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The Many
The minds of five normal people merge in a beautiful, unnerving first contact story where the strangest thing humanity has to face is each other, from the critically acclaimed author of Sleeping Giants.
“I’m you now. We all are.”
When advertising executive Carole Veilleux loses it at Booker’s donut shop and bites Booker on the arm, it’s about the most interesting thing to happen in the small city of Marquette, Michigan, in years.
But that’s only the beginning of the story. Carole and Booker find their minds merging, in a collective that extends to include Carole’s husband Shivansh and local doctor Evelyn Schlapp. The four of them become the beginning of something larger and stranger than they could ever have imagined.
“I’m you now. We all are.”
When advertising executive Carole Veilleux loses it at Booker’s donut shop and bites Booker on the arm, it’s about the most interesting thing to happen in the small city of Marquette, Michigan, in years.
But that’s only the beginning of the story. Carole and Booker find their minds merging, in a collective that extends to include Carole’s husband Shivansh and local doctor Evelyn Schlapp. The four of them become the beginning of something larger and stranger than they could ever have imagined.
304 pages, Paperback
First published April 21, 2026
About the author
Sylvain Neuvel
23 books5,394 followersSylvain Neuvel dropped out of high school at age 15. Along the way, he has been a journalist, worked in soil decontamination, sold ice cream in California, and peddled furniture across Canada. He received a Ph.D. in linguistics from the University of Chicago. He taught linguistics in India, and worked as a software engineer in Montreal. He is also a certified translator, though he wishes he were an astronaut. He likes to tinker, dabbles in robotics and is somewhat obsessed with Halloween. He absolutely loves toys; his girlfriend would have him believe that he has too many, so he writes about aliens and giant robots as a blatant excuse to build action figures (for his son, of course).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 113 reviews
June 26, 2026
This review is brought to you by Tick Talk: The Site That Puts the Bite in Your Day.
Before we talk about The Many, let us consider the science that inspired this SF novel. The following information is true. I’ve seen it on some science show on TV. I’ve read about online. And I have not improved it much.
There is a real-life microbial parasite called T. gondii. Healthy mice have an instinctual fear of cats and avoid areas that smell of cat. But when a mouse is infected by T. gondii, the parasite takes over the rodent’s brain and causes it to lose its natural, hard-wired fear of cats. The mouse will march right into an area with a cat as if it and ‘Ol Tom are the best of buds. This, of course, dramatically increases the chance that our little mousie will become all natural, low-carb cat food — which is exactly what the parasite “wants,” because T. gondii can only reproduce effectively in the guts of a cat. I know it sounds weird, but this effect is one of the best documented examples of parasite induced behavioral manipulation in mammals. You can learn more about it by looking up toxoplasma gondii on YouTube.
“The mouse that befriends a cat will never taste the cheese.”— Old Saying
The Many begins when two asteroids in deep space collide, breaking off some microscopic-sized motes of dust that are harboring an alien parasite. After an epoch, or an eon, or an era—I forget which—some of the dust collides with Earth, and one tiny spec crashes into the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (State Motto: The Tick and Mosquito Wonderland of the North). The mote, of course, hits a tick, because it is next to impossible to spit anywhere in the northern woods of the U.S. without hitting a tick, that’s why.
The tick starts feeling a little more intelligent, which is confusing because the tick had never had enough intelligence to feel confused before. A few hours later, the tick leaps out of a tree and onto a woman named Carole and bites her. Carole is your typical human. She is not very happy. She has fears and anxiety and feeling of inadequacy and the rest of human baggage. Not too long after being bitten her fears, anxieties, and lifelong collection of emotional potholes vanish; she feels better than she’s ever felt, ever. She is for the first time in her life totally contented. So, she goes into a local bakery to buy some donuts to celebrate, but then a strange and uncontrollable urge comes over her. She jumps over the checkout counter and bites the baker on the arm.
A few hours later, the baker starts feeling great, contented, confident, no longer angry or worried— better than ever, but he also finds that his and Carole's minds have somehow merged. The baker goes out to find Carole but runs into someone else and is seized by the sudden, irresistible urge to bite him — right on the lips. And then there are three contented people in this hivemind wondering what makes them Tick.
The hivemind collects more and more people, but since the people who make up this Uber mind are ethical, they decide that maybe they should not infect anyone else without asking their permission first. Then someone points out that given the crime, sexism, racism, anger, brutality, and general angst in town, it would be more ethical to put the bite on everyone.
🌟🌟🌟 Stars
If you ever feel like your brain has developed a mind of its own, this may be a good book for you. The plot has been possessed by reruns of 1950s SF/Horror films like The Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Blob, or the Heinlein novel Puppet Masters— but with a twist. It is completely mindless—or maybe single-minded—light entertainment. I was mildly amused up to the end, but then the author stepped on the ending and left it flatter than a June bug that hits your windshield at 80 MPH.
Before we talk about The Many, let us consider the science that inspired this SF novel. The following information is true. I’ve seen it on some science show on TV. I’ve read about online. And I have not improved it much.
There is a real-life microbial parasite called T. gondii. Healthy mice have an instinctual fear of cats and avoid areas that smell of cat. But when a mouse is infected by T. gondii, the parasite takes over the rodent’s brain and causes it to lose its natural, hard-wired fear of cats. The mouse will march right into an area with a cat as if it and ‘Ol Tom are the best of buds. This, of course, dramatically increases the chance that our little mousie will become all natural, low-carb cat food — which is exactly what the parasite “wants,” because T. gondii can only reproduce effectively in the guts of a cat. I know it sounds weird, but this effect is one of the best documented examples of parasite induced behavioral manipulation in mammals. You can learn more about it by looking up toxoplasma gondii on YouTube.
“The mouse that befriends a cat will never taste the cheese.”— Old Saying
The Many begins when two asteroids in deep space collide, breaking off some microscopic-sized motes of dust that are harboring an alien parasite. After an epoch, or an eon, or an era—I forget which—some of the dust collides with Earth, and one tiny spec crashes into the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (State Motto: The Tick and Mosquito Wonderland of the North). The mote, of course, hits a tick, because it is next to impossible to spit anywhere in the northern woods of the U.S. without hitting a tick, that’s why.
The tick starts feeling a little more intelligent, which is confusing because the tick had never had enough intelligence to feel confused before. A few hours later, the tick leaps out of a tree and onto a woman named Carole and bites her. Carole is your typical human. She is not very happy. She has fears and anxiety and feeling of inadequacy and the rest of human baggage. Not too long after being bitten her fears, anxieties, and lifelong collection of emotional potholes vanish; she feels better than she’s ever felt, ever. She is for the first time in her life totally contented. So, she goes into a local bakery to buy some donuts to celebrate, but then a strange and uncontrollable urge comes over her. She jumps over the checkout counter and bites the baker on the arm.
A few hours later, the baker starts feeling great, contented, confident, no longer angry or worried— better than ever, but he also finds that his and Carole's minds have somehow merged. The baker goes out to find Carole but runs into someone else and is seized by the sudden, irresistible urge to bite him — right on the lips. And then there are three contented people in this hivemind wondering what makes them Tick.
The hivemind collects more and more people, but since the people who make up this Uber mind are ethical, they decide that maybe they should not infect anyone else without asking their permission first. Then someone points out that given the crime, sexism, racism, anger, brutality, and general angst in town, it would be more ethical to put the bite on everyone.
🌟🌟🌟 Stars
If you ever feel like your brain has developed a mind of its own, this may be a good book for you. The plot has been possessed by reruns of 1950s SF/Horror films like The Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Blob, or the Heinlein novel Puppet Masters— but with a twist. It is completely mindless—or maybe single-minded—light entertainment. I was mildly amused up to the end, but then the author stepped on the ending and left it flatter than a June bug that hits your windshield at 80 MPH.
May 2, 2026
Whoever tells you that science fiction has nothing new to offer, tell them about this novel.
What follows is not really a spoiler if you have already read the book’s synopsis: what Sylvain Neuvel offers has already been dealt with before, of course; at the end of the day, the science fiction genre as such already has more than a century of history; but in this novel the author provides a very innovative point of view. I think of major contributions from earlier novels and short stories such as Who Goes There? by John W. Campbell, or the masterful inversion of this story made by Peter Watts in The Things (it is actually based on the movie The Thing, itself based on John W. Campbell's novella); and also, of course, The Body Snatchers by Jack Finney.
As I say, here the author—as is already becoming something of a hallmark of his novels—achieves a very original way of expressing it. How? Well… although he has previously set up a solid worldbuilding, his best asset is his literary style: the very particular way he has of playing with the first-person narrator, even though he also combines it with the omniscient narrator.
After some opening chapters that are masterful in terms of the treatment of the characters, the narrative develops into territory that some readers may find more debatable, but that is not my case.
I don’t want to explain more, only that in one sentence The Many could be described as the definitive ensemble novel.
What follows is not really a spoiler if you have already read the book’s synopsis: what Sylvain Neuvel offers has already been dealt with before, of course; at the end of the day, the science fiction genre as such already has more than a century of history; but in this novel the author provides a very innovative point of view. I think of major contributions from earlier novels and short stories such as Who Goes There? by John W. Campbell, or the masterful inversion of this story made by Peter Watts in The Things (it is actually based on the movie The Thing, itself based on John W. Campbell's novella); and also, of course, The Body Snatchers by Jack Finney.
As I say, here the author—as is already becoming something of a hallmark of his novels—achieves a very original way of expressing it. How? Well… although he has previously set up a solid worldbuilding, his best asset is his literary style: the very particular way he has of playing with the first-person narrator, even though he also combines it with the omniscient narrator.
After some opening chapters that are masterful in terms of the treatment of the characters, the narrative develops into territory that some readers may find more debatable, but that is not my case.
I don’t want to explain more, only that in one sentence The Many could be described as the definitive ensemble novel.
October 15, 2025
The Many is a first contact science fiction story with an interesting twist. Based on the synopsis I was expecting something dark and very serious. While there are certainly serious parts, the novel was also a lot more fun to read than I expected! There was some humour and satire sprinkled throughout the plot that I really enjoyed.
The story follows a wide cast of characters, where we read their POVs both individually and together. All of them have serious issues and differences so seeing them come together and grow in some of their beliefs was really interesting. They were all distinct and well-developed and felt like realistic people that you could actually imagine meeting. My favourite part of the story was reading their interactions and all of their inner monologues.
Underneath the science fiction mind melding elements of the story there are also a lot of serious issues that are brought up. Things like wealth inequality, environmental issues, racism, sexism, trans rights, acceptance, and just the value of trying to be decent human beings. In some parts, the story felt like a bit of a critique or satire of our current society and all of the flaws within it, done in a very clever and subtle way. This is definitely a novel that can provoke a lot of thought and introspection if you look deeply into it while reading and reflect afterwards.
Overall, I found this to be a very enjoyable and unique science fiction novel with great and interesting characters. It was also very easy to get into, with good pacing, narrative structure, and writing. I would definitely recommend giving it a try if the synopsis calls to you.
Thank you to Rebellion Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC!
The story follows a wide cast of characters, where we read their POVs both individually and together. All of them have serious issues and differences so seeing them come together and grow in some of their beliefs was really interesting. They were all distinct and well-developed and felt like realistic people that you could actually imagine meeting. My favourite part of the story was reading their interactions and all of their inner monologues.
Underneath the science fiction mind melding elements of the story there are also a lot of serious issues that are brought up. Things like wealth inequality, environmental issues, racism, sexism, trans rights, acceptance, and just the value of trying to be decent human beings. In some parts, the story felt like a bit of a critique or satire of our current society and all of the flaws within it, done in a very clever and subtle way. This is definitely a novel that can provoke a lot of thought and introspection if you look deeply into it while reading and reflect afterwards.
Overall, I found this to be a very enjoyable and unique science fiction novel with great and interesting characters. It was also very easy to get into, with good pacing, narrative structure, and writing. I would definitely recommend giving it a try if the synopsis calls to you.
Thank you to Rebellion Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC!
June 9, 2026
I love this book so much. I want to marry this book. I want to mind-meld with it.
If you read just one hive-mind book this year--oh for pity's sake, PLEASE read MINE--but if you read TWO, the other one better be this one.
Honestly, I think it makes a nice pairing with Multitude. :D
If you read just one hive-mind book this year--oh for pity's sake, PLEASE read MINE--but if you read TWO, the other one better be this one.
Honestly, I think it makes a nice pairing with Multitude. :D
April 26, 2026
I read Sylvain Neuvel's Sleeping Giants back in 2016 and loved it, although I never got around to reading the rest of the Themis Files books. When I saw The Many, however, his first stand alone in a while, I dove at the chance. I'm glad I did because I had a delightful time with this. Thanks to Solaris and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The Many begins with a tick that comes across something in the woods. We then switch to the inhabitants of the small town of Marquette, especially Carole, who one day bites Booker. Through different POVs we get an understanding of what happened, but then these POVs begin to shift, expand, and we come to realise that people are becoming connected. It is not just Carole and Booker, who find themselves mind melding, but also Carole's husband, Shivansh, and a local doctor, Evelyn. This is merely the beginning, however, as the question becomes whether to keep their new-found connection secret or to let more people in on it. The Many is in many ways an absolutely hilarious novel, while also being deeply serious. There are moments and chapters which had me laughing out loud, although I can't share more to avoid spoilers, but there were also moments that deeply touched me, which spoke to out shared nature as humans and our place in this world. At just over 300 pages, The Many isn't an overly-long novel, but it does pack a punch and tells a great story.
From Sleeping Giants I already knew that Sylvain Neuvel had a real skill for playing with narrative, figuring out different ways to tell a story. One of those is through form, with Sleeping Giants featuring diary entries and interviews, but in The Many it not so much in the form but in the nature of the perspective. The Many switches POVs consistently, but at a certain point these POVs themselves begin to change. Through these different POVs, the novel becomes something of a polyphonic novel that nonetheless speaks with a single voice. When Carole and Booker merge, they are still themselves and yet Carole is now also a Black man while Booker is also a married white woman. As their network develops and grows, people suddenly find themselves quite literally in the shoes of others, becoming aware of each others' desires, fears, and thoughts and discovering that truly humanity is one, that ethnicity, religion, sex, gender, sexuality, etc. do not, in a good way, matter. Neuvel addresses police violence, gender transition, racism, and more and while there is no easy, straightforward solution to any of these issues, The Many does offer insight and commentary in a way that feels both sharp and subtle. In a way the message that we are all the same if we could only see it is a little cliche, but the way that it is told makes The Many a gorgeous book.
I had an absolutely lovely time with The Many, which is both funny and touching, sad and uplifting. Sylvain Neuvel is an excellent Sci-Fi writer and I will definitely be dipping back into the Themis Files series.
URL: https://universeinwords.blogspot.com/...
The Many begins with a tick that comes across something in the woods. We then switch to the inhabitants of the small town of Marquette, especially Carole, who one day bites Booker. Through different POVs we get an understanding of what happened, but then these POVs begin to shift, expand, and we come to realise that people are becoming connected. It is not just Carole and Booker, who find themselves mind melding, but also Carole's husband, Shivansh, and a local doctor, Evelyn. This is merely the beginning, however, as the question becomes whether to keep their new-found connection secret or to let more people in on it. The Many is in many ways an absolutely hilarious novel, while also being deeply serious. There are moments and chapters which had me laughing out loud, although I can't share more to avoid spoilers, but there were also moments that deeply touched me, which spoke to out shared nature as humans and our place in this world. At just over 300 pages, The Many isn't an overly-long novel, but it does pack a punch and tells a great story.
From Sleeping Giants I already knew that Sylvain Neuvel had a real skill for playing with narrative, figuring out different ways to tell a story. One of those is through form, with Sleeping Giants featuring diary entries and interviews, but in The Many it not so much in the form but in the nature of the perspective. The Many switches POVs consistently, but at a certain point these POVs themselves begin to change. Through these different POVs, the novel becomes something of a polyphonic novel that nonetheless speaks with a single voice. When Carole and Booker merge, they are still themselves and yet Carole is now also a Black man while Booker is also a married white woman. As their network develops and grows, people suddenly find themselves quite literally in the shoes of others, becoming aware of each others' desires, fears, and thoughts and discovering that truly humanity is one, that ethnicity, religion, sex, gender, sexuality, etc. do not, in a good way, matter. Neuvel addresses police violence, gender transition, racism, and more and while there is no easy, straightforward solution to any of these issues, The Many does offer insight and commentary in a way that feels both sharp and subtle. In a way the message that we are all the same if we could only see it is a little cliche, but the way that it is told makes The Many a gorgeous book.
I had an absolutely lovely time with The Many, which is both funny and touching, sad and uplifting. Sylvain Neuvel is an excellent Sci-Fi writer and I will definitely be dipping back into the Themis Files series.
URL: https://universeinwords.blogspot.com/...
May 27, 2026
Sylvain Neuvel is one of the most interesting writers working today. I know this because I have read all of his books and I am always astonished by his ability to combine big ideas with regular people. The Many strikes me as a cross between a zombie novel and a fable. Now, I actively avoid zombie novels as a rule but this is one without the terror and the grossness (there is blood and violence at the beginning) but in this book, the zombies learn from their mistakes.
As with many stories borne of big ideas, there are so many questions that it is impossible to answer them all and while I truly appreciated the originality of the book, I was left with too many questions at the end to go for the full five stars. Loved the giraffe so much, though.
I highly recommend any and all of Neuvel's books.
As with many stories borne of big ideas, there are so many questions that it is impossible to answer them all and while I truly appreciated the originality of the book, I was left with too many questions at the end to go for the full five stars. Loved the giraffe so much, though.
I highly recommend any and all of Neuvel's books.
April 26, 2026
If you like Sense8 and Pluribus, this book will definitely scratch the itch. An interesting take on the hive mind idea, which benefits from having the internal thoughts of everyone experiencing the combinations.
October 27, 2025
Sylvain Neuvel’s The Many is less a conventional novel and more a challenging thought experiment, attempting to chart the tumultuous birth of a post-human collective consciousness in a deeply entrenched world. The central message—that true empathy and global equality are only achievable through the radical, painful destruction of existing systems and individual identities is profound and ultimately beautiful. However, the novel's structure often obscures this utopian ideal, making the journey to the final revelation a struggle marked by tonal dissonance and moral ambiguity.
The most significant structural hurdle lies in the book's pacing and focus. For much of the narrative, the reader wrestles with the story's purpose, a confusion that suggests the narrative's chosen ambiguity of perspective was ultimately detrimental to engagement. The inclusion of chapters, such as the widely noted giraffe sequence, reinforces this sense of a chaos. While perhaps intended to demonstrate the collective's expanding, playful, and omnivorous nature, these interludes feel like unnecessary narrative fluff that dilute the central conflict and disrupt the overall flow.
More challenging for many readers is the intimate and boundary-eroding evolution of the collective itself. What begins as a deeply personal merger between the original three characters accelerates into a problematic scenario following the introduction of Layla, an 11 yo child of one of the original merged that passed on. The narrative's explicit focus on shared intimacy and pleasure within a collective mind, particularly when children are later drawn into this consciousness, introduces a significant element of reader discomfort and ethical questioning. This narrative choice-the complete erosion of traditional age and relational boundaries sets a difficult, even disturbing, tone that undercuts the power of the book’s otherwise positive philosophical conclusion.
Ultimately, The Many is a work of high ambition that demands the reader navigate uncomfortable territory and structural unevenness to appreciate its core morality. While the novel delivers a powerful, hopeful message about what humanity could become, the abrasive and chaotic lead-up means this book will appeal primarily to a niche audience willing to grapple with difficult subject matter that is morally difficult to digest and highly experimental narrative angles in service of a potentially intellectual reward.
+++I have received this eARC in an exchange for an honest review+++
I want to thank @netgalley and @rebellionpublishing for allowing me to read this eARC.
The most significant structural hurdle lies in the book's pacing and focus. For much of the narrative, the reader wrestles with the story's purpose, a confusion that suggests the narrative's chosen ambiguity of perspective was ultimately detrimental to engagement. The inclusion of chapters, such as the widely noted giraffe sequence, reinforces this sense of a chaos. While perhaps intended to demonstrate the collective's expanding, playful, and omnivorous nature, these interludes feel like unnecessary narrative fluff that dilute the central conflict and disrupt the overall flow.
More challenging for many readers is the intimate and boundary-eroding evolution of the collective itself. What begins as a deeply personal merger between the original three characters accelerates into a problematic scenario following the introduction of Layla, an 11 yo child of one of the original merged that passed on. The narrative's explicit focus on shared intimacy and pleasure within a collective mind, particularly when children are later drawn into this consciousness, introduces a significant element of reader discomfort and ethical questioning. This narrative choice-the complete erosion of traditional age and relational boundaries sets a difficult, even disturbing, tone that undercuts the power of the book’s otherwise positive philosophical conclusion.
Ultimately, The Many is a work of high ambition that demands the reader navigate uncomfortable territory and structural unevenness to appreciate its core morality. While the novel delivers a powerful, hopeful message about what humanity could become, the abrasive and chaotic lead-up means this book will appeal primarily to a niche audience willing to grapple with difficult subject matter that is morally difficult to digest and highly experimental narrative angles in service of a potentially intellectual reward.
+++I have received this eARC in an exchange for an honest review+++
I want to thank @netgalley and @rebellionpublishing for allowing me to read this eARC.
May 1, 2026
The Many by Sylvain Neuvel was not at all what I expected going in, and that ended up being one of its greatest strengths.
What begins with a zombie-esque premise quickly evolves into something much more complex, becoming a first contact story layered with deeply human and non-human perspectives. This is a book that does not shy away from heavy topics. It explores racism, sexism, capitalism, and many other “isms” in a way that feels approachable and thought-provoking rather than overwhelming. Neuvel’s writing makes these conversations easier to engage with and understand without feeling preachy.
The narrative structure is one of the most compelling aspects. It starts with a tick carrying an infection that spreads to humans, and from there the story branches out across multiple points of view. You might be in the mind of a white woman in one moment, then a Black man in the next, with each perspective offering insight into the lived realities and struggles people face every day. As the scope widens, the story even moves into animal perspectives, showing the impact humans have had on them in a powerful and sometimes unsettling way.
One of the most memorable elements is the hive mind concept. When animals are brought into it, humans begin to take on their behaviors. A scene involving cat-like antics, especially knocking things off surfaces, made me laugh out loud.
Emotionally, this book covers a wide range. There is anger, loneliness, grief, happiness, acceptance, love, and even humor. It is immersive and engaging, pulling you in quickly and keeping you invested throughout.
While I appreciated the depth and message of the story, I did find myself wishing it were longer. There are lingering questions by the end, though it feels intentional. This is not a story that aims to neatly tie everything up. Instead, it leaves you thinking, reassessing, and questioning your own perspectives.
Overall, The Many is a fast-paced and impactful read that surprised me in the best way. It solidifies Sylvain Neuvel as a must-read author for me, and I will be picking up anything he writes next.
Thank you to Netgalley and Rebellion for providing me an Arc for my honest review.
What begins with a zombie-esque premise quickly evolves into something much more complex, becoming a first contact story layered with deeply human and non-human perspectives. This is a book that does not shy away from heavy topics. It explores racism, sexism, capitalism, and many other “isms” in a way that feels approachable and thought-provoking rather than overwhelming. Neuvel’s writing makes these conversations easier to engage with and understand without feeling preachy.
The narrative structure is one of the most compelling aspects. It starts with a tick carrying an infection that spreads to humans, and from there the story branches out across multiple points of view. You might be in the mind of a white woman in one moment, then a Black man in the next, with each perspective offering insight into the lived realities and struggles people face every day. As the scope widens, the story even moves into animal perspectives, showing the impact humans have had on them in a powerful and sometimes unsettling way.
One of the most memorable elements is the hive mind concept. When animals are brought into it, humans begin to take on their behaviors. A scene involving cat-like antics, especially knocking things off surfaces, made me laugh out loud.
Emotionally, this book covers a wide range. There is anger, loneliness, grief, happiness, acceptance, love, and even humor. It is immersive and engaging, pulling you in quickly and keeping you invested throughout.
While I appreciated the depth and message of the story, I did find myself wishing it were longer. There are lingering questions by the end, though it feels intentional. This is not a story that aims to neatly tie everything up. Instead, it leaves you thinking, reassessing, and questioning your own perspectives.
Overall, The Many is a fast-paced and impactful read that surprised me in the best way. It solidifies Sylvain Neuvel as a must-read author for me, and I will be picking up anything he writes next.
Thank you to Netgalley and Rebellion for providing me an Arc for my honest review.
May 4, 2026
The premise is going to remind you of the TV show Pluribus, with an alien virus infecting humans and creating a hive mind. But the author takes it a lot further than the show.
We get alternating points of view, initially from uninfected people then increasingly from infected ones who are part of an ever-growing hive mind. But while Pluribus is a human-centered virus, this one doesn't have that restriction. With unusual results.
The author is interested in how society would change if we really shared a common mind and common understanding. It's interesting to see what the author thinks would change, and you may have your own ideas. In fact, this book reads like an old-fashioned thought experiment, where the author posits a change and then looks at all sorts of consequences.
Also, it's very funny. There are a lot of amusing asides, not the least of which what a cat's consciousness would contribute to a hive mind. We just can't help knocking things off shelves, can we?
It's possible that Pluribus and The Many are stemming from similar concerns: How polarized we seem to have become, and how difficult it is to understand the other person's point of view. So what if we actually shared their point of view? How would it change things? And would it be preserved?
As I said, it's an interesting thought experiment.
We get alternating points of view, initially from uninfected people then increasingly from infected ones who are part of an ever-growing hive mind. But while Pluribus is a human-centered virus, this one doesn't have that restriction. With unusual results.
The author is interested in how society would change if we really shared a common mind and common understanding. It's interesting to see what the author thinks would change, and you may have your own ideas. In fact, this book reads like an old-fashioned thought experiment, where the author posits a change and then looks at all sorts of consequences.
Also, it's very funny. There are a lot of amusing asides, not the least of which what a cat's consciousness would contribute to a hive mind. We just can't help knocking things off shelves, can we?
It's possible that Pluribus and The Many are stemming from similar concerns: How polarized we seem to have become, and how difficult it is to understand the other person's point of view. So what if we actually shared their point of view? How would it change things? And would it be preserved?
As I said, it's an interesting thought experiment.
May 22, 2026
Review originally on JamReads
The Many is a weird science fiction novel written by Sylvain Neuvel, published by Solaris. A first-contact novel that is more humorous than I expected, playing with the idea of a hive mind and using it as a way to explore problems that affect our society, such as racism and sexism, while delivering a thought-provoking story.
A story that follows a wide cast of characters, all of them with serious issues in their lives, who, after a disastrous morning, end up being merged into a hive mind; something that starts just by four-five minds, and which will eventually grow into a thing that will not only comprise all the humans but other animal species in the Earth. A science fiction proposal which manages to keep all the POVs unique, while playing with the merged mind perspective, in a really well-executed way.
What really separates this novel from others is how Neuvel manages to create these separate characters, each one with their uniqueness, their problems, their own goals in life, and how they are slowly merged into this hive mind, how they lose a bit of their own to gain much more from the others. Interestingly, we can see the perfect example of the expression "getting into other's shoes", as this experience is like the best way to enact empathy over many individuals.
As you may have imagined with its length, this is quite a fast novel, but still full of details: for example, when you see how the hive mind starts having cat thoughts after absorbing that species, or even the first contact episode. While I think there are some rough edges that could have been focused in other ways, I found it to be a really enjoyable novel.
At the end, if you are looking for a great and different science fiction novel, with a focus on the characterization and how they progressively become one, I can heartily recommend The Many!
The Many is a weird science fiction novel written by Sylvain Neuvel, published by Solaris. A first-contact novel that is more humorous than I expected, playing with the idea of a hive mind and using it as a way to explore problems that affect our society, such as racism and sexism, while delivering a thought-provoking story.
A story that follows a wide cast of characters, all of them with serious issues in their lives, who, after a disastrous morning, end up being merged into a hive mind; something that starts just by four-five minds, and which will eventually grow into a thing that will not only comprise all the humans but other animal species in the Earth. A science fiction proposal which manages to keep all the POVs unique, while playing with the merged mind perspective, in a really well-executed way.
What really separates this novel from others is how Neuvel manages to create these separate characters, each one with their uniqueness, their problems, their own goals in life, and how they are slowly merged into this hive mind, how they lose a bit of their own to gain much more from the others. Interestingly, we can see the perfect example of the expression "getting into other's shoes", as this experience is like the best way to enact empathy over many individuals.
As you may have imagined with its length, this is quite a fast novel, but still full of details: for example, when you see how the hive mind starts having cat thoughts after absorbing that species, or even the first contact episode. While I think there are some rough edges that could have been focused in other ways, I found it to be a really enjoyable novel.
At the end, if you are looking for a great and different science fiction novel, with a focus on the characterization and how they progressively become one, I can heartily recommend The Many!
June 14, 2026
The Many was a phenomenal story. I loved the distinct writing voice along with the excellent characters. The language was simple, accessible, and powerful. The funny moments were brilliant while the plot felt modern and fresh. After watching Pluribus, I was curious to experience another take on the concept of mind melding. The imagery was fantastic and reframed my memories of Pluribus to create a deeper storyline connecting the television characters (especially the extras we saw for two seconds). Neuvel did a masterful job balancing the intimate storylines of the main characters and the smaller yet important storylines of the supporting characters. I loved reading this book and thank you sweetie for another great recommendation 🥹
May 5, 2026
What a weird (good weird) wild ride!! I was pumped to read Sylvain Neuvel’s newest novel after falling in love with his Themis Files trilogy a few years ago.
This is a sci-fi novel where in a zombie-esque fashion humans begin to merge with one another mentally….. ha this one is hard to summarize! Cool concept & beautiful overall themes and messages. I teared up at the very end!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Many thanks to the publisher for an eARC via NetGalley!
This is a sci-fi novel where in a zombie-esque fashion humans begin to merge with one another mentally….. ha this one is hard to summarize! Cool concept & beautiful overall themes and messages. I teared up at the very end!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Many thanks to the publisher for an eARC via NetGalley!
May 2, 2026
If you love Pluribus, read this !!
April 28, 2026
"Jeremiah Briggs III was fifth-generation military, and he had a small penis. These two unrelated facts had, in tandem, come to shape every single aspect of Jeremiah’s life."
Has to be one of the best openers of a chapter I've come across in a long time. I read this in a single sitting and enjoyed myself tremendously throughout. I wasn't sunk on the spheres, utterly enjoyed the giraffe, and enjoyed everything in between.
Has to be one of the best openers of a chapter I've come across in a long time. I read this in a single sitting and enjoyed myself tremendously throughout. I wasn't sunk on the spheres, utterly enjoyed the giraffe, and enjoyed everything in between.
February 13, 2026
The premise of this book sounded exactly like something I would really love, but it unfortunately didn’t quite work for me. I did however still find it enjoyable, so let’s start with the positives!
- The book was fairly fast paced, and I never found any of it boring. There was no time wasted in getting the plot moving, and I never felt lost as to what was going on.
- The way that the hive mind works was really interesting. I liked seeing how it adapted with each new person that was added to the collective.
- The cast was such a vast, diverse array of characters which I feel for the most part were represented very well
As for the negatives:
- I didn’t love how the dialogue was done in this book. All dialogue was written as a bullet point list, with no indication as to who is speaking, and any sort of emotion or inflection they had in their words. It made it feel a bit disconnected and rushed, especially during conversations where people changed their view points by the end. You never knew what they were thinking and how the conversation was effecting them, they just suddenly were on board.
- The hive mind was talked about as a very intense, highly sexual thing, and the introduction of an 11 year old into the mix made it all a little uncomfortable. One of the reasons she wants to join is to have all her fathers memories from when he was in the hive mind, but a lot of what he was doing (that we were told about, at least) was having sex with people in his kitchen, so his child then having all those memories feels a bit wrong
- The ending also felt really rushed to me, I didn’t love how everything resolved. We had all this buildup to the entire world being part of the hive and then it just… ended. Other than Carole, I also found each characters final chapter really unsatisfying. It sort of made the whole book feel a little pointless.
Overall, while not my favourite, I did still like the book, and I do think I would still recommend it to the right person!
- The book was fairly fast paced, and I never found any of it boring. There was no time wasted in getting the plot moving, and I never felt lost as to what was going on.
- The way that the hive mind works was really interesting. I liked seeing how it adapted with each new person that was added to the collective.
- The cast was such a vast, diverse array of characters which I feel for the most part were represented very well
As for the negatives:
- I didn’t love how the dialogue was done in this book. All dialogue was written as a bullet point list, with no indication as to who is speaking, and any sort of emotion or inflection they had in their words. It made it feel a bit disconnected and rushed, especially during conversations where people changed their view points by the end. You never knew what they were thinking and how the conversation was effecting them, they just suddenly were on board.
- The hive mind was talked about as a very intense, highly sexual thing, and the introduction of an 11 year old into the mix made it all a little uncomfortable. One of the reasons she wants to join is to have all her fathers memories from when he was in the hive mind, but a lot of what he was doing (that we were told about, at least) was having sex with people in his kitchen, so his child then having all those memories feels a bit wrong
- The ending also felt really rushed to me, I didn’t love how everything resolved. We had all this buildup to the entire world being part of the hive and then it just… ended. Other than Carole, I also found each characters final chapter really unsatisfying. It sort of made the whole book feel a little pointless.
Overall, while not my favourite, I did still like the book, and I do think I would still recommend it to the right person!
October 31, 2025
Thanks to Rebellion and Netgalley for the advance reader copy of this remarkable book!
When I was a teenager, I recall intense feelings of wanting to see myself and others through the eyes of other people, especially my family and friends. This remarkable novel explores that feeling. But not just one person, but a whole group of people, virtual strangers. What starts out as a melding of just two or three minds becomes something much greater, a hivemind. How would knowing and seeing and feeling everything through someone else's point of view affect your views, your mind, your beliefs?
Inside we all have beautiful parts and ugly parts: desperate, lonely, sad, angry feelings, things we dislike about ourselves; but we also have hope, kindness, love, generosity, the pride of doing something good for others, the self-worth that accompanies accomplishment. Now multiply that by 2, 3, 5, 15 thousand or maybe more. This story handles how some might handle such a load, what they would do. And it handles it with aplumb and a delightful sense of humor. Humor and the ability to not take ourselves too seriously truly helps us get through life. This book with woven with humor throughout which made it speed by so quickly for a book where we are trapped inside the brains of the main characters.
This is also the most unique first contact story I can recall reading. The contact serves as a tipping point once the story plays out its conceits to their logical end. It is most definitely the authors hilarious, bonkers journey to take the reader to a place where we all can try to see, not only ourselves, but everyone else too as a small but vital part in the large machine of the universe; and to make it a little bit better; to exercise understanding and empathy. Because skin color, language, culture, sex, or country of origin should not divide but be reasons for celebrating what makes us unique and wonderful. The story light-heartedly handles what a large united group can change about the world. And the quirks that would come along with all this too.
It was a fun, wild, sometimes violent, but caring experience.
When I was a teenager, I recall intense feelings of wanting to see myself and others through the eyes of other people, especially my family and friends. This remarkable novel explores that feeling. But not just one person, but a whole group of people, virtual strangers. What starts out as a melding of just two or three minds becomes something much greater, a hivemind. How would knowing and seeing and feeling everything through someone else's point of view affect your views, your mind, your beliefs?
Inside we all have beautiful parts and ugly parts: desperate, lonely, sad, angry feelings, things we dislike about ourselves; but we also have hope, kindness, love, generosity, the pride of doing something good for others, the self-worth that accompanies accomplishment. Now multiply that by 2, 3, 5, 15 thousand or maybe more. This story handles how some might handle such a load, what they would do. And it handles it with aplumb and a delightful sense of humor. Humor and the ability to not take ourselves too seriously truly helps us get through life. This book with woven with humor throughout which made it speed by so quickly for a book where we are trapped inside the brains of the main characters.
This is also the most unique first contact story I can recall reading. The contact serves as a tipping point once the story plays out its conceits to their logical end. It is most definitely the authors hilarious, bonkers journey to take the reader to a place where we all can try to see, not only ourselves, but everyone else too as a small but vital part in the large machine of the universe; and to make it a little bit better; to exercise understanding and empathy. Because skin color, language, culture, sex, or country of origin should not divide but be reasons for celebrating what makes us unique and wonderful. The story light-heartedly handles what a large united group can change about the world. And the quirks that would come along with all this too.
It was a fun, wild, sometimes violent, but caring experience.
November 28, 2025
The Many is a hilarious, interesting, and fast-paced story about a growing hive mind, leaving you with a heartfelt message that will resonate with you for weeks to come.
The first impression I got from this book was how clear the contrast between people's perspectives of themselves and other people's perspectives of them was as the POV changed. You're introduced to characters both by their acquaintances and by themselves, until they join the hive mind and then their understanding of the individual and the whole changes entirely.
I loved how quickly the book turns to chaos. Initially, I truly believed it would be an isolated incident, and I was curious to see how it changed the original three's lives, but as everything spiralled out of hand, seeing how things spread and how the plans and thought processes of the collective changed with new additions is a wild and entertaining ride!
Although the ending surprised me, the message that we are all interconnected with everything in the universe, even as individuals, and therefore we should all try to make one thing a tiny bit better, was the perfect way to tie up this standalone and leave a lasting impression. I will most definitely be picking up Sleeping Giants soon. Neuvel has certainly piqued my interest.
The first impression I got from this book was how clear the contrast between people's perspectives of themselves and other people's perspectives of them was as the POV changed. You're introduced to characters both by their acquaintances and by themselves, until they join the hive mind and then their understanding of the individual and the whole changes entirely.
I loved how quickly the book turns to chaos. Initially, I truly believed it would be an isolated incident, and I was curious to see how it changed the original three's lives, but as everything spiralled out of hand, seeing how things spread and how the plans and thought processes of the collective changed with new additions is a wild and entertaining ride!
Although the ending surprised me, the message that we are all interconnected with everything in the universe, even as individuals, and therefore we should all try to make one thing a tiny bit better, was the perfect way to tie up this standalone and leave a lasting impression. I will most definitely be picking up Sleeping Giants soon. Neuvel has certainly piqued my interest.
April 21, 2026
5 stars!!!
Sylvain Neuvel is my favorite modern sci-fi author and THE MANY was one of my most anticipated books of 2026. And it did not disappoint! Absolutely loved this chaotic, hive mind sci-fi novel!
This book was equal parts intriguing, fascinating, funny, bizarre, poignant, mind-blowing, just put all those descriptors into a bowl, mix it up, and you get THE MANY.
The only thing I knew about THE MANY before jumping in on release day was that it involved hive minds. That's it! And I think that's all anyone should really know before they jump into the book. This book was full of surprises, chapter after chapter. I devoured it in one day!
It's fun to see that Neuvel is not only great with writing trilogies (Themis Files, Take Them To The Stars) and novellas (The Test, No Kindness Too Soon) but he's now got standalone novels under his belt!
I can see this as a book I come back to again and again and love it just as much on my rereads. Thoroughly enjoyed my time with THE MANY! 5 stars!
Sylvain Neuvel is my favorite modern sci-fi author and THE MANY was one of my most anticipated books of 2026. And it did not disappoint! Absolutely loved this chaotic, hive mind sci-fi novel!
This book was equal parts intriguing, fascinating, funny, bizarre, poignant, mind-blowing, just put all those descriptors into a bowl, mix it up, and you get THE MANY.
The only thing I knew about THE MANY before jumping in on release day was that it involved hive minds. That's it! And I think that's all anyone should really know before they jump into the book. This book was full of surprises, chapter after chapter. I devoured it in one day!
It's fun to see that Neuvel is not only great with writing trilogies (Themis Files, Take Them To The Stars) and novellas (The Test, No Kindness Too Soon) but he's now got standalone novels under his belt!
I can see this as a book I come back to again and again and love it just as much on my rereads. Thoroughly enjoyed my time with THE MANY! 5 stars!
June 18, 2026
For a little while, I wondered what was the point of this book. I was still enjoying myself, the characters were all entertaining, the story itself was interesting, but I did wonder what the author wanted to say through this.
Then I understood. This is a woke book.
This is a book that makes you understand the world through a new lens. How connected we are. How stardust made us and everything around us. The intersectionality of everything and everyone. The immense suffering we bring to the planet, and the good we can do if we stop and think. The different sorts of love we can hold for one another, all different but still the same, beautiful in their own ways.
One type of story I like above all else are stories about choosing to be good just because you can. Choosing the right side just because you have the choice. I've only met a few stories with that mindset (Everything Everywhere All At Once, Project Hail Mary, Arrival...) but every single one is a hit. And The Many is another one to add to this.
So yeah, it's a woke book (complimentary)
Then I understood. This is a woke book.
This is a book that makes you understand the world through a new lens. How connected we are. How stardust made us and everything around us. The intersectionality of everything and everyone. The immense suffering we bring to the planet, and the good we can do if we stop and think. The different sorts of love we can hold for one another, all different but still the same, beautiful in their own ways.
One type of story I like above all else are stories about choosing to be good just because you can. Choosing the right side just because you have the choice. I've only met a few stories with that mindset (Everything Everywhere All At Once, Project Hail Mary, Arrival...) but every single one is a hit. And The Many is another one to add to this.
So yeah, it's a woke book (complimentary)
May 25, 2026
Now that's some speculative fiction.
Going in, I was expecting something a little smaller in scope and if you'd asked me then I would've said that's what I'd have preferred. But as the book scales and more and more questions and answers swirl around each other, there's so much room for consideration.
I'm not sure how many of Neuvel's solutions to, "where does this go from here" I ultimately agree with, but the possibility space sketched between plot beats is really interesting. There was really no point along the ride where I was totally sure or totally right about what came next and overall it was a refreshing experience.
The emotional beats hit harder in some spaces than others, but when the answer to, "would I want anything more from the book?" is that I'd have to write a book to discover it, well. I can call that a successful read.
Going in, I was expecting something a little smaller in scope and if you'd asked me then I would've said that's what I'd have preferred. But as the book scales and more and more questions and answers swirl around each other, there's so much room for consideration.
I'm not sure how many of Neuvel's solutions to, "where does this go from here" I ultimately agree with, but the possibility space sketched between plot beats is really interesting. There was really no point along the ride where I was totally sure or totally right about what came next and overall it was a refreshing experience.
The emotional beats hit harder in some spaces than others, but when the answer to, "would I want anything more from the book?" is that I'd have to write a book to discover it, well. I can call that a successful read.
June 18, 2026
Thank you for NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. All opinions are my own.
Sylvain Neuvel never fails to write a fantastic book. I did not know what to expect going into this book but what I got was a masterpiece. This book forces you to think about message and confront a lot of emotion. While the switching POVs threw me off at the beginning I am glad I continued because this book is amazing. By the end of the book I was wishing that there was more. I can’t wait to read more by Sylvain Neuvel.
Sylvain Neuvel never fails to write a fantastic book. I did not know what to expect going into this book but what I got was a masterpiece. This book forces you to think about message and confront a lot of emotion. While the switching POVs threw me off at the beginning I am glad I continued because this book is amazing. By the end of the book I was wishing that there was more. I can’t wait to read more by Sylvain Neuvel.
April 27, 2026
The Many is a unique first contact story. A meteorite falls to Earth and soon the inhabitants of a small town infect each other and create a hive mind.
I liked the premise and the thought experiment part of the story. Unfortunately some aspects of the novel felt rather disturbing (the intimacy between members of the hive mind, including children), maybe I missed that this was meant to be sarcastic?
I am quite sure this book will keep my mind occupied for some time, especially because of some of the more disturbing aspects. Again, this might have been the point and I missed it.
I liked the premise and the thought experiment part of the story. Unfortunately some aspects of the novel felt rather disturbing (the intimacy between members of the hive mind, including children), maybe I missed that this was meant to be sarcastic?
I am quite sure this book will keep my mind occupied for some time, especially because of some of the more disturbing aspects. Again, this might have been the point and I missed it.
May 24, 2026
Picked up this book from the library new book section. In The Many, an alien meteorite infects a tick on Earth. After the tick bites middle-aged office worker Carole, the infection causes her to merge with her husband and several neighbors into a hivemind, with unforseen consequences...
This is one of those sci-fi novels where you turn the last page and go well! what was the point of all of that. The central concept is compelling—Neuvel sets the novel in a small midwestern town and the characters encompass a wide range of perspectives, although ones that might not be very palatable to My Dear Readers. Insecure advertising professional Carole is relatively inoffensive, but other characters range from a persistent woman police officer to a baker who is reluctant to allow his kid to access puberty blockers, and a habitually bigoted doctor. While the character vignettes are well-drawn, Neuvel doesn't seem to be interested in exploring the implications of the hivemind aside from platitudes about walking in other people's shoes and the meaning of world peace. I think this book would have made a striking short story... but as a full-length novel, the concept strains a bit.
This is one of those sci-fi novels where you turn the last page and go well! what was the point of all of that. The central concept is compelling—Neuvel sets the novel in a small midwestern town and the characters encompass a wide range of perspectives, although ones that might not be very palatable to My Dear Readers. Insecure advertising professional Carole is relatively inoffensive, but other characters range from a persistent woman police officer to a baker who is reluctant to allow his kid to access puberty blockers, and a habitually bigoted doctor. While the character vignettes are well-drawn, Neuvel doesn't seem to be interested in exploring the implications of the hivemind aside from platitudes about walking in other people's shoes and the meaning of world peace. I think this book would have made a striking short story... but as a full-length novel, the concept strains a bit.
May 11, 2026
Finished this at work today. Really really enjoyed this and I find each novel the author puts out is better than the last. This reminded me a lot of Sense8 by the Wachowski Sisters and I LOVED that show so much. The ending definitely feels like there is potential to explore more (maybe space exploration?) but I believe this is a standalone and the ending was definitely sufficient.
June 16, 2026
While there were serious topics covered in the plot, overall this book was fun! Very creative and humorous, I definitely enjoyed it. I think it would appeal to scifi fans of Jason Pargin and Edward Ashton
May 16, 2026
This one is good. I would hate to compare it to a “beach-read” (because it certainly is not a pile of hot garbage), but it is a very quick-to-get-through book.
If you are a close-minded disease, this book isn’t for you.
The Many tackles a number of social issues in a “Golden Girls” kind of way. The they/them -> us/all is fascinating, and simultaneously confusing occasionally.
It does feel a little short, quick, over simplistic, and sometimes repetitive, but that’s kind of the novel this is. There are intimately some laughable moments, but it’s not a funny read (as is quoted on the front cover).
If you haven’t read The Themis Files, those are well worth the read as well, which is why I picked this one up.
Short, easy read for sure. Definitely can fit well into the YA category.
If you are a close-minded disease, this book isn’t for you.
The Many tackles a number of social issues in a “Golden Girls” kind of way. The they/them -> us/all is fascinating, and simultaneously confusing occasionally.
It does feel a little short, quick, over simplistic, and sometimes repetitive, but that’s kind of the novel this is. There are intimately some laughable moments, but it’s not a funny read (as is quoted on the front cover).
If you haven’t read The Themis Files, those are well worth the read as well, which is why I picked this one up.
Short, easy read for sure. Definitely can fit well into the YA category.
May 15, 2026
4
Setting: Michigan
Rep: trans protagonist, multiple POC pov characters
Not at all what I expected from a first contact story or from Sylvain Neuvel but I enjoyed this as an audiobook, well narrated and an interesting take
Setting: Michigan
Rep: trans protagonist, multiple POC pov characters
Not at all what I expected from a first contact story or from Sylvain Neuvel but I enjoyed this as an audiobook, well narrated and an interesting take
May 1, 2026
This felt like a short story that the author just did not know how to end, so it kept going and going. A forgettable read from an author I normally enjoy.
November 30, 2025
The Many was a fun sci-fi read with an uplifting message and a nice touch of humour to counter-balance some of the horror (ish, it's not a scary book at all, just the odd bit of gore) elements.
A virus from outer space infects first a tick, which bites a human. That human bites another human and yeah, so far, so zombie, right? Well, no. There are parallels with undead tales but in this one the key conceit is that the individuals who are infected share a 'hive mind' - they literally become 'the many', sharing each other's minds, memories and very essence.
This leads to some weird stuff, like them having a lot of sex (or is it masturbation, because the other person is also them?), some funny stuff, some tragic stuff and some through-provoking stuff. Neuvel fleshes out the idea well and the small-town America portrayed is a fun lens for the outbreak.
The book isn't overtly political but Neuvel's personal politics do come through strongly. Not an issue for me, but if you're the type of gets in a rage about 'woke' stuff, this may not be for you.
Overall, a fun read, with some nice ideas and it sticks the landing pretty well.
PS. Shout-out to the recurring joke about the cat, that was great. :-)
Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review.
A virus from outer space infects first a tick, which bites a human. That human bites another human and yeah, so far, so zombie, right? Well, no. There are parallels with undead tales but in this one the key conceit is that the individuals who are infected share a 'hive mind' - they literally become 'the many', sharing each other's minds, memories and very essence.
This leads to some weird stuff, like them having a lot of sex (or is it masturbation, because the other person is also them?), some funny stuff, some tragic stuff and some through-provoking stuff. Neuvel fleshes out the idea well and the small-town America portrayed is a fun lens for the outbreak.
The book isn't overtly political but Neuvel's personal politics do come through strongly. Not an issue for me, but if you're the type of gets in a rage about 'woke' stuff, this may not be for you.
Overall, a fun read, with some nice ideas and it sticks the landing pretty well.
PS. Shout-out to the recurring joke about the cat, that was great. :-)
Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review.
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