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cownose 's review for:
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This is a review of the original 2020 edition, not the 2025 one.
Man, this book is fun.
It's creepy in a very SOMA-ish way; it offers a spooky hypothetical situation to mull over in your brain. It's an SCP story but you don't need to know anything about that world to enjoy this (it may provide a bit more context, though?).
After hearing the Dead Meat Podcast read a portion of this story (the very first chapter, if I'm remembering correctly), There Is No Antimemetics Division got stuck in my brain. I kept thinking about it from time to time. I still think back on it a lot, even now that so much time has passed since my initial reading.
It's got body horror! It's got memory-wiping, reality altering shenanigans!! It's got eldritch beings!!!
It's a lovely little sci-fi horror as is and given I was in high school when I first read it, it probably heavily influenced the things I like to write about these days. I imagine it's only going to get better when the rework drops later this year.
My only gripe is the main villain can be a little... I don't know, lackluster? To me, anyway. The flesh puppet (or willing emissary?) of the Big Bad Antimeme is "Red", an evil streamer guy that wants to destroy the world—or perhaps he's not even a real guy and the entity just wanted to give off those vibes. One of the two. He has his moments (his appearance in the chapter Immemorial is a really fun one) but overall I think the story shines most when it leans on the unknowable-ness and inhumanity of the thing trying to invade earth, rather than it being a twenty-something asshole.
Man, this book is fun.
It's creepy in a very SOMA-ish way; it offers a spooky hypothetical situation to mull over in your brain. It's an SCP story but you don't need to know anything about that world to enjoy this (it may provide a bit more context, though?).
After hearing the Dead Meat Podcast read a portion of this story (the very first chapter, if I'm remembering correctly), There Is No Antimemetics Division got stuck in my brain. I kept thinking about it from time to time. I still think back on it a lot, even now that so much time has passed since my initial reading.
It's got body horror! It's got memory-wiping, reality altering shenanigans!! It's got eldritch beings!!!
It's a lovely little sci-fi horror as is and given I was in high school when I first read it, it probably heavily influenced the things I like to write about these days. I imagine it's only going to get better when the rework drops later this year.
My only gripe is the main villain can be a little... I don't know, lackluster? To me, anyway. The flesh puppet (or willing emissary?) of the Big Bad Antimeme is "Red", an evil streamer guy that wants to destroy the world—or perhaps he's not even a real guy and the entity just wanted to give off those vibes. One of the two. He has his moments (his appearance in the chapter Immemorial is a really fun one) but overall I think the story shines most when it leans on the unknowable-ness and inhumanity of the thing trying to invade earth, rather than it being a twenty-something asshole.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Blood
Moderate: Gun violence, Violence, Murder