Since the “chapters” are so short in this one, I didn’t keep detailed notes like I did for The Red Tree.

U-0055 I like the way this mimics an SCP entry with the redactions and speculation. I’m a bit worried about U-0055 being introduced as a wild card so early in the “novel.” Hopefully QNTM will do something interesting, but if it turns out to be a deus ex machina, I’ll be a bit disappointed.

Induction We have our first recurring character, Antimemetics Division Chief Marie Quinn. I like this scenario as an introduction to Quinn, mnestics, and the Unknown Organization, but the pacing of each section is very fast. It reminds me of young adult novels I used to read, like the Alex Ryder books. Aiming for speed and action that sometimes gets in its own way. Who sent Levene, if anyone. Will we get more information on Levene later?

Introductory Antimemetics The way this story “lies” to the reader bothers me. I’m not sure if it’s just having read a lot of post-modern stories or what, but I like it better when the characters “lie” more than the narrator. The pacing is also a bit funky, Lee is in a huge hurry, but has time to scroll through what appears to be a long entry on 7175. I don’t have a lot to say about this one, I like the idea of this Unknown and the ‘solution’ to the problem makes sense to me, it’s just the framing of the story that’s ultimately unsatisfying for me. I’d love more time to be spent on set-ups and pacing within the chapters.

Unforgettable, That’s What You Are I like this story a lot, probably my favorite so far. Andy and Marie’s interactions are fun, and the anti-aging serum is a fun idea. We get a little bit more information about Quinn (nee Sheridan), and the history of the Antimemetics Division. Andy is the founder of this Antimemetics Division, but there’s been at least one previous, now forgotten, Division. We’re introduced to what I assume is going to be the primary antagonist, the Unknown that appears when you know about or remember it, then erases your memory of it once its out of sight. We also get our first hint of the staffing issues for the Antimemetics Division, only about 200 people now? What happened to the rest of them? I wonder if the solution to 7175 is foreshadowing for the antagonist.

The Ones Who Walk Very Slowly This one was sad. Feels like a parallel to the ecological destruction we’re experiencing outside the fiction. I like the ‘twist,’ it’s so subtle I didn’t get it until the end. I’m not sure if I need to keep the part about observing antimemes as doing damage to them in mind as foreshadowing or if this is standalone.

Aim to get through Section II for next week. I’ll post next Wednesday, as always feel free to comment about anything that interests you in the meantime.