#qntm

[jam2go]

Of all the books to get lost in the mail...

[daphnevermeer]

You guys why did no one tell me "There is no antimemetics division" was a tragic love story of epic proportions. I was not prepared for this. I came for mind bending sci-fi and left damn near crying.

[literaryomnivore]

My mind is changed forever. I am not who I was before.

There Is No Antimemetics Division, by QNTM, is a book my wife (notoriously slow reader) finished in a day and a half, set down, and told me that I had to read immediately. I now understand why; it’s nearly impossible to discuss this book with someone who hasn’t read it. Even if you’re okay with spoilers, I don’t think there’s any way to capture the feeling of going on this ride. Allow me to try anyway.

The premise is wild: There exist creatures and objects with properties that make you remember and/or make you forget, and some of those entities are malignant. Some are not. This book is about a small group of people who professionally find, study, categorize, and contain these entities.

But, see, it’s the way the premise is executed that really makes this story shine. QNTM crafts and meters a narrative voice that is as haunting as it is compelling. Reading this book, I felt a growing sense that there was some important thing I was forgetting, some clue I couldn’t quite see that would help me understand the shape of the threat. I think it’s in the way he throws a bunch of information at the reader, all of which is significant, that creates the feeling of forgetting. You know there’s a detail you should have, but you can’t recall everything, and when the pieces of the plot start to slot into place the details come roaring back to you.

Combine that with the slippery narrative voice of a story where every character is unreliable (anti-memory properties!) and you get a viscerally compelling reading experience. You are an echo of the cast in a way—forgetting, remembering, trying to hold the shape of this thing in your mind.

It would be easy—and typical of the genre—for the story to shortchange its characters in favor of this Very Cool Idea, but it doesn’t. Although the narrative voice stays relatively matter-of-fact, it illuminates the inner life of our deeply human protagonist as she squares up against incomprehensible danger. She is forced to make choices in service of her goal, some that she won’t remember, that have real and bitter consequences. QNTM’s ability to pick the right moment to narrow the story down to one person’s life, one person’s tragedies and triumphs, is impressive and it makes the broader story work.

From the very first chapter, the story is twisty—folding in and over itself, inverting perspectives to surprise you and show you something new. The perspective ranges freely between third-person omniscient and third-person limited, with no real marker for when it’s changing. While this works well to deliver the twists and turns at the core of the narrative, it can also trip the reader up at the wrong moment, creating ambiguity or breaking the flow in places that don’t seem intentional. These slip-ups are minor, but they do stand out in a book that otherwise wastes no moment or detail.

In keeping with the best that science fiction has to offer, I left this book feeling like I was looking at the world differently. It was immersive and heartbreaking and hopeful, and I would love to share it with everyone I can. Please read this book. Take a weekend and have your brain rewired.

[deathdefyinglifeleaps]

the funniest thing about poking my head into the tinad fandom right after reading the recently released, traditionally published version of there is no antimemetics division is that the posts are all “marion wheeler character of all time” and “we need to talk about bart hughes” and i’m like ‘that’s not her name!’ and ‘who’s that?!’ it’s almost like i’ve been infec— almost like— what does scp stand for? what are these anomalies? my mom boss has [redacted]? sorry, sorry. it’s my first day…

[c02c38]

Science Fiction Stories mentioned by Tom Scott

The scope of this list is specific references to written works. Years listed should be original publication years. I'll add to this as I confirm more references. Some of Tom's videos have affiliate links. You may prefer to use those links instead of the links here!

his newsletter 🔗

LILY, THE IMMORTAL by Kylie Lee Baker (2022)

14 science fiction stories in under 6 minutes 🔗

ACCELERANDO by Charles Stross (2010)

EVERYONE IN SILICO by Jim Munroe (2002) (also mentioned here)

BIT PLAYERS by Greg Egan (2014) (also mentioned in his newsletter)

LENA by qntm (2021)

THE AGE OF EM by Robin Hanson (2016)

Books We've Read That You Might Like 🔗

PERMUTATION CITY by Greg Egan (1994)

DIASPORA by Greg Egan (1997)

ORTHOGANAL (series) by Greg Egan (2011-2013)

Tom Scott: Fast fashion, the future of football, nice sci-fi 🔗

PATTERN RECOGNITION by William Gibson (2003)

THE LONG WAY TO A SMALL, ANGRY PLANET by Becky Chambers (2014)

Lateral Podcast 🔗

NEW POMPEII by Daniel Godfrey (2016) (from #129)

We Can Be Weirdos #66 🔗

FINE STRUCTURE by qntm (2006-2010)

RA by qntm (2011-2014) (also mentioned here)

WHEN THE MOON HITS YOUR EYE by John Scalzi (2025)

DARK MATTER by Blake Crouch (2016)

RECURSION by Blake Crouch (2019)

THE RESTAURANT AT THE END OF THE UNIVERSE by Douglas Adams (1980)

DICHRONAUTS by Greg Egan (2017)

CRYSTAL NIGHTS by Greg Egan (2008)

this Insta reel from Nebula 🔗

THE SPACE BETWEEN WORLDS by Micaiah Johnson (2021) (also mentioned in his newsletter)

Behind The Scenes of Tom Passing Out In A Centrifuge 🔗

SNOW CRASH by Neal Stephenson (1992)

Blocking People in Real Life: Tom Scott at An Evening of Unnecessary Detail 🔗

THE CITY AND THE CITY by China Miéville (2009)

Corridor Cast #6 🔗

POSTSINGULAR by Rudy Rucker (2007)

YouTube's copyright system isn't broken. The world's is. 🔗

THE DEMOLISHED MAN by Alfred Bester (1952) (also mentioned here)

Does the language you speak change how you think? 🔗

STORY OF YOUR LIFE by Ted Chiang (1998) NINETEEN EIGHTY-FOUR by George Orwell (1949)

Crash Blossoms and Being Drunk: Ambiguity 🔗

THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY by Douglas Adams (1978)

We Answer Your Questions #HighQualitySockContent 🔗

THE FIRST FIFTEEN LIVES OF HARRY AUGUST by Claire North (2014)

Ten years ago, I predicted 2022. Did I get it right? 🔗

THE BRIEF HISTORY OF THE DEAD by Kevin Brockmeier (2007)

[nothingsheresoleave]

Starting a collection of moments with similar vibes

"Skylar, everything I did.. I need you to understand.."

"If I have to hear one more time that you did this for the family-"

"I did it for me.

I liked it. And I was good at it. And I was.. really.. I was alive."

Breaking Bad

“I keep on asking myself the same questions over and over again,” she said. “Maybe you can answer. Was it worth it?“

I stared down at my hand. It was shaking, but it wasn’t from fear.

“Would you do it all over again? Knowing what you know now? Knowing that you end up here?"

“I… know I’m supposed to say yes,” the words made their way past my lips. “But no. Some-somewhere along the way, it became no.”

Worm

"So you believed the lie because you wanted to," Rachel surmises. "You wanted to believe you were special."

"I..." - Laura watches her language, then thinks again - "fucking am."

Ra (alternate ending)

[just-a-bus]

If I had a nickel for every time there was a five-legged spider character in a book and it was the best character ever forever I'd have two nickels. Which is not a lot but. Actually I've got no idea how that happened twice

[unfairunknown]

Currently having my mind and soul absolutely bodied by There is No Antimemetics Division, a book a friend recommended to me recently.

I can't even describe it? I know it was an online novella first but I'm getting to it now that it got picked up and published in a slightly extended form, so I'm unsure what's new and different.

I just know it's a story about constantly becoming someone new, the fear of memory loss, monsters you can't even remember you've seen, and never giving up despite it all. Holy cow.