Now that I'm finally free of mega-series of books (Aubrey-Maturin, Horus Heresy) I'm able to graze on books from my backlog. I really enjoyed "There is No Antimemtics Division" by qntm, now I'm onto "Juice" by Tim Winton. So far it seems a lot like "The Road" lite. The Road harrowed me good, I hope Juice is bit easier on the 'ole psyche.

#qntm #books #reading

There is No Antimemetics Division

Der er en særlig fornøjelse ved bøger, som smider et nyt koncept på banen og bruger energien på at afsøge nogle af de uforudsigelige konsekvenser af det. Den vej er der overraskende fortællinger at finde. Øverst i den kasse ligger nok for mig “Råchokteksterne” af Steven Hall, men “There is no Antimemetics Division” af qntm har hurtigt fundet vej ned i kassen – tæt mod toppen, hvor man kan gribe den til genlæsning.

Titlens ikke eksisterende Antimemetics Division er for så vidt den bærende hovedrolle her i bogen, for synsvinklen skifter flere gange, men ud fra den samme organisation. En organisation, som bekæmper antimemes – dvs. ideer, tanker, koncepter og andre entiteter, der forsvarer sig (eller angriber) ved ikke at kunne huskes. Og med ild skal ild bekæmpes, så hukommelse er det store våben i divisionens våbenkammer.

Forglemmelsen som strategi – både angreb og forsvar – gør, at qntm har måttet forkaste en klassisk fremadskridende fortælling og i stedet fortæller med stop, start og sære spring i tid rum og personer, men det lykkes. Nogle gange udspiller historien sig mellem linjerne, men der har den det godt og kan give nogle gode aha-oplevelser til læseren. Det gør det også til en bog, som det er svært at fortælle om – ikke fordi lytteren glemmer den (forhåbentlig), men fordi skal bør opleves. Og det bør den altså.

The Antimemetics Division er et godt nyt bekendtskab – det mest spændende regeringsbureau, jeg nogensinde har glemt og genopdaget og brugt som våben til at bekæmpe ukendte farer. Det er en bog, der sprudler af ideer og overraskelser og koncepter, og det er en fornøjelse at læse. Måske ikke helt på højde med “Råchokteksterne”, men hvem ved – måske når jeg genlæser den engang og husker den igen.

"There is no antimemetics division" by Sam Hugues (qntm)

Lecture rapide, surprenant :D
Bien apparécié 🥳

#aurellitunpeu #thereisnoantimemeticsdivision #qntm

Erstes #Buch des Jahres fertig   

There is no #antimemetics division von #qntm. Ursprünglich als Reihe von Einträgen im #SCP Wiki erschienen, gibt es jetzt eine überarbeitete, gedruckte Variante. Vieles ist anders, aber es ist immer noch beeindruckender, existenzieller Horror.

4,5/5 ⭐️

#bookstodon #buchstodon

This week’s Short Stack:
• collaborative music
• creative shortcuts
• tension on screen
• dread on the page

Not a recap. Just what lingered long enough to write down.
👉 https://www.jnassi.com/the-weekly-short-stack-for-january-16-2026/

#Writing #WritingLife #WeeklyReflection #MartySupreme #JamVote #ThereIsNoAntimemeticsDivision #Antimemetics #antimeme #qntm #vibecoding

Qntm's Power Tower Toy

https://qntm.org/files/knuth/knuth.html

#HackerNews #Qntm #Power #Tower #Toy #ToyDesign #Creativity #Engineering

I am halfway through There is no Antimemetics Division by qntm.

https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/ccb69e3a-29e4-4392-b1d2-670eace7aab0

Its right up there with the best science fiction / speculative fiction / call it what you want that I have read.

The number of startlingly original ideas per chapter is incredibly high. Some pages have several startlingly original ideas.

Reading it is like having a whole series of ideas unfolding inside my mind. I swear I could practically feel new synaptic pathways being created in my brain. Which considering what I was reading about is all quite scary.

Its the first novel I have read which really goes into the whole concept of memes and antimemes. Instead of being "I can haz cheezeburger" (I am incredibly old) memes and antimemes are terrifying **entities** which feed on the contents of humans minds. These **entities** have probably been eating our minds and memories for millennia but humans just can't think about these **entities** clearly, if at all. Most humans cannot even conceive of these **entities** without the aid of regular doses of very powerful medication. This medication is excellent at preventing some forms of cancer but it also limits the lifespan of anyone who takes it.

Here are a few of the ideas from the first half of the book.

* How do you contain a **entity** that makes you forget it even exists?

* How do you maintain written records of an **entity** when they all turn to complete gibberish?

* How do you study an **entity** when the act of studying it causes it to vanish and also causes all memories of its existence to completely vanish?

* How do you stop an **entity** that is hell bent on devouring every single thought and memory your mind contains?

* Does a massive basalt column that is over half a mile high exist if no human who is more than a few meters away from it cannot conceive of its existence and therefore cannot see it?

* How do humans fight a war against **entities** that make humans forget that humans are fighting a war against **entities**?

* Is having a "pet" invisible anitmemetic **entity** which you feed on the contents of trivia books that you read really a good idea?

* Just how do you kill an idea?

* This is not your first day at the antimemetics division.

I can see why the heroine protagonist hates the X Files. The things in the X Files are a walk in the park compared to memetic **entities**.

The book will also win Best Pun in a SF Novel at the Hugo, Nebula and Locus awards too. It's not often I laugh out loud reading about horrific **entities** but this was one of the best puns I have read in years.

OK so I am on amphetamines for my ADHD but all my dreams last night were heavily influenced by this book. Its literally mind blowing.

#SF #SpeculativeFiction #qntm #Books #Bookstodon #antimemes