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The Many
By Wyl Menmuir
Salt, 2016, 160pp.

The Short of It:

Mysterious. Deep. A lot to chew on.

The Rest of It:

On the surface, his move to the isolated village on the coast makes perfect sense. But the experience is an increasingly unsettling one for Timothy Bucchanan. A dead man no one will discuss. Wasted fish hauled from a contaminated sea. The dream of faceless men. Questions that lead to further questions. What truth are the villagers withholding? ~ the publisher

Grief, loss, societal and environmental collapse. It’s all here in this short book, but what a punch it packs. Tim is suffering a great loss. He heads to an isolated coastal village to begin fresh. The house he settles on, has been abandoned for years; once belonging to a man whom no one speaks of. Why is this man’s name taboo? Whenever Tim tries to find out, he’s shut down and sometimes in a violent way. Harm to his person as well as the house he just bought.

He wants very much to make a home for his wife, but he doesn’t feel comfortable bringing her there without completely understanding what he’s dealing with. He has nightmares. The fishing boat he finds work on detracts from the horrible visions in his head but once he’s back on land, he plummets once again into a very dark place.

This story that can be interpreted in many different ways. I’m sure Menmuir knew which direction he wanted to go with it, but I refrain from sharing what I believe as it could be a spoiler for anyone wanting to pick up this obscure novel.

Did I enjoy it? It’s not a book to enjoy. It took a little time to get a feel for the writing but it’s very atmospheric and welling with meaning. It was shortlisted for a Man Booker. You know the type of novels that make that list. This is that. I found it to be quietly disturbing and while reading it, it haunted my thoughts and still does.

My book club discusses it in March. It’s no longer in print, which makes it difficult to find a copy but I managed to snag the ebook from the library.

Recommend.

Source: Borrowed
Disclosure: This post contains Bookshop.org affiliate links.

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep book cover. A blurred image of a face set against a metal honeycomb backdrop.

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
By Philip K. Dick
Del Rey, May 1996, 240pp.

The Short of It:

This gave me all the feels and not in a great way.

The Rest of It:

By 2021, the World War has killed millions, driving entire species into extinction and sending mankind off-planet. Those who remain covet any living creature, and for people who can’t afford one, companies built incredibly realistic simulacra: horses, birds, cats, sheep. They’ve even built humans. ~ from the publisher

What a book. It was the inspiration for the film Blade Runner in case you didn’t know but it’s quite different from the film. Living creatures are highly valued and will cost you. A simple house cat? You wouldn’t be able to afford one. Sometimes folks are lucky and can save enough for a goat or a chicken but mostly, all they can afford are simulations of said animal.

People are desperate for interaction but the Androids are so advanced that you can’t tell who is real? Bounty hunters are sent to “destroy”retire” the remaining Androids which are discovered by failing a scientific round of testing in the form of empathy measuring. But still, some of them pass because they’ve nearly become human and want to live.

This is where it gets interesting. When you are so lonely and desperate for human interaction and a droid can provide that AND show empathy in a way you haven’t seen in a really long time? How does that bode well when you are the one hired to destroy them?

I get it. I am the person who will run out of a car when I see the little DoorDash robot floundering in a busy intersection. But Ti, it’s not real. But it FEELS real and it even makes sounds like a tiny child when it’s confused. EEEEEEK. What have we become? It’s terrifying really.

First published in 1968 but so ahead of his time. The story is set in 2021 but look at us now. Talking to Siri, asking Alexa to do stuff for us and people all over conversing with ChatGPT like it’s a friend. Smart refrigerators, vacuums, and cars. I mean, you can’t even buy a car without all the stuff now.

These machines are always watching and listening. Think about that. Does the convenience outweigh the risk? Sometimes. Are we starting to cross a line? Absolutely.

During my most recent hospital stay, I could hear the AI physician talking to patients during their tele-appointments, I also had an AI Nurse that kept asking me how I was feeling. I got up out of that bed and unplugged it. NO. Just No.

Discuss. We all say, “There’s a line I won’t cross” but look at how you live today and really think about it. GPS? Useful for sure but also tracking your every move.

Discuss.

My book club will be discussing this next month. Recommend.

Source: Borrowed
Disclosure: This post contains Bookshop.org affiliate links.

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