We have never witnessed it, but have heard it referenced.
5. Multiple Milchicks
The journalist who dismisses the significance of writing an exposé is none other than a... Jim Milchick!!! We know the character in the show is Seth Milchick (unless that is a lie lol, but this journalist is from Topeka so I'm inclined to think he is not the same person). That means this is likely a relative, and this claim is bolstered by the fact that he says he knows someone high up at Lumon (also fuels my theory that the show office is the headquarters!).
It was just announced that season two will begin release on January 17 and I legitimately cannot wait. I am nervous for the follow-through because I'm so invested and there is a LOT up in the air. Only time will tell if it sticks the landing.
Someone better tell me what the fuck is up with the goats.
🎥 FULL VIDEO BREAKDOWN OF THIS NOVELLA + 'THE YOU YOU ARE' AND MORE THEORIES
The show itself is already underrated, but "The Lexington Letter"? Completely and utterly slept on. Honestly though, that's Apple's fault. Why does no one know this exists?? It's literally free!!! FREE!
If you haven't watched the show, look away from this review immediately. Boot up your TV and watch the series. Then come back. Because I'm whipping out some theories.
I am in shock as to how much this letter reveals that we don't learn in season one of the show. I will lay out each aspect here and describe any implications I think each one provides.
1. Macrodata Refinement as Terrorism
This letter suggests that the "mysterious and important" work that MDR does is somehow orchestrate violent attacks against competitor companies. Yeah, you're gonna need to read that again. I know I did. Absolutely wild that this novella proposes this when the show suggests nothing like it. I can't help but wonder if this is a direction things will go in season two, or just a red herring.
2. The Four Tempers
The show includes a quote from Kier Eagen about what he identifies as "the four tempers". They are Woe, Frolic, Dread, and Malice. This letter, and the following MDR guide, reveal that these are the categories MDR sorts numbers into.
What really blew my mind though is that these tempers connect to the weirdass sex dancers at the waffle party. Each one is dressed as a character to match one of the tempers (fool, bride, crone, and ram). Upon rewatch of season one, I also realized these characters match those in the painting in the wellness center, "Kier Taming the Four Tempers".
The Severance Wiki suggests that this temper model is inspired by the archaic idea of "humors of the body" controlling behavior and disease.
3. Lumon is a Nationwide Company
This excerpt takes place in Topeka, KS while the show takes place in Kier, PE (a fictional state). This demonstrates that Lumon is a national company, but also suggests to me that maybe the office in the show is the headquarters.
4. The Bad Soap
It's confirmed that Lumon began as a "topical salve company" but has now grown into encompassing some sort of bioengineering in general. Still vague on specifics, but after perusing the wiki, I came across the detail of the Bad Soap.
In the show, there is normal (albeit unlabeled soap, as Irving points out) in the bathrooms, but also Bad Soap used as punishment. We have never witnessed it, but have heard it referenced.
5. Multiple Milchicks
The journalist who dismisses the significance of writing an exposé is none other than a... Jim Milchick!!! We know the character in the show is Seth Milchick (unless that is a lie lol, but this journalist is from Topeka so I'm inclined to think he is not the same person). That means this is likely a relative, and this claim is bolstered by the fact that he says he knows someone high up at Lumon (also fuels my theory that the show office is the headquarters!).
It was just announced that season two will begin release on January 17 and I legitimately cannot wait. I am nervous for the follow-through because I'm so invested and there is a LOT up in the air. Only time will tell if it sticks the landing.
Someone better tell me what the fuck is up with the goats.
🎥 FULL VIDEO BREAKDOWN OF THIS NOVELLA + 'THE YOU YOU ARE' AND MORE THEORIES
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 20, 2023
I need answers!!! I feel like I am subsisting on crumbs!!! WHEN SEASON TWO ARRIVES, WE FEAST
January 18, 2025
This is honestly so great. Loved seeing another perspective of why someone decided to go through the severance process, how they’re outie felt about their innie while working at Lumon, and there are definitely a lot of hints here about what is going on there.
The handbook after the Lexington Letters were fine. There were a few interesting tidbits, likely more that I missed, but it wasn’t as exhilarating to read as the letters themselves.
The handbook after the Lexington Letters were fine. There were a few interesting tidbits, likely more that I missed, but it wasn’t as exhilarating to read as the letters themselves.
March 20, 2025
I would read a 500 page book based on this show lol
If you love the show, there were a few interesting tidbits about MDR that the show hasn’t talked about 🫠
If you love the show, there were a few interesting tidbits about MDR that the show hasn’t talked about 🫠
June 26, 2024
a milchick always at the scene of the crime !!!
March 21, 2022
If you’ve gotten into Severance (the Apple TV+ show, unrelated to the brilliant novel by Ling Ma), then you’ll want to read this. Apple released it after episode six, though I don’t think it contains any spoilers for earlier episodes. Maybe don’t read it unless you’ve already seen what happens in the Break Room, though.
May 26, 2023
what the fuck
May 4, 2022
Nice companion book for the Severance tv show. Was interesting to get a glimpse of what might be occuring with those numbers down in MDR.
January 2, 2025
I don’t read THAT much, so don’t completely take my word for it. But fuck, man. This is a devastating companion piece.
I decided to give this a read in preparation for the long awaited (3 years!!!) Severance season two. If you show any sort of interest in this short story, there’s already a good chance that you have watched and thoroughly enjoyed THE 2022 psychological thriller ‘Severance’, just as I have. In my opinion, if they keep up this pace, Severance could very well be the greatest show of all time. Yes, all time. I’d even go as far as saying that the plotline season 1 of Severance follows rivals the peaks of serialized TV darlings like ‘Breaking Bad’ or ‘Barry.’ Not to mention the season finale is basically a clusterfuck of emotions making it one of the greatest 40 minutes television in general has ever produced.
But enough about that, the Lexington Letter weaves itself into the Severance universe perfectly and is absolutely heartbreaking.
The Lexington Letter follows the story of Peggy Kincaid, a Lumon employee that works on the severed floor as a member of MDR, similar to the main group that we follow in the show. The letter, written by o!Peggy, is a desperate plea to The Topeka Star, a news publisher, to get the word out about Lumon’s shady practices regarding the Lexington file and what its completion entails in the real (in universe) world. This piece not only further delves into the psyche of innies, but also directly confirmes that the work done in Macrodata Refinement has real world consequences that can sometimes result in the death of others. This revelation is huge. Trying not to get into it too much, the letter also further details the physical abuse that the innies can undergo in the ‘Break Room’, further confirming that psychological abuse isn’t the extent of the pain that innies experience.
The letter also introduces us to a possibility that in the first season of Severance was impossible, and that was a world where innies and outies interact with each other. This made for a fantastic dynamic and in the short read that the Lexington Letter was, I already found myself caring for Peggy’s story. The shared ‘I love you’ between the two was freaking soul crushing, dude.
Overall, the letter is fantastic. It provides great context into the world that Severance is and I can’t wait for S2 to drop. If you enjoy Severance, READ. THIS.
Praise Kier. 🧇🍴
I decided to give this a read in preparation for the long awaited (3 years!!!) Severance season two. If you show any sort of interest in this short story, there’s already a good chance that you have watched and thoroughly enjoyed THE 2022 psychological thriller ‘Severance’, just as I have. In my opinion, if they keep up this pace, Severance could very well be the greatest show of all time. Yes, all time. I’d even go as far as saying that the plotline season 1 of Severance follows rivals the peaks of serialized TV darlings like ‘Breaking Bad’ or ‘Barry.’ Not to mention the season finale is basically a clusterfuck of emotions making it one of the greatest 40 minutes television in general has ever produced.
But enough about that, the Lexington Letter weaves itself into the Severance universe perfectly and is absolutely heartbreaking.
The Lexington Letter follows the story of Peggy Kincaid, a Lumon employee that works on the severed floor as a member of MDR, similar to the main group that we follow in the show. The letter, written by o!Peggy, is a desperate plea to The Topeka Star, a news publisher, to get the word out about Lumon’s shady practices regarding the Lexington file and what its completion entails in the real (in universe) world. This piece not only further delves into the psyche of innies, but also directly confirmes that the work done in Macrodata Refinement has real world consequences that can sometimes result in the death of others. This revelation is huge. Trying not to get into it too much, the letter also further details the physical abuse that the innies can undergo in the ‘Break Room’, further confirming that psychological abuse isn’t the extent of the pain that innies experience.
The letter also introduces us to a possibility that in the first season of Severance was impossible, and that was a world where innies and outies interact with each other. This made for a fantastic dynamic and in the short read that the Lexington Letter was, I already found myself caring for Peggy’s story. The shared ‘I love you’ between the two was freaking soul crushing, dude.
Overall, the letter is fantastic. It provides great context into the world that Severance is and I can’t wait for S2 to drop. If you enjoy Severance, READ. THIS.
Praise Kier. 🧇🍴
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 19, 2022
Interesting pairing with the show. Glad I read this.
February 20, 2025
Acabo de repasar el companion de la serie y creo que (o ya estoy demasiado obsesionado) hay más respuestas a la serie (o contention teorizable) de lo que creía.
January 5, 2025
bardzo ciekawy dodatek, czekam na 2. sezon!!!
February 10, 2025
A brilliant short story and a must read for anyone watching Severence.
January 19, 2025
what the FUCK
December 28, 2024
u know what if it’s on goodreads i’m gonna rate it. I love this show sm. lore drop!!!
February 5, 2025
Need 1000 more pages and 3 more seasons NOW 😫
January 19, 2025
It gave me more questions than answers 😭
March 21, 2025
Remember: your outie requested to join the Severance Program, so it's important that you respect their choice. Please help preserve their work/life balance.
These free Apple Books tie-ins to the Severance TV show (this short story and The You You Are) are such essential reading for super-fans, imo.
My heart aches now for Peg Kincaid and Peggy K; the Lexington Letter is a great example of rebellious communication between innie/outie, another type of relationship between the severed halves, another attempt at carving out some independence and freedom, and a little more expanding of the worldbuilding. The MDR employee manual at the end is also funny/chilling/awful. Great stuff. 3.5 stars rounded up.
Also: the fact that the head newspaper editor who kills the anti-Lumon story is named Jim Milchick has me 👀👀👀 is this Seth's father
February 28, 2025
Lumon is hiding the truth from us! We have questions, and we definitely deserve answers. Innies are humans, and they have rights. We demand transparency and respect for innies.
January 21, 2025
Have found myself thinking endlessly about Severance after binging it over the weekend in these pre-fresh dragon book times and this little ebook satisfied the itch just a bit. Bless Ben Stiller for real for real 🙂↕️
February 4, 2025
Don’t mind me casually recommending this show to everyone I know
(idrk how to rate, but this is an official free tie-in novella that answers some questions & raises more! if you’re also like OMG at Severance right now, don’t miss this quick read for extra context)
(idrk how to rate, but this is an official free tie-in novella that answers some questions & raises more! if you’re also like OMG at Severance right now, don’t miss this quick read for extra context)
March 30, 2025
The work is mysterious and important.
March 2, 2025
This is a fun two-part short story which fans of Severance may find interesting, although it doesn't provide any new information from what the show has offered so far (I am halfway through second season).
The first part of this book is the story of Lumon Industries employee Peg Kincaid. Peg quits her job as a school bus driver and then gets hired at Lumon and undergoes Severance which is a surgical procedure which allows the separation of ones work and personal lives' memories. The story is told as a letter from Peg to a local newspaper after she uncovers some things about Lumon after managing to communicate with her work "innie". I thought this story was just OK and don't understand how Lumon's "message finder" system didn't stop this type of communication which is impossible in the TV show.
The second half of this book is the Microdata Refiner's Orientation Booklet which was fun to read but didn't provide any new information to fans of the show. I think new fans of the show would benefit from reading this booklet as it goes in to detail what our heroes Mark, Helly, Irving, and Dylan are doing while working. It covers everything from health and hygiene, dress code, inter-department fraternization, the wellness center, rewards, and core principles. It's hilarious.
Praise Kier!
The first part of this book is the story of Lumon Industries employee Peg Kincaid. Peg quits her job as a school bus driver and then gets hired at Lumon and undergoes Severance which is a surgical procedure which allows the separation of ones work and personal lives' memories. The story is told as a letter from Peg to a local newspaper after she uncovers some things about Lumon after managing to communicate with her work "innie". I thought this story was just OK and don't understand how Lumon's "message finder" system didn't stop this type of communication which is impossible in the TV show.
The second half of this book is the Microdata Refiner's Orientation Booklet which was fun to read but didn't provide any new information to fans of the show. I think new fans of the show would benefit from reading this booklet as it goes in to detail what our heroes Mark, Helly, Irving, and Dylan are doing while working. It covers everything from health and hygiene, dress code, inter-department fraternization, the wellness center, rewards, and core principles. It's hilarious.
Praise Kier!
January 27, 2023
I just need for them to explain what the WO, MA, DR & FC abbreviations for the four categories are lol
August 3, 2024
Simply brilliant, highly recommended for the fans of the show.
December 2, 2025
This is one of those strange little books that sneaks up on you. It’s presented as a booklet — not quite a novel, not quite a promotional piece — yet it manages to drill right into the eerie psychological landscape of the Apple TV+ series Severance. Written by “Anonymous,” the format alone mirrors the show’s atmosphere of secrecy, corporate paranoia, and conspiracy.
The story unfolds entirely through email exchanges between a former Lumon employee and a journalist, which makes it incredibly easy to read. It’s everyday language, grounded in the mundane rhythms of digital communication — and yet that simplicity is exactly what makes the unease creep in. As the former employee tries to report what she thinks might be criminal or illicit activity within Lumon, the reader is pulled into her uncertainty, her fragmented understanding, and the chilling gaps in her memory.
The standout moment is when she shares a scanned copy of the Lumon employee manual. The manual is simple in tone but maddeningly vague — you understand the words, but not what they mean. It raises more questions than it answers. What exactly are severed employees doing? What is this mysterious data they’re processing? Who is Lumon really? And why does everything smell like corporate conspiracy mixed with biotech horror?
Despite finishing the booklet, I still don’t know what Lumon actually does — and honestly, that’s part of the thrill. The vagueness feels intentional, a breadcrumb trail designed to lead straight into the show’s world. If it is a marketing gimmick, it’s one of the smartest I’ve seen. I was already interested in the series, but after reading this? My curiosity is officially on fire.
A quick, eerie, intriguing read that deepens the mystery without spoiling anything. Now I need to watch the show.
The story unfolds entirely through email exchanges between a former Lumon employee and a journalist, which makes it incredibly easy to read. It’s everyday language, grounded in the mundane rhythms of digital communication — and yet that simplicity is exactly what makes the unease creep in. As the former employee tries to report what she thinks might be criminal or illicit activity within Lumon, the reader is pulled into her uncertainty, her fragmented understanding, and the chilling gaps in her memory.
The standout moment is when she shares a scanned copy of the Lumon employee manual. The manual is simple in tone but maddeningly vague — you understand the words, but not what they mean. It raises more questions than it answers. What exactly are severed employees doing? What is this mysterious data they’re processing? Who is Lumon really? And why does everything smell like corporate conspiracy mixed with biotech horror?
Despite finishing the booklet, I still don’t know what Lumon actually does — and honestly, that’s part of the thrill. The vagueness feels intentional, a breadcrumb trail designed to lead straight into the show’s world. If it is a marketing gimmick, it’s one of the smartest I’ve seen. I was already interested in the series, but after reading this? My curiosity is officially on fire.
A quick, eerie, intriguing read that deepens the mystery without spoiling anything. Now I need to watch the show.
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January 20, 2025Thanks to this novella I finally know what kind of company Lumon actually is, because somehow I watched a whole season of Severance and never learned that information.
February 1, 2025
Joya! Me encantó ver otra perspectiva de todas las cosas turbias que pasan los Intus en Lumon; esta serie de ciencia ficción es todo lo bueno que puede hacerse con una gran idea e historia de 10. ❤️
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February 2, 2025⚡️izzare. How did I not read this during S1?!
February 24, 2025
WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN
Displaying 1 - 30 of 524 reviews