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adenhailemariam's review against another edition
4.0
Creepy and haunting! 3.5 stars. I seemed to have had one or two dreams related to Memetic right after reading it so I'm inclined to write a review. I like that you don't get all the answers about why what's happening is happening. I actually wish the story pulled back on the explanation it did give OR that it explained the situation more.
I was compelled by the 2-3 main character groups. I think of them as three groups I was concerned about: Aaron/Aaron and Ryan, Marcus and crew, Barbara (and Marcus and crew). I liked following Aaron and was glad he wasn't alone when Ryan came along. At a certain point I knew that Ryan's time with us as would be short. I felt so bad as he recounted what he saw with his family and when he opened the laptop. Experiencing the evolution of the meme with Marcus and crew was a ride. Barbara felt like the last person on Earth.
I thought the evolution of the meme was a great twist. It helped to fill in some possible plot issues. Early on I wondered what would happen to the meme once the internet was gone.
I did lose a bit of suspension of disbelief around who the meme affected. The evolution of the meme helped fill in how it could affect different people (like people in the world without internet or people who couldn't perceive the meme), but there was also something about the focus on a city. It made sense as the center of the "outbreak", though.
I was interested in who created the meme and getting some answers but was also interested in the futility in the story. The "villain" was very villain-y and didn't fill in much for the story for me. I was gripped when Marcus and crew were affected. In Aaron's conclusion.
The sort of fourth-wall breaking here where you have seen the meme before realizing it sticks with me!
I was compelled by the 2-3 main character groups. I think of them as three groups I was concerned about: Aaron/Aaron and Ryan, Marcus and crew, Barbara (and Marcus and crew). I liked following Aaron and was glad he wasn't alone when Ryan came along. At a certain point I knew that Ryan's time with us as would be short. I felt so bad as he recounted what he saw with his family and when he opened the laptop. Experiencing the evolution of the meme with Marcus and crew was a ride. Barbara felt like the last person on Earth.
I thought the evolution of the meme was a great twist. It helped to fill in some possible plot issues. Early on I wondered what would happen to the meme once the internet was gone.
I did lose a bit of suspension of disbelief around who the meme affected. The evolution of the meme helped fill in how it could affect different people (like people in the world without internet or people who couldn't perceive the meme), but there was also something about the focus on a city. It made sense as the center of the "outbreak", though.
I was interested in who created the meme and getting some answers but was also interested in the futility in the story. The "villain" was very villain-y and didn't fill in much for the story for me. I was gripped when Marcus and crew were affected. In Aaron's conclusion.
The sort of fourth-wall breaking here where you have seen the meme before realizing it sticks with me!
spindleweed's review against another edition
5.0
I just really love the mind of James.
I really think it’s a 4 star book but I’m giving it 5 to try to boost its rating a bit because I think the reviews on this work are a bit harsh.
I think it’s such a wild concept and there’s really nothing else like it so it gets so many points for creativity.
I am biased in the way that I really do love weird sci-fi horror and James always delivers that for me.
I really think it’s a 4 star book but I’m giving it 5 to try to boost its rating a bit because I think the reviews on this work are a bit harsh.
I think it’s such a wild concept and there’s really nothing else like it so it gets so many points for creativity.
I am biased in the way that I really do love weird sci-fi horror and James always delivers that for me.
joelmk's review against another edition
This book had some good ideas. It was not as well executed as it could have been.
ramsfan1963's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
A dystopian story of a meme that destroys the world, turns people into raving killing machines, screamers, that destroy anyone not like themselves. It's a creepy story, but eerily plausible in this age of omnipresent screens and computer technology. The ending was a little obvious, but still an interesting if tragic story.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Pandemic/Epidemic, Body horror, Gore, and Violence
jakekilroy's review against another edition
3.0
A lot of fun ideas that didn't quite tie together for me. I do like the dissection of memes as the next evolution of human communication from a thoughtful standpoint though. There just wasn't really a payoff for any new thread.
mehitabels's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting, vibrant, scary.
Certainly made me put the phone down.
Certainly made me put the phone down.
cassie_grace's review against another edition
3.0
Meme ends the world. Hopeless horror bums me out, but this was well done.
kriscasimir's review against another edition
As much as I liked the artwork and the mood and the pacing of the first two chapters, it's really hard to recommend it because of all the unalive and because the ending is such a letdown. After all that tension building, I really wanted more than a moment of sweet release for the protagonist and the tease of another lifeform. It cuts off right when it could shed its Ring + Bird Box feathers and become its own animal.
Yay for queer characters getting to be queer without it really being a plot element.
Yay for queer characters getting to be queer without it really being a plot element.
helpfulsnowman's review against another edition
3.0
A fun apocalypse, as fun as apocalypses can be, anyway. Which is pretty fun by my estimation.
Catpocalypse: Cats breed out of control, we're inundated by kittens. That's fun.
Pizzapocalypse: A mad scientist, probably working for the Papa John's guy, invents a machine that turns all food into pizza. Pretty fun.
And a little book I've been working on: Turdnado. What happens when a tornado sweeps through a feedlot AND a sewage treatment plant? A Turdnado, that's what. Not a fun apocalypse to experience, but fun to be outside of.
No one steal my idea, okay? I think this is my best shot of getting a film optioned by SyFy.
Catpocalypse: Cats breed out of control, we're inundated by kittens. That's fun.
Pizzapocalypse: A mad scientist, probably working for the Papa John's guy, invents a machine that turns all food into pizza. Pretty fun.
And a little book I've been working on: Turdnado. What happens when a tornado sweeps through a feedlot AND a sewage treatment plant? A Turdnado, that's what. Not a fun apocalypse to experience, but fun to be outside of.
No one steal my idea, okay? I think this is my best shot of getting a film optioned by SyFy.
themtj's review against another edition
3.0
I liked it, more than three stars would indicate. But it had the strange feeling of needing to be much longer or a bit shorter. It could have been a 60-80 page one-shot or a 6-12 issue mini series.