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4.15 AVERAGE
4.15 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Brilliant, creative, and mind-bending stories that touch one another delicately or overlap completely to make the whole. Unfortunately for me, I didn't feel that they integrated as well as they could have. I now understand that these were a bunch of separate stories, written over a decade, and they felt that way to me.
Reading this type of speculative science fiction is not my norm and I was impressed by the extraordinary inventiveness and depth of stories. That said, I found that the fractured form of the novel made it difficult for me to stay invested in the characters. Each time I felt a rhythm picking up, the story changed completely and it was like I was reading a new book and had to learn things all over again. Hah! A lot like the characters in the stories themselves!
Bottom line, the ideas were incredible if, at times, impenetrable and I'm not sorry that I gave it a go.
Reading this type of speculative science fiction is not my norm and I was impressed by the extraordinary inventiveness and depth of stories. That said, I found that the fractured form of the novel made it difficult for me to stay invested in the characters. Each time I felt a rhythm picking up, the story changed completely and it was like I was reading a new book and had to learn things all over again. Hah! A lot like the characters in the stories themselves!
Bottom line, the ideas were incredible if, at times, impenetrable and I'm not sorry that I gave it a go.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
It's really good. I love the concept, so mind warpingly fascinating. It is truly really amazing. It is a bit... chaotic, and hard to comprehend at times, and the time jumps and memory losses seem to be a negative trait, but when the nature of the threat is such, it becomes even more immersive since the book seems to harbour the same level of unintelligibility as the subject matter. In the end it's a really good story with a really good premise and good execution. Truly a fascinating read, and one of the best SCP adaptations in writing i've read in a while.
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Short Sci Fi Horror. A case for taking the Red Pill. Very creative and provocative. Could have been too heavy but has the right amount of absurdity to add some lightness. Loved it.
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Secure. Contain. Protect.
Forget.
Disclaimer: if you don't have at least a passing familiarity with some of the basics of SCP lore, you might have a tougher time following along with There Is No Antimemetics Division, but as a longtime SCP fan, I finally decided to take the plunge on this title.
How do you save the world from something you can't think about? How do you vanquish something you forget as soon as you blink or turn your head? Welcome to the Antimemetics Division - the Foundation's constantly-at-war, always-on-guard companion team to its much more widely known Memetics Division.
Overall, this is a really intriguing read that gets better as it goes on; I found myself flip-flopping between "that's it, I'm DNFing if the next entry isn't better" and "wait, this is amazing" from chapter to chapter, but that got a bit better as things progressed. By the end, we'd reached quite an impactful resolution. It's intriguing and well done overall, and its format is a refreshing change of pace from the typical narrative structure.
Forget.
Disclaimer: if you don't have at least a passing familiarity with some of the basics of SCP lore, you might have a tougher time following along with There Is No Antimemetics Division, but as a longtime SCP fan, I finally decided to take the plunge on this title.
How do you save the world from something you can't think about? How do you vanquish something you forget as soon as you blink or turn your head? Welcome to the Antimemetics Division - the Foundation's constantly-at-war, always-on-guard companion team to its much more widely known Memetics Division.
Overall, this is a really intriguing read that gets better as it goes on; I found myself flip-flopping between "that's it, I'm DNFing if the next entry isn't better" and "wait, this is amazing" from chapter to chapter, but that got a bit better as things progressed. By the end, we'd reached quite an impactful resolution. It's intriguing and well done overall, and its format is a refreshing change of pace from the typical narrative structure.
“Welcome to the Antimemetics Division. No, this is not your first day.”
I’ve always loved the SCP Foundation and other CreepyPasta related to them. I’ve always loved the trope of a secret government agency or corporation that studies and experiments on supernatural or extra dimensional phenomena, like in The X Files or the video game Control. When I heard that this story took place in the SCP Foundation and was beloved in the fandom, I jumped on it. This story follows Marion Wheeler, the head of the Antimemetics Division. No one else in Site 41 remembers her, or the rest of her division, because that's how antimemetics work, they ruin people's memories. With enough capability, they can make it so no one else remembers them. An antimeme is an idea with self-censoring properties; an idea which, by its intrinsic nature, discourages or prevents people from spreading it. 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. The characters in this book are quick sketches rather than fleshed out and fully realized, but I don’t find that a problem. This book knew what it wanted to be, and deep characterization wasn’t part of that. It has big ideas it wants to examine instead. There was a section near the beginning where one of the staff who worked under Wheeler was lost to these antimimetic creatures, to the point that everyone else’s eyes would simply pass right over him as if he didn’t exist. Worse, by stealing his memories they essentially ate any plan he could come up with. It was eerie by itself, but then he found a list, written by other people this had happened to, of what they had tried to do to stop these things, and how every one of the attempts had failed. I love how this novel explores a different type of cosmic horror, something that feels more reminiscent to existential horror and surreal horror. I’m very intrigued by this type of horror, taking the strange feeling of entering a room and forgetting why and turning it into something horrific. I loved the idea of hidden beings and the unperceivable. I loved how abstract the horror was in this but book and how the characters reacted to these insane circumstances. I love the dichotomy between paperwork and bureaucracy and abstract eldritch beings beyond our human comprehension. There’s something so human about attempting to classify and quantify things that are beyond our limited human understanding. I liked how the format of this story involves documents and files from the foundation, as well as parts of the story that are redacted and only given in pieces. I understand why some people are going to find the redacted segments to be cheap or corny, and it didn’t always work for me, but I thought it was charming and gave the story itself a specific character. This book is going to feel very convoluted or overly complex for a lot of people. It isn’t the most accessible story. There are massive technical aspects to this book filled with in-universe jargon that isn’t always explained, but I do think the author writes without making the story itself too dense. I do believe that the clinical and referential nature of this story may turn off a lot of readers who are unfamiliar or are not frequenters to the SCP wiki, but I do feel like the author does a great job at tethering the story to the human elements, especially with the two protagonists, Marion and Adam. The tragedy of their relationship creates a wonderful emotional core to a story set in a purposefully cold, detached universe. It is this exceedingly human relationship that drives the plot, and eventually saves it, poetic given the antagonist’s purpose to eradicate the very concept of “humanity.” This emphasis, and passion toward, human nature is the crux of the whole book. Yes, it’s a technical marvel, an exercise in the creativity of some of the internet’s brightest minds with excellent prose, pacing, and use of various literary devices, but they are all in service of delivering a story about people overcoming impossible odds to fight for their right to exist, to be human. In that respect it is a truly beautiful narrative, masterfully setting up the impossibly powerful enemy and finding logical ways for the protagonists to defeat it. Perhaps one could argue that the solution is contrived, and I can’t argue with the convenience of it, but the amount of lead-up leads me to believe that their victory is deserved. I do believe that the very nature of this novel will alienate a lot of readers, and I admit that I probably didn’t comprehend most of what was being offered here, but I do think that those who are intrigued or curious about the world of SCPs will be able to appreciate this story and everything the author tried to achieve.
I’ve always loved the SCP Foundation and other CreepyPasta related to them. I’ve always loved the trope of a secret government agency or corporation that studies and experiments on supernatural or extra dimensional phenomena, like in The X Files or the video game Control. When I heard that this story took place in the SCP Foundation and was beloved in the fandom, I jumped on it. This story follows Marion Wheeler, the head of the Antimemetics Division. No one else in Site 41 remembers her, or the rest of her division, because that's how antimemetics work, they ruin people's memories. With enough capability, they can make it so no one else remembers them. An antimeme is an idea with self-censoring properties; an idea which, by its intrinsic nature, discourages or prevents people from spreading it. 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. The characters in this book are quick sketches rather than fleshed out and fully realized, but I don’t find that a problem. This book knew what it wanted to be, and deep characterization wasn’t part of that. It has big ideas it wants to examine instead. There was a section near the beginning where one of the staff who worked under Wheeler was lost to these antimimetic creatures, to the point that everyone else’s eyes would simply pass right over him as if he didn’t exist. Worse, by stealing his memories they essentially ate any plan he could come up with. It was eerie by itself, but then he found a list, written by other people this had happened to, of what they had tried to do to stop these things, and how every one of the attempts had failed. I love how this novel explores a different type of cosmic horror, something that feels more reminiscent to existential horror and surreal horror. I’m very intrigued by this type of horror, taking the strange feeling of entering a room and forgetting why and turning it into something horrific. I loved the idea of hidden beings and the unperceivable. I loved how abstract the horror was in this but book and how the characters reacted to these insane circumstances. I love the dichotomy between paperwork and bureaucracy and abstract eldritch beings beyond our human comprehension. There’s something so human about attempting to classify and quantify things that are beyond our limited human understanding. I liked how the format of this story involves documents and files from the foundation, as well as parts of the story that are redacted and only given in pieces. I understand why some people are going to find the redacted segments to be cheap or corny, and it didn’t always work for me, but I thought it was charming and gave the story itself a specific character. This book is going to feel very convoluted or overly complex for a lot of people. It isn’t the most accessible story. There are massive technical aspects to this book filled with in-universe jargon that isn’t always explained, but I do think the author writes without making the story itself too dense. I do believe that the clinical and referential nature of this story may turn off a lot of readers who are unfamiliar or are not frequenters to the SCP wiki, but I do feel like the author does a great job at tethering the story to the human elements, especially with the two protagonists, Marion and Adam. The tragedy of their relationship creates a wonderful emotional core to a story set in a purposefully cold, detached universe. It is this exceedingly human relationship that drives the plot, and eventually saves it, poetic given the antagonist’s purpose to eradicate the very concept of “humanity.” This emphasis, and passion toward, human nature is the crux of the whole book. Yes, it’s a technical marvel, an exercise in the creativity of some of the internet’s brightest minds with excellent prose, pacing, and use of various literary devices, but they are all in service of delivering a story about people overcoming impossible odds to fight for their right to exist, to be human. In that respect it is a truly beautiful narrative, masterfully setting up the impossibly powerful enemy and finding logical ways for the protagonists to defeat it. Perhaps one could argue that the solution is contrived, and I can’t argue with the convenience of it, but the amount of lead-up leads me to believe that their victory is deserved. I do believe that the very nature of this novel will alienate a lot of readers, and I admit that I probably didn’t comprehend most of what was being offered here, but I do think that those who are intrigued or curious about the world of SCPs will be able to appreciate this story and everything the author tried to achieve.
There Is No Antimemetics Division by qntm--I've described other books as feeling evocative of the SCP Foundation project, but this book truly feels ripped from the wiki. It's a collection of somewhat cohesive short stories that explore (sometimes literally) unfathomable threats in the world. There's a lot of heart here, but I think some of it gets obscured by the jargon-heavy world building. For that reason, it's hard for me to recommend unless you already have a keen interest in the paranormal. Sideways thumb.
The purest of sci-fi; start with a seemingly bizarre assumption and hammer out the implications. Sam does a fantastic job of it, as always.
Probably closer to a 4-4.5 ⭐️, really, but I enjoyed this so much that I'm bumping it up to a 5 ⭐️