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The Becomer
“David Michael Miller truly is a fine writer!” —Sig Gissler (former administrator of the Pulitzer Prize)
Ever wish you could be someone else? Ever wish you could be everyone else?
In his brilliant literary debut, David Michael Miller explores themes of identity, isolation, interconnection, and self-transcendence through the story of X. X begins the same as anyone else: an innocent infant, whose future is rife with uncertainty and possibility. But as X progresses, he is forced to confront the inescapability of his individuality with a deep-seated dream of becoming someone else.
From a baby to a boy, a world to a universe — THE BECOMER chronicles the numerous transformations of X as he journeys from being no one to becoming everyone. Equal parts science-fiction, cultural commentary, philosophical excursion, and spiritual examination, THE BECOMER is both a thought-provoking and enjoyable read.
Miller plunges us into an alternative 21st-century world, at once familiar and strange. A world where emerging technologies offer unimaginable and awe-inspiring possibilities, giving way to an examination of the limits of self-knowledge, the differences that make us unique, and the human essence that binds us all.
Who is X? X is both every one and no one. X is definable by its indefinability. Consistent in its inconsistency. Constant in its becoming. X is You. And Me. And Him. And Her. And Zir. And on, and on, and…
Ever wish you could be someone else? Ever wish you could be everyone else?
In his brilliant literary debut, David Michael Miller explores themes of identity, isolation, interconnection, and self-transcendence through the story of X. X begins the same as anyone else: an innocent infant, whose future is rife with uncertainty and possibility. But as X progresses, he is forced to confront the inescapability of his individuality with a deep-seated dream of becoming someone else.
From a baby to a boy, a world to a universe — THE BECOMER chronicles the numerous transformations of X as he journeys from being no one to becoming everyone. Equal parts science-fiction, cultural commentary, philosophical excursion, and spiritual examination, THE BECOMER is both a thought-provoking and enjoyable read.
Miller plunges us into an alternative 21st-century world, at once familiar and strange. A world where emerging technologies offer unimaginable and awe-inspiring possibilities, giving way to an examination of the limits of self-knowledge, the differences that make us unique, and the human essence that binds us all.
Who is X? X is both every one and no one. X is definable by its indefinability. Consistent in its inconsistency. Constant in its becoming. X is You. And Me. And Him. And Her. And Zir. And on, and on, and…
- GenresScience Fiction
46 pages, ebook
Published June 20, 2017
112 people are currently reading
104 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
June 7, 2018
I think this short story will polarise readers. Part farce, part satire, part modern fairy tale, it pokes a sharp stick at what it is, and what we’re told to aspire to be, as human beings.
The central character mostly called X embodies and summarises the human desires for fame, perfection and success, all to fulfil his quest to achieve enlightenment. Enlightenment in this case is his becoming something and nothing to everyone. It’s a curious journey that doesn’t appear to want you to be necessarily sympathetic towards X. I can’t say I was.
The writing is clever, sometimes a bit too clever for its own good. Personally, I’m not a fan of having authors explain stories at the end. I wonder how readers would respond to it if the last chapter had been removed, if we were allowed to make up our own minds. The final passage felt to me like a series of tacked on ‘important points’ for one final spectacular summarising flourish.
For me, the most telling, pertinent moment of the story doesn’t even happen to X, but to The CEO when she looks at herself in the mirror prior to creating The Contrarian. X’s tale is predominantly fantastic. This moment of the story is very human and speaks volumes about the themes of the story in one paragraph.
You decide.
The central character mostly called X embodies and summarises the human desires for fame, perfection and success, all to fulfil his quest to achieve enlightenment. Enlightenment in this case is his becoming something and nothing to everyone. It’s a curious journey that doesn’t appear to want you to be necessarily sympathetic towards X. I can’t say I was.
The writing is clever, sometimes a bit too clever for its own good. Personally, I’m not a fan of having authors explain stories at the end. I wonder how readers would respond to it if the last chapter had been removed, if we were allowed to make up our own minds. The final passage felt to me like a series of tacked on ‘important points’ for one final spectacular summarising flourish.
For me, the most telling, pertinent moment of the story doesn’t even happen to X, but to The CEO when she looks at herself in the mirror prior to creating The Contrarian. X’s tale is predominantly fantastic. This moment of the story is very human and speaks volumes about the themes of the story in one paragraph.
You decide.
December 28, 2018
OMG!!! Everyone needs to read this FREE BOOK NOW!!! This book just blew my mind, I can't even explain what I just read, yes, it is thought-provoking, intergalactic intriguing, mind twisted. I can see this becoming a short 30-minute web series or 1-hour mini series on TV or somewhere like Netflix, Hulu, Facebook, etc, I see this everywhere or even a movie. David Micheal Miller, I want MORE TO READ. you need to add more books & turn it into a series. I keep picturing Jared Leto as the character X.
October 15, 2018
Hmmmm
I can understand why people said what did I just read but also i found this novels to be funny and thought provoking.
I can understand why people said what did I just read but also i found this novels to be funny and thought provoking.
June 26, 2017
Reviewed For Readers' Favourite by Grant Leishman
In The Becomer by David Michael Miller, we meet X, of indeterminate sex. X is you, X is me, in fact, X is, or can be, everyone. In this Science Fiction fantasy world, Miller examines where today’s technology could be leading us. Forget gene manipulation, in The Becomer, X is able to absorb not just your genes, but your memories, your thoughts and your dreams also. X can become you, just by giving you a hug. It’s more than that though, as once X has absorbed the essence that is you, it stays with him/her/it forever. When he hugs the next person, that person’s essence transfers also to him until ultimately, X will become everyone. The possibilities created by this new technology seem endless and eventually, the individual will cease to exist.
This is a short story, but in just these few pages of the Becomer, Miller questions everything we’ve ever known about individuality and consciousness. We meet X as an infant and follow his life through until he becomes the multiplicity of personalities that he will end up having. The author cleverly changes his style through the narrative as we progress through X’s life from infant, to boy, to teenager and finally to man/woman or it. The language and sentence structure early on is simple, almost childlike and grows in complexity as X himself grows in complexity. A fascinating technique employed by the author. Miller effectively challenges everything we may think we know about identity, self-awareness, interconnection, and isolation. This is a stunning short story/novella that makes the reader really sit up, take notice and ask questions about what the perception of reality and life. Brilliant, if a little short.
In The Becomer by David Michael Miller, we meet X, of indeterminate sex. X is you, X is me, in fact, X is, or can be, everyone. In this Science Fiction fantasy world, Miller examines where today’s technology could be leading us. Forget gene manipulation, in The Becomer, X is able to absorb not just your genes, but your memories, your thoughts and your dreams also. X can become you, just by giving you a hug. It’s more than that though, as once X has absorbed the essence that is you, it stays with him/her/it forever. When he hugs the next person, that person’s essence transfers also to him until ultimately, X will become everyone. The possibilities created by this new technology seem endless and eventually, the individual will cease to exist.
This is a short story, but in just these few pages of the Becomer, Miller questions everything we’ve ever known about individuality and consciousness. We meet X as an infant and follow his life through until he becomes the multiplicity of personalities that he will end up having. The author cleverly changes his style through the narrative as we progress through X’s life from infant, to boy, to teenager and finally to man/woman or it. The language and sentence structure early on is simple, almost childlike and grows in complexity as X himself grows in complexity. A fascinating technique employed by the author. Miller effectively challenges everything we may think we know about identity, self-awareness, interconnection, and isolation. This is a stunning short story/novella that makes the reader really sit up, take notice and ask questions about what the perception of reality and life. Brilliant, if a little short.
July 5, 2019
The the story concept is original. I would give it five stars.
There were a few grammatical issues but I would give the editor three stars. I enjoyed the creativeness if the writing, but didn’t like the format. Having what was basically a synopsis for half the story was not entertaining nor did it allow me to be immersed in the life of X. If the concept was written a more normal novel style instead of some unknown narrator telling us what happened, maybe I would not rate this with one star.
I gave the book three stars because the concept was original and I liked the story, but not the format the author used to convey the story of X.
While I might recommend this to someone who wants to read a short story, I think this could have been flushed out and made into at least one or two books. A more normal story format would allow the reader to travel along with X on his journey. As a fictional historical short story or half synopses/half short story, the reader just doesn’t get to share his ups and downs. We don’t get sucked into what is going on in the book.
I might be too critical, that is another reason why I gave the book three stars. I feel that the story is so unique and different that if it had been flushed out, the story could have been five stars.
There were a few grammatical issues but I would give the editor three stars. I enjoyed the creativeness if the writing, but didn’t like the format. Having what was basically a synopsis for half the story was not entertaining nor did it allow me to be immersed in the life of X. If the concept was written a more normal novel style instead of some unknown narrator telling us what happened, maybe I would not rate this with one star.
I gave the book three stars because the concept was original and I liked the story, but not the format the author used to convey the story of X.
While I might recommend this to someone who wants to read a short story, I think this could have been flushed out and made into at least one or two books. A more normal story format would allow the reader to travel along with X on his journey. As a fictional historical short story or half synopses/half short story, the reader just doesn’t get to share his ups and downs. We don’t get sucked into what is going on in the book.
I might be too critical, that is another reason why I gave the book three stars. I feel that the story is so unique and different that if it had been flushed out, the story could have been five stars.
September 2, 2017
Such a peculiar story as this, needs it's own classification. It's everything and nothing at the same time.
The story was convoluted to the point that there was no true satisfaction to be gained by being everybody or nobody, in all of their varying degrees. The "Becomer" wasn't satisfied with himself, therefore, how could he ever achieve satisfaction of being someone or anyone else. Even when his exact opposite was created, and the possibility of variables was existentially infinitesimal for both conscious beings, there was no longer any end to the morphing. So while both lifeforms were still both present and accounted for, there was no solid, semi-permanent form that could ever be achieved by either form ever again. Therefore, wouldn't that be like being in a self-created Purgatory for all time..."to infinity and beyond?" This was a most unsatisfactory story, because happiness, as well as a satisfactory ending of any kind are both infinitely impossible. More questions are created than can possibly be answered.
The story was convoluted to the point that there was no true satisfaction to be gained by being everybody or nobody, in all of their varying degrees. The "Becomer" wasn't satisfied with himself, therefore, how could he ever achieve satisfaction of being someone or anyone else. Even when his exact opposite was created, and the possibility of variables was existentially infinitesimal for both conscious beings, there was no longer any end to the morphing. So while both lifeforms were still both present and accounted for, there was no solid, semi-permanent form that could ever be achieved by either form ever again. Therefore, wouldn't that be like being in a self-created Purgatory for all time..."to infinity and beyond?" This was a most unsatisfactory story, because happiness, as well as a satisfactory ending of any kind are both infinitely impossible. More questions are created than can possibly be answered.
May 5, 2018
Blow -minding!!!
This book is like finding a rare philosophical perspective being described in the most accurate words. This is the kind of writing that makes you think between lines, love them and read them again.
This author HAS TALENT! All the words choosen seem so natural, and smooth.
I definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves Philosophy!
This book is like finding a rare philosophical perspective being described in the most accurate words. This is the kind of writing that makes you think between lines, love them and read them again.
This author HAS TALENT! All the words choosen seem so natural, and smooth.
I definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves Philosophy!
March 31, 2019
Intriguing to say the least...
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.......very intriguing and interesting to say the very least. Must read again and possibly 3 Xs to capture the imagination of the author.
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.......very intriguing and interesting to say the very least. Must read again and possibly 3 Xs to capture the imagination of the author.
May 3, 2026
No le ha gustado para nada, no sé ni por qué terminé leyendo un absoluto rollo de libro!
November 17, 2017
What did I just try to read????
I read the reviews of this book, so I knew that it would not be a normal read. This book is everything and nothing.?? No, for me it was nothing and nothing. Words strung together with no meaning or story. Sorry, I thought this was going to be a quick, unconventional story, I really tried, but I just didn't get it.
I read the reviews of this book, so I knew that it would not be a normal read. This book is everything and nothing.?? No, for me it was nothing and nothing. Words strung together with no meaning or story. Sorry, I thought this was going to be a quick, unconventional story, I really tried, but I just didn't get it.
May 22, 2019
A cleverly written and intriguingly executed short story. X’s journey to make his/her dream palpable was modestly injected with sentences tactfully, or sometimes ironically, placed to bring pause and brief reflection at times. (A reaction, when a writer can provoke, I enjoy)
However, I didn’t feel a desire to sympathize with X and maybe we aren’t supposed to. I’ll leave that to us individual readers to decide. I also feel that the final chapter and it’s “wrap up” could have been left out to allow the reader to draw even more of our own conclusions. Quite possibly creating a finale more beneficial to the message the book carried. Although it also doesn’t necessarily depreciate the novelty of the story.
This is merely my take and therefore, all it’s worth, subjective.
However, I didn’t feel a desire to sympathize with X and maybe we aren’t supposed to. I’ll leave that to us individual readers to decide. I also feel that the final chapter and it’s “wrap up” could have been left out to allow the reader to draw even more of our own conclusions. Quite possibly creating a finale more beneficial to the message the book carried. Although it also doesn’t necessarily depreciate the novelty of the story.
This is merely my take and therefore, all it’s worth, subjective.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews