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mopierotti ◴[] No.41225298[source]
I sent out about 8 copies of this book to friends/relatives for christmas a couple years ago, and it was very well received. It's not without flaws, but it's absolutely packed with novel concepts, relatively short, and provides a unique experience for unsuspecting readers. The physical book cover is quite good looking as well in my opinion.

I also loved Ra by the same author, but it felt a little messier plot-wise, so I hesitate to recommend it to an audience who isn't already accustomed to reading "out-there" online/sci-fi/rationalist fiction.

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LoganDark ◴[] No.41226530[source]
I love Ra. (also Fine Structure.) I don't think the plot is necessarily that much messier as much as it is more complex.

As in, this is super mega nerd shit. Unless you can relate things you're reading to things you've read before, it won't make too much sense to you. But if you're constructing a theory of the book's universe and story as you read, it's downright addictive.

I don't know where to find more books like those but I really, really want to.

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mopierotti ◴[] No.41226818[source]
True, perhaps "messy" was the wrong word. I think what I was trying to get at was that I feel "There Is No Antimemetics Division" is more accessible for the average reader -- More narrowly focused, with a more immediate hook.

Regarding recommendations similar to Ra, it's not exactly the same thing, but https://unsongbook.com/ is fantastic and has a similar flavor I think.

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epiccoleman ◴[] No.41227152[source]
Unsong is one of my favorite books ever, and the newly released print edition has some nice changes to the "base model" that I enjoyed a lot. The book honestly changed the way I thought about religion. It's fantastic.

(also, I liked Antimemetics, but not Ra, so I will just say I think unsong is leaps and bounds better than Ra)

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1. LoganDark ◴[] No.41257608[source]
I think Unsong is less math/physics and more just mega nerd. But it has a very very similar vibe. I love it so far (on chapter 20 or so right now).