Amorphous Breaking the Mold

by Steven Burgess

Amorphous: Breaking the Mold is a science fiction novel of the near future that follows an eclectic group of characters as they are confronted with the threat of invading interstellar slime molds.

Amorphous weaves together multiple narratives, each propelled by distinct voices, to explore the potential consequences of first contact with an extraterrestrial intelligence unlike anything we've ever imagined. The story kicks off with a chaotic scene as a seemingly innocuous asteroid crashes onto a California golf course, releasing a pulsating, yellow ooze that quickly engulfs a hapless journalist. It becomes clear that this "Little Slimy Alien" (LSA) isn’t just any asteroid – it’s a potentially sentient, world-spanning slime mold from another star system with an entirely alien worldview.

A team of scientists, led by the brilliant but frazzled biologist Samantha, scrambles to find a way to communicate with the LSA, a task made even more urgent as similar events occur around the globe. As the world descends into a panic, Samantha and her team must race against time, and overcome their own preconceived notions of intelligence and consciousness, to find a solution before the LSAs take over.

Genres: Science Fiction

Hardcover

Published January 1, 2024

Reviews

[Tina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book from the author in exchange for a fair review.

Some things about this novel just didn’t work for me. I by no means think it’s a “bad” novel, but sometimes a narrative style just doesn’t suit a reader and that’s what happened here. Given the concepts in the novel, I believe other readers would enjoy this book. As such, I’m just going to review the novel from my own lens so you readers can decide if it’s something that you would be interested in.

The biggest thing that held me back about the novel was that there isn’t a lot of description or even narration; almost whole chapters go by with nothing but a dialogue exchange. While this might work for some readers - probably those who enjoy reading plays - it didn't keep me engaged. Were this to be the case for just the “radio show” segments (which, to be honest, might have been fun in a screenplay format), it would have been fine, but the entire novel relies on dialogue to carry the weight of the story. That’s not to say the exchanges between the characters were flat - they weren’t, as the characters each had a distinctive voice and there’s a great amount of humour and personality - but the amount of narration and dialogue was imbalanced. I found myself drifting in attention when the exchanges went on without any sort of action or beat.

I do think the novel has a very interesting concept and structure - there is an attempt to bring philosophical, almost existential quandaries into the novel - which I always appreciate - and the novel is packed with other random facts. I do think the latter could have used a trim in editing.

There are some short chapters detailing the evolution of the slime molds which help tie in the main story to the characters. In truth, the novel is a bit unbalanced in this aspect too, as the alien slime doesn’t really show up until the last third of the novel.

Yet, one thing I really enjoyed about the novel was the multiple, third-person point of view. The author created distinctive personalities and voices for each character, so even without the chapter headings they quickly developed an easily identifiable personality. This aspect was very well done.

The setting is also interesting and fun, as the author has created a not-too-far-off future that feels similar to today but with new technology that is seamlessly integrated into the story and characters’ lives in a clever mix of world-building and speculation.

Unfortunately, some things didn’t work for me, but I still think it's a solid novel that other readers should check out!

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy most science fiction novels, especially these days when they pull me away from the real world. I read different genres of SF, as well as some fantasy. But I have to admit that I haven’t read anything quite like what Steven Burgess wrote in Amorphous: Breaking the Mold.(

From a huge distance away in space comes a ”comet” that is actually a ball of what the characters call slime mold. Not the Earth-type, but somewhat similar. A journalist seeking the Pulitzer propels himself into the slime and it infests every part of his internal structure. Most of second half of the novel is a description of other people trying to determine what Bob is mentally experiencing as he is “subsumed” by the alien.

Since the story is predominantly told through dialogue, something of the old-time radio plays emerges: “So they’ve got close-up footage of the . . . the . . . thing? What is it? What does it look like?” Well, that’s the thing, Beth. It just looks like a big long rock, in a stable orbit around the earh for the past three weeks.” “Is it cigar-shaped, Jim?” asks Bob.

So this is a different kind of narrative, mostly -- more direct, more talky. And a slime mold with no brain or means of communication is a different kind of alien-contact storyline. If that sounds intriguing and if you are partial to silly word plays (get the title? Breaking the mold?) among the characters, even after Bob has been ingested by the slime, this is a book for you.

I received a copy of this book from sbgbooks.com. This is an honest review.

[Tammy · Rating 2 out of 5]

It wasn't bad, but I wouldn't call this a smooth well blended read. At times I couldn't get into it. Other times it sort of tickled my funny bone. People whose favorite genre is sci-fi would probably enjoy this more than I did.

[E.R. Burgess · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really fun book - science fiction in the mold of Douglas Adams with perhaps a little Tom Robbins thrown in. Lots of intriguing ideas conveyed in a balancing act with a ton of characters. Get ready for many genuine LOLs as you read the witty, easygoing prose.

[Jackie Krone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun stories and characters woven together with random facts and humor and sprinkled with hints of philosophical inquisitiveness about life. Easy and enjoyable read for those who like to be inside a character's mind, seeing and sensing the human condition as it unfolds.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

First, thank you to Wise Media group for the ARC. This is an honest review.
Second, there may be some small spoilers.
Third, I have realized that I am probably not the best audience for a combination sci-fi/humor novel.
Now to the review.
Set in the near future California, Amorphous by Stephen Burgess, is basically a humorous account of an alien invasion, but not like one you would expect. As depicted on the cover, some sort of slime crash lands on a golf course (and simultaneously in many places across the Earth). This is interesting because too often, aliens are humanoid creatures, but why would evolution be the same across the universe? Andromeda Strain had the same premise (but a less silly account of the event).
Each chapter gives us a different point of view from the rather large cast of central and very diverse characters. Sam is a biologist who researches neural networks but is also interested in slime molds and how they are like the mycorrhiza of the forests of northern California. Her partner Hedwig also researches neural networks but works on the inventive side and creates the items that actually interface with animal brains. Oh, and he also invented Mood Hair TM. Bob and Beth are radio personalities with a goofy schtick (that was a bit off putting for me in a sci-fi book) and they ended up interviewing most of the rest of the cast of characters during the story. Noelle is an older southern belle from Atlanta who likes to shoot squirrels (why is this important to the story?) and goes out to Cali to visit her son, Paul, who she hasn’t seen in quite a while. Paul, of course, is working on his degree under Hedwig, and has not told his very polite, but religious, racist, bible-verse spouting mother (again, why is this necessary to the story?) that he is gay and living with Diego. Diego is a student researching Peruvian mythology and recently had a dream/fugue of ancient past pre-Peruvian pyramid building people awash with sounds and resonance. Coincidentally, Diarmuid is a professor from Ireland who studies Irish mythology, specifically related to relics and ruins, using resonance and sound. Invited to Cali to give a talk, it is important (or maybe not) to know that he also recently had a dream/fugue where some ancient stones in a ruin connected with him and sent him images and laughed when he went to get paper and pencil, indicating that messages have always been shared without writing until humans came along. Add in a technicolor reverend and a cook at a sandwich shop, and you have the main cast.
Most of these folks are all gathered together at the golf course to celebrate Javon, the cook as he is working at the opening of the new restaurant, because (of course) they all know each other. That is the moment the slime comet crashes into the restaurant. Bob, being an ‘investigative reporter’ – at least in his mind – decides to be the first to interview the aliens.

He ends up falling into the slime. The scientific team sets up equipment (of course they get government help on behalf of the president) to interface with both unresponsive Bob and the slime.

They use a very sassy AI as the connection between the two neural nets. The AI calls himself Alec -because he is smart – yes – Smart Alec. I just can’t. This is where I realized that I am not the audience for humor/sci-fi. I appreciated HAL and TAR. Alec is neither. Readers of Douglas Adams might like this more than I did.
The ending was unsatisfactory. Some threads that I thought were introduced to help solve the issue were left hanging – like the resonance and folklore coincidence of Diarmuid and Diego. Things were sketchy and then, all of a sudden, better, which seemed more convenient than scientifically possible.
Also, for first contact with an alien species, there was little to no regard to potential infectious disease concern from anyone involved. Slime got on you? Oh well, just wipe it off or take a sample and send it off by drone for DNA analysis. Anyone think to have that person (or people) get checked out medically just in case? Nope. There were some other scientific surface errors in the writing that made me not want to fact check more and go down rabbit holes.
The characters were well developed, though. I did enjoy getting to know most of them and could see how the author might be setting up for a sequel. Overall, an interesting premise, interesting characters, just not my cup of tea.
2.5/5 stars

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was provided for review by Breakeven Books with permission from the author. Thank you!

As I have said before on this blog, it is always a gamble when one tackles a book by an author they are not familiar with. Even in genres I enjoy and am familiar with, a new author is an unknown. One could almost say it is an alien experience.

Amorphous: Breaking the Mold by Steven Burgess is a novel that attempts to fit into that specific genre. An meteor of unknown origins crash lands on Earth, landing in the middle of a golf course. The meteor is not a meteor but is a type of transport, carrying a semi-satient slime mold. Scientists of various disciplines descend upon it, along with a news reporter looking to finally earn his Pulitzer. The situation quickly goes sideways as the reporter is enveloped by the slime and the scientists must race to find a way to somehow speak with the slime mold and hopefully save the reporter.

One piece of advice many writers have been told is the concept of “show, don’t tell”. It is a concept where the author is encouraged to “show” the reader a specific item or place or even experience through descriptive words and phrases. The idea is to allow the reader to form their own mental picture. With roughly 85% of Amorphous being dialogue though, the concept is handled a bit different. There is very little in the way of description or narration, instead almost everything is given to the reader via the characters speaking. It could be likened to a radio play where one person would go, “Oh my goodness, what is that thing?! Is that a…” and the other person would reply with, “It is! An alien ship!”. Etc. Etc.

While I am sure there are those who enjoy reading plays or other types of stories that rely heavily on dialogue with little in the way of direction, I personally find those things difficult and hard to follow. As such, I found my attention waning more than once.

The use of present tense was also an issue I found myself butting heads with while reading Amorphous. Every time I came across “—- says” or “—- goes” or something similar, I was pulled from the narrative. The fact that many of the characters sounded alike – at least to me – and some sounded almost idiotic was also off putting. Though we learn later one of the more idiotic characters was using a facade, I personally still found it grating.

Overall, I think the idea behind Amorphous was interesting, even if the execution fell short. When we think of aliens landing on Earth, we imagine advanced beings from far off planets. We imagine sleek looking spaceships bristling with technology that far surpasses ours. We don’t imagine non-sentient blobs of mold crash landing in the middle of a golf course. Nor do we imagine an alien life form that we don’t even meet until a good two-thirds into the story.

While unfortunately there were several things about Amorphous that didn’t work for me, the overall premise was fun. Readers who enjoy a sci-fi novel that is more dialogue driven as opposed to action driven might enjoy it. My many thanks to Breakeven Books and the author, Steven Burgess, for the opportunity to read this book.

[Joel Hacker · Rating 2 out of 5]

As usual, disclosure that this is a review of a free ARC.
While the blurb for Amorphous is factually accurate, it is somewhat misleading. It would imply that there is consistently more action and focus on the mold invasion than actually occurs. Similarly, the 'quirky AI' (which given the rest of the book is a little more irritating than ingratiating) comes in roughly for the last twenty percent of the book, and the journalist so specifically called out gives us relatively limited internal monologue/experiences once the action actually happens.
The book is not badly written exactly, and at least some of the characters are interesting and engaging. Unfortunately, we spend the majority (easily three quarters, if not more) of the book bouncing between these characters perspectives in a progression of 'talking head' scenes. Various groups of our main characters sitting around tables, standing around other places, being in lecture halls, with nothing but protracted dialogue that only vaguely (and eventually...after the fact...) connects to the plot and themes. Its mostly philosophical and political conversations. This continues even in high stress, dangerous situations once the promised invasion actually does start, in a fairly unbelievable and unrealistic way. Because more than anything this philosophical dialogue is the clearly the point, some of the characters do feel more like caricatures of folks embracing certain stereotypical views. There's also a certain good faith nature to how these various folk engage in these discussions that, quite frankly, one does not typically find outside of academia. And while many (one might say, too many) of our characters are essentially academics or come from academic backgrounds, there are those who are most certainly not.
I'm also very confused by the near future world that's been constructed. In some ways it seems to have embraced strong (and one might say necessary) socialist practices, yet somehow still seems to glorify and embrace some of the worst aspects of capitalism and (at least in some areas) alt-right practices. There's really no reason it should be functioning? The characters, despite *all* of the dialogue about philosophy, seem to universally hold no real committed political feelings or leanings, one way or another.
I did particularly like the 'Kickin It' faux new segments the most, even if later the journalists both took real extreme turns in terms of personality that didn't seem accounted for via normal character development.

[Andrea LaRosa · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I loved most about Amorphous is that it’s unapologetically different. It doesn’t follow the usual sci-fi blueprint, and that’s what makes it so compelling. The writing is sharp and layered, with moments of laugh-out-loud humor tucked right next to deep, sometimes philosophical insights. The characters aren’t just quirky for the sake of it—they each have a clear voice and presence, and their conversations feel like you're sitting in on some brilliant, slightly chaotic brainstorming session that somehow ends in clarity.

This isn’t a book that rushes to the next big action scene. It takes its time—sometimes meanders—through dialogue, ideas, and interactions. That might not be for everyone, but if you're the kind of reader who enjoys chewing on concepts, observing personalities unfold, and following a story that prioritizes thought over explosion, this will hit the sweet spot.

There’s also something refreshing about the way the book balances intelligence with irreverence. It invites you to ponder the big stuff—consciousness, connection, the nature of intelligence—without ever feeling like it’s lecturing you. Instead, it pulls you into this offbeat little world, makes you laugh, makes you think, and leaves you with that rare feeling of, “I’ve never read anything quite like this.” And honestly? I love that.

[Melon · Rating 2 out of 5]

*** I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book in exchange for this unbiased review. ***

I think I see what the author was going for and I really wish it had hit the mark for me, but it just didn't. The characters felt more like caricatures, the humor never really made me laugh, and the sci-fi bits that passed for world-building didn't feel important or cohesive and the 'real' sci-fi meat that I was excited for and interested in, the interactions between the slime mold intelligence and the humans, and its emergent intelligence, occupies far too little of the book and far too at the end, leaving us with a cliffhanger as it just barely begins to become conscious. I won't personally read it again, nor was I interested enough to read a potential sequel that it seems to be setting up, nor can I recommend it to others. Unfortunately, altogether a miss for me, I'm sorry to say, because I think the author worked hard and had a good idea that could have been much better realized.

[Patrick S. · Rating 1 out of 5]

The plot for the book sounded interesting to me. The Blob alien invasion with some humor of 2001's Evolution movie sounded like a decent pickup. I did not like this book at all. The plot fails to even start. I was halfway through the book and turning page after page before anything started to get going. The switch of character POV for each chapter adds nothing and continues to build nothing on top of it. The dialogue is painful and especially the scenes of reporters who are written like cartoon reporters you'd find parodied in Robocop are unreadable. They repeat their names and stammer inanely. The quirky AI talked about in the book's synopsis is hardly in the book and is also hard to read. If not for the fact that I agreed to review the book, I would not have been able to read it to even the halfway point. I'm really sad that I didn't get The Blob book I was hoping for. Final Grade - F

[Tom Jolly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed Amorphous. There is a fascinating and thought-provoking blend of science and philosophy sprinkled throughout the book, often delivered through the antics of radio announcers Beth and Bob, introducing many of the characters with snarky interviews, and the unique voices of the characters themselves. And, of course, there’s the alien.

Amorphous asks the question, can an alien without a brain develop space travel? What, exactly, is intelligence and how can it manifest? Is there anything on Earth worth eating...I mean, meeting? Can humans really ever communicate with such a creature, so alien that we can barely imagine it? Can the weirdness that separates humans from understanding each other help us understand a peculiar intellect?

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't say I didn't like this book, but it was not what I expected. For an alien invasion story there was a lack of alien lifeforms in the first two thirds of the book. I was also surprised by the fact that most of the book is conversation. Even after the alien lifeform arrives, almost everyone (even the often mentioned AI) sits or stands around having philosophical discussions. I was often left waiting for something to happen. Anything. Some of the discussions were interesting, but for me, it was too much. Too much of the book takes place around a restaurant table. I do like the interesting take on an alien invasion. There were some fun moments. But the write up is misleading and I was left slightly disappointed.

[karla_bookishlife · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in the near future, in the 2060s, an unlikely medley of characters are faced with a seemingly unstoppable and threatening life form. As a group works on a golf course, a last minute emergency warning alerts them to an incoming foreign body from the skies. A group of unknowing golfers are vaporised into red mist before they even realise what has hit them. A body of slime is threatening to take over. An unsuspecting journalist gets caught up in the takeover and suffers horrendous hallucinations whilst the group of individuals seeks to use an AI bot to communicate and free them. Scientific terms are used throughout, which will delight science/ sci-fi fans. Amorphous makes for a captivating read. #amorphous #breakingthemold #stevenburgess #booktour #breakevenbooks

[Kevin Carr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amorphous is one of the more unique and ambitious contemporary science fiction novels I've read in a while. At times, it reads like a dark comedy, at other times it reads like a coming of age stage play. Later, the book takes a different turn and pulls the reader into harder science-fiction territory, which almost reminded me of the ensemble sci-fi thrillers of Michael Crichton. The first half of the book suffers from a lack of action and urgency, but the characters are still fun and well-written, so it allows for a satisfying and enjoyable experience, dependent upon the type of reader you are, of course! I say: read it for the snark, stay for the slime.

[David Fosco · Rating 3 out of 5]

'Amorphos' spends the first half of the book building out the world's back drop, setting the stage, and build character back stories. Finally, around the half-way point in the book the alien invader is introduced and the book becomes interesting; however, the main plot never really meets a meaningful climax. I found myself waiting for something more that never came, and then the book ended.

I receive a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

[Rocky Rawstern · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished Amorphous. Very much enjoyed the story. The science was just enough, and the character development was great. I smell a sequel!

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://sarahreads4.wordpress.com/202...

[Steve Burgess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very funny, lots of science, lots of weird connections with myth. Really deeply developed characters. The foreboding about the alien thing is a nice thread throughout until it hits and the you know what hits the fan.

[Lori L (She Treads Softly) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amorphous Breaking the Mold by Steven Burgess is a recommended quirky, unique science fiction novel told through the dialogue of the characters. The group of characters are a diverse mix - all of them with distinct personalities. It all starts when an object from outer space crashes into a restaurant at a golf course and releases a pulsating yell ooze.

The plot, such as it is, all unfolds through the dialogue of the characters who all display unique personalities and can be entertaining, humorous and absurd. They are also caricatures of a type of person rather than fully realized individuals. There are some informative chapters about slime mold before the slime mold hits.

This novel perplexes me. I think I would actually enjoy it as written more as a performance piece. If the description pointed this out ahead of time I wouldn't have been expecting the science fiction novel I expected to be encountering. With all the dialogue and interaction between characters, I think it could work as a TV show or film. As a science fiction novel it failed for me. The alien doesn't arrive until later in the novel. If I'm reading sci-fi I want the alien encounter front and center, and a lot of real action accompanying some hard facts directly in the story.

Thanks to sbgbooks for providing me with an advance reader's copy via LibraryThing. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.
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