ibobev2d ago

Book Review: There Is No Antimemetics Division

https://www.stephendiehl.com/posts/no_antimimetics/

Book Review: There Is No Antimemetics Division - Stephen Diehl

Personal blog of Stephen Diehl - Software engineer writing about technology, programming, and the future

Stephen Diehl
Show threadAnotherGoodName

I wonder if this is for the rewrite or the first version.

I read the first version and thought the first half was good and that the second half felt clunky. To the point where i don’t recommend it to anyone (not a huge negative, there’s just better books out there).

Apr 6 at 2:58pmWeb
Show threadthreethirtytwo2d ago
I had the opposite reaction. The second half was garbage, but the first half was so good and original I'd recommend it just for that.
Show threadthinkingtoilet2d ago
The first few chapters of that book are some of the coolest I've ever read. I agree it really drops off in the second half, but would still recommend it to people.
Show threadInsanity2d ago
Same!
I just finished the book a few days ago. The first half is really good, a cool premise and interesting story. The second half just got a bit too weird for me and by the final chapter I was happy it was finished lol.
Show threadk__2d ago

I liked piecing the story together in the SCP wiki.

Later I read the first version of the book and it was okay, but the vibes were a bit lost.

The new version of the book I didn't even finish.

Show threadyellottyellott2d ago

> the first half was good and that the second half felt clunky

> The second half was garbage, but the first half was so good

so you had the same reaction?

Show threadcwillu2d ago

> To the point where i don’t recommend it to anyone

> but the first half was so good and original I'd recommend it just for that

Attension span so short you couldn't even make it to the second half of the sentence before dismissing it

Show threadmoss_dog2d ago

I think this comment is unnecessarily harsh.

To anyone confused (like me), the commenters above had opposite recommendations despite having similar opinions of the book.

Show threadawestroke2d ago
The rewrite is excellent
Show threadchroma2d ago
The author’s other stories like Ra and Fine Structure have the same issue, in my opinion. He has interesting ideas, but cannot seem to write an ending.
Show threadPhilpax2d ago

It seems to be for the first version, judging by the use of the original names, which is odd because the review's from this year.

The rewrite definitely improves on the ending and its delivery, but it's still largely the same plot, so it may not address all of your issues.

Show threadmentalpagefault2d ago

This review appears to be of the first version despite the recent date. (The rewrite filed the serial numbers off the SCP references and changed character names both for copyright reasons and to provide a degree of separation from the original.)

I read both versions and agree that the second half of the first version was very abstract and difficult to follow. While I would consider the first half of the new version more edited than rewritten, the second half got a significant overhaul which fixed almost all of my issues with it and made for (in my opinion) a much more satisfying ending. I would recommend giving the new version another chance, though those who read the first version may find the new character names distracting. (Most didn't bother me, but Marion Wheeler -> Marie Quinn never felt quite right.)

Show threadFabHK2d ago

The article says:

"And at the top of the food chain sits SCP-3125 (renamed in the published edition, but the designation is so perfect I am using it anyway) ..."