Five Five Five Five Five

by qntm, Sam Hughes

An antimeme is an idea with self-censoring properties; an idea which, by its intrinsic nature, discourages or prevents people from spreading it.

Antimemes are real. Think of any piece of information which you wouldn't share with anybody, like passwords, taboos and dirty secrets. Or any piece of information which would be difficult to share even if you tried: complex equations, very boring passages of text, large blocks of random numbers, and dreams…

But anomalous antimemes are another matter entirely. How do you contain something you can't record or remember? How do you fight a war against an enemy with effortless, perfect camouflage, when you can never even know that you're at war?

Welcome to the Antimemetics Division.

No, this is not your first day.

Genres: Science Fiction, Horror, Fiction

Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 2020

Reviews

[Daniel Bensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished the Antimimetics Division stories and bravo!

They're about self-deleting memories, and the literal monsters that hide in them.

http://www.scp-wiki.net/antimemetics-...

[Connor B · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little harder to understand than it's predecessor, but still very enjoyable! I liked the world building a lot more in this one. My only complaint is that I would've liked to see more examples of other memetic SCPs, and maybe more about the relationship between Adam and Marion

[Shawn Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

"But if we have learned nothing else, we have learned this: humans can walk away from, and forget, anything. Civilization can go back to 'normal' after anything."

Fantastic and mind-bending. After years of flat-out ignoring anything SCP related for being campy and juvenile creepypasta, I’m rectifying my mistake.

[Boy Blue · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a bit confusing but basically Five by Five is the sequel to the original set of stories known as There Is No Antimemetics Division. They were combined and published as a single book also known as There Is No Antimemetics Division. Within that book Five Five Five Five Five makes up the second half of the book.

While you could read this part without the previous story I think the experience would be greatly diminished. So go and start with There Is No Antimemetics Division.

As for reading this series, you absolutely have to. This is what Sci-fi was invented for, mind melting ideas delivered by scintillating prose.

[Adam Newgas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highly original and entertaining. Though, like many of qntm's stories, the plot escalates into something bigger that I didn't find as good. The first book in the series, There Is No Antimemetics Division, is better paced and is a great read. This one is worth it for those looking for more of the same and some closure.

[Ostap · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's the second part of There Is No Antimemetics Division (qntm is a pen-name of Sam Hughes), basically it's not even a sequel but second volume of the same book, so everything I've written about TINAD applies here.

[Anna Sokolowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

“As O5-8’s motorcade leaves Site 19, she is standing just beyond the Site’s perimeter, with a crumpled metaspider in her mouth. She is unable to perceive the motorcade or the Site itself, any more than any human Foundationer can perceive her. They only barely walk the same earth.”

[Bob · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant philosophical concept executed with tight prose, an intricately interwoven set of stories leading to a cathartic conclusion.

[B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as the first story, but definitely interesting.

[Evan Ye · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun continuation of There Is No Antimemetics Division, but since the concepts where largely groundbroken in the first series, this one felt a bit more repetitive.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

One serial from the collection "There is No Anti-Memetics Division"