Stephen Cagle

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April 21, 2026 By: qntm

There Is No Antimemetics Division

There Is No Antimemetics Division cover

It is such a cool idea.

But dammit, it just does not make any sense when you think about it. Or, to my mind, it only makes sense when physical reality is in some way subordinate to consciousness or something (waves hands).

I think I understand that it is supposed to be in the same vibe as for instance the immense (horror?) of Cthulhu. Something that is so vast, so beyond mortal minds, that it can't actually be understood without causing madness. But we keep probing the edge of the antimeme. We keep prodding and boxing it in. We keep defining the negative space it occupies, which just makes it's existence (or ours) seem less and less believable.

I kept expecting there to be a explanation for how humanity keeps surviving these completely impossible scenarios. But as near as I understood, it was simply humanities plot armor at play. I found that deeply unsatisfying. I'm partially writing the review in the hopes that someone will correct me, will point out something I missed about what makes this story hold its form. If antimemes have been preying on the stuff of thought for all of eternity, how is it that humanity ever rose in the first place?


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