There Is No Antimemetics Division

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.

A concept as convoluted as this could easily get bogged down and become narratively unsatisfying, but the author is skilled enough to avoid going too heavy on the mind bending aspects while still making them integral to the identity of the work. The end is not quite as strong as the middle and beginning, but does well enough as a wrap up to a delightfully unsettling journey.

This books just sucks you in and takes you on a rollercoaster ride that quite early leaves the tracks without you even noticing. The dry, pragmatic perspective of bureaucrats and scientists on the unspeakable cosmic nightmare they're delving into makes it funny and unsettling at the same time. And the last chapter especially is a reminder that in the end this is their perspectives through with we view and sometimes historical horrors.