
Books · science fiction novel
There Is No Antimemetics Division by qntm
Hacker Approved
Recommended for its strikingly original premise and brilliant opening, a page-turner full of twists; many feel the second half meanders and repeats the same gimmick.
Summarized from 156 comments.
Recommended for its strikingly original premise and brilliant opening, a page-turner full of twists; many feel the second half meanders and repeats the same gimmick.
- recommend
- 98
- criticize
- 34
- months recommended
- 9 of 13
- median owned, 6 owners said
- 1.5 years
Why people love it
Highly original premise and ideas · 9
I didn't think "There Is No Antimemetics Division" did very well with its premise, but the premise is quite fascinating
Apr 2026 · commentIt's worth it for the originality. Both the plot and the storytelling format are very weird and very original.
Apr 2026 · commentThe second half was garbage, but the first half was so good and original I'd recommend it just for that.
Apr 2026 · commentBrilliant opening and first half · 6
Outside of the wonderful introductory set-up and the initial inverted set-piece of 'Your first day', there is little for the book to recommend itself as a piece of literature
Apr 2026 · commentthe introductory short story (this one) brilliant, as it's short, shows a clever and surprising inversion of roles midway
Mar 2026 · commentThe second half was garbage, but the first half was so good and original I'd recommend it just for that.
Apr 2026 · commentPage-turner with unexpected twists · 4
It's such a page turner that the book has become one of my default recommendations for people looking to get back into reading.
Apr 2026 · commentthe introductory short story (this one) brilliant, as it's short, shows a clever and surprising inversion of roles midway
Mar 2026 · commentit all kind of clicks at the end, when we realize we had the rug pulled from under our feet
Apr 2026 · commentRewrite improves the ending · 3
2025 paid version has more coherent ending (which is nice) and more linear timeline for your average non-technical Joe.
Feb 2026 · commentThe rewrite definitely improves on the ending and its delivery, but it's still largely the same plot
Apr 2026 · commentthe second half got a significant overhaul which fixed almost all of my issues with it
Apr 2026 · comment
What people warn about
Second half meanders and fizzles · 5
The second half was garbage, but the first half was so good and original I'd recommend it just for that.
Apr 2026 · commentthe ideas are so good but then it becomes hard to endure through to whatever resolution was waiting
Apr 2026 · commentIt sort of meanders and fizzles out. It starts so strong it seems impossible to finish as strong.
Mar 2026 · commentRepetitive, monster-of-the-week feel · 4
The Big Bad Thing has so many manifestations that it feels like monster of the week rather than a true full book that holds onto a core sharply executed identity.
Mar 2026 · commentthe book is very one-note, it's like a horror movie that keeps doing the same jumpscare over and over again
Apr 2026 · commentBut has that potential but where it lands is closer to monster-of-the-week in book form.
Mar 2026 · commentRewrite largely the same story · 4
The rewrite definitely improves on the ending and its delivery, but it's still largely the same plot
Apr 2026 · commentI thought some of the padding out of earlier parts arguably came out worse.
Mar 2026 · commentthe "editing pass" was minimal. Names changed and some scenes reworked a tiny bit, but it's the same thing.
Mar 2026 · commentStiff, heavy-handed writing · 2
It's very stiff and heavy-handed, as if the writer's only goal is to setup the next twist.
Mar 2026 · commentIt reads as a religious person who accidentally wrote a good sci-fi book then hurridly, at the end, reminds us all that its really a parable
Apr 2026 · comment
What hackers pick instead
- Project Hail Mary by Andy WeirA fun, hopeful science-driven sci-fi story about friendship, with an acclaimed audiobook and a faithful film adaptation; critics find the plot too convenient and the movie simplified.117recommend
- Blindsight by Peter WattsA dense hard SF first-contact novel recommended for its unsettling exploration of intelligence without consciousness; many find the prose hard to follow and the vampires and plot distracting.96recommend
- Dune by Frank HerbertInfluential science fiction admired for its deep world-building, fresh voice and ideas about power and machines. Critics find it long and dense, and say the later books decline.82recommend
- Accelerando by Charles StrossReaders praise its prescient ideas about digital minds, space travel and the future. Critics most often say the characters feel thin or unlikeable.71recommend
- Hyperion by Dan SimmonsFans praise its ideas, religion and prose as top space opera. Common caveat: it ends on a cliffhanger.66recommend
Every quote
The 40 most detailed of 156 comments. Each links to the original.
Outside of the wonderful introductory set-up and the initial inverted set-piece of 'Your first day', there is little for the book to recommend itself as a piece of literature
Mixed · Apr 2026 · in “Book Review: There Is No Antimemetics Division”
The Big Bad Thing has so many manifestations that it feels like monster of the week rather than a true full book that holds onto a core sharply executed identity.
Mixed · Mar 2026 · in “Sci-Fi Short Film "There Is No Antimemetics Division" [video]”
It's such a page turner that the book has become one of my default recommendations for people looking to get back into reading.
Recommends · Apr 2026 · in “Book Review: There Is No Antimemetics Division”
the introductory short story (this one) brilliant, as it's short, shows a clever and surprising inversion of roles midway
Mixed · Mar 2026 · in “Sci-Fi Short Film "There Is No Antimemetics Division" [video]”
2025 paid version has more coherent ending (which is nice) and more linear timeline for your average non-technical Joe.
Recommends · Feb 2026 · in “MMAcevedo aka Lena by qntm”
I didn't think "There Is No Antimemetics Division" did very well with its premise, but the premise is quite fascinating
Mixed · Apr 2026 · in “Book Review: There Is No Antimemetics Division”
It's worth it for the originality. Both the plot and the storytelling format are very weird and very original.
Recommends · Apr 2026 · in “Book Review: There Is No Antimemetics Division”
the book is very one-note, it's like a horror movie that keeps doing the same jumpscare over and over again
Mixed · Apr 2026 · in “Book Review: There Is No Antimemetics Division”
The second half was garbage, but the first half was so good and original I'd recommend it just for that.
Mixed · Apr 2026 · in “Book Review: There Is No Antimemetics Division”
if you like antimemes as a concept then this is a nice treatment that introduces people to what it means
Recommends · Apr 2026 · in “Book Review: There Is No Antimemetics Division”
The rewrite definitely improves on the ending and its delivery, but it's still largely the same plot
Mixed · Apr 2026 · in “Book Review: There Is No Antimemetics Division”
the ideas are so good but then it becomes hard to endure through to whatever resolution was waiting
Mixed · Apr 2026 · in “Book Review: There Is No Antimemetics Division”
Technically, I read "There Is No Antimemetics Division" last year, but I'd already kind of read it
Mixed · Jan 2026 · in “Sins of the Children (Adrian Tchaikovsky)”
It sort of meanders and fizzles out. It starts so strong it seems impossible to finish as strong.
Mixed · Mar 2026 · in “Sci-Fi Short Film "There Is No Antimemetics Division" [video]”
more than "There is not anti-mimetics division" which I felt lost itself in the second half
Mixed · Dec 2025 · in “Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?”
it all kind of clicks at the end, when we realize we had the rug pulled from under our feet
Recommends · Apr 2026 · in “Book Review: There Is No Antimemetics Division”
It's very stiff and heavy-handed, as if the writer's only goal is to setup the next twist.
Mixed · Mar 2026 · in “Sci-Fi Short Film "There Is No Antimemetics Division" [video]”
But has that potential but where it lands is closer to monster-of-the-week in book form.
Mixed · Mar 2026 · in “Sci-Fi Short Film "There Is No Antimemetics Division" [video]”
The core conceit lent itself so well to a (subverted) introductory "As you know" chapter
Recommends · Apr 2026 · in “Book Review: There Is No Antimemetics Division”
the second half got a significant overhaul which fixed almost all of my issues with it
Recommends · Apr 2026 · in “Book Review: There Is No Antimemetics Division”
The book did a commendable job.But I was ready for it to be over when it was over.
Mixed · Mar 2026 · in “Sci-Fi Short Film "There Is No Antimemetics Division" [video]”
One of the more original titles I've read in recent years that gives that feeling
Recommends · Mar 2026 · in “Rendezvous with Rama”
Still one of the more original bits of sci fi / horror to be published in a while
Recommends · Mar 2026 · in “Sci-Fi Short Film "There Is No Antimemetics Division" [video]”
Great idea, brilliantly executed. Definitely worth it for the first third alone.
Mixed · Mar 2026 · in “Sci-Fi Short Film "There Is No Antimemetics Division" [video]”
I thought some of the padding out of earlier parts arguably came out worse.
Mixed · Mar 2026 · in “Sci-Fi Short Film "There Is No Antimemetics Division" [video]”
It has many interesting ideas and a plot with some truly unexpected twists.
Recommends · Mar 2026 · in “Sci-Fi Short Film "There Is No Antimemetics Division" [video]”
It reads as a religious person who accidentally wrote a good sci-fi book then hurridly, at the end, reminds us all that its really a parable
Criticizes · Apr 2026 · in “Book Review: There Is No Antimemetics Division”
the "editing pass" was minimal. Names changed and some scenes reworked a tiny bit, but it's the same thing.
Criticizes · Mar 2026 · in “Sci-Fi Short Film "There Is No Antimemetics Division" [video]”
I don't see a coherent plot so far. But all the chapters seem to have the same gimmick
Criticizes · Apr 2026 · in “Book Review: There Is No Antimemetics Division”
I also didn't think it was quite as good as it was hyped to be, but as someone who has long been into the web-based SCP stuff, I did appreciate how the book is introducing SCP to a wider audience.
Mixed · Mar 2026 · in “Sci-Fi Short Film "There Is No Antimemetics Division" [video]”
It's an enjoyable read, hopefully it's the start of a whole new arc in the series with more to come.
Recommends · Apr 2026 · in “Book Review: There Is No Antimemetics Division”
Qntm is great and their latest book, There Is No Antimemetics Division, recently was on HN as well
Recommends · Apr 2026 · in “The Future of Everything Is Lies, I Guess: Culture”
I read the original antimemetic division book a few times, and gifted the book to few friends too
Recommends · Feb 2026 · in “MMAcevedo aka Lena by qntm”
I feel like is just looming as a possible and frustratingly shallow justification of the book
Mixed · Mar 2026 · in “Sci-Fi Short Film "There Is No Antimemetics Division" [video]”
it's entirely consistent with the meta-nature of the book, especially the self-conscious part
Recommends · Apr 2026 · in “Book Review: There Is No Antimemetics Division”
trying to cohere the structure of the book with the topic matter which I really appreciate
Recommends · Apr 2026 · in “Book Review: There Is No Antimemetics Division”
but something to appreciate, it allows us to see through the media and into the author
Recommends · Apr 2026 · in “Book Review: There Is No Antimemetics Division”
I'm a big qntm fan. I highly recommend their "antimemetics" SCP stories and articles.
Recommends · Dec 2025 · in “Qntm's Power Tower Toy”
a great book recently called There Is No Antimemetics Division, to rave reviews on HN
Recommends · May 2026 · in “Incredible Story of Troy”
the general idea is much better than just verbally stating it is hard to remember
Mixed · Apr 2026 · in “Book Review: There Is No Antimemetics Division”
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