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Hermetica
When Dase finds an old news article behind the wall panel of their module—an article from a different world—everything starts to unravel. Who’s going to believe Dase, when everyone knows they’re a little crazy? And who is even in charge of Hermetica? In a universe of total surveillance and parallel worlds, consensus reality isn’t what you think.
112 pages, Paperback
Published August 1, 2021
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99 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
September 17, 2025
Listened to this via the CZM Book Club podcast read by Margaret Killjoy.
The arc of this dystopian sci-fi novella is as wild as it is quick. Despite its brevity, however, it still does some really effective and clever world-building.
All in all it’s a great metaphor and oh so so so painful. It hits so close to home, and it left me pretty in shambles at the end.
The arc of this dystopian sci-fi novella is as wild as it is quick. Despite its brevity, however, it still does some really effective and clever world-building.
All in all it’s a great metaphor and oh so so so painful. It hits so close to home, and it left me pretty in shambles at the end.
December 17, 2021
Hermetica will surprise you and leave you wanting more from this excellent author. Alan Lea's style engages with critical social issues, taking the reader gently into an exceptionally well-designed world of quality sci-fiction. The author made a creative thematic framework, taking the reader on a trip to the unknown in a safe manner by appealing to feelings and situations one can quickly identify. A feast of creativity and surprising twists. By far my favorite sci-fi this year. I want more!
Read
November 11, 2021Very clever original concept. Like nothing I've encountered before in science fiction.
The book was also excellently written up to the reveal. Afterwards, it occasionally lapsed into exposition dumps and overly didactic passages, but remained compelling to the end.
Well worth a read and a think over.
The book was also excellently written up to the reveal. Afterwards, it occasionally lapsed into exposition dumps and overly didactic passages, but remained compelling to the end.
Well worth a read and a think over.
Read
January 11, 2022I’ve broken this review down into three tiers: minimal information, trailer-level spoilers, and a critique involving major plot points. I am acquainted with the author and publisher, so take my remarks with that in mind.
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I really enjoyed this novella and recommend folks read it. Coming in just over a hundred pages, it was short enough to be read at a pleasant pace without too much commitment, but long enough to have considerable depth. I look forward to more from Lea, hopefully expanding on the world he has started creating with Hermetica. 4.2
Copies available from Detritus Books
https://detritusbooks.com/products/he...
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Dase lives on a space ship making its way towards a hopefully habitable planet. They have an assigned career based on standardized testing, and a small apartment in a grid identical to other neighborhood grids. A deadly virus has made this isolation necessary. Dase’s life is fairly structured, monotonous, and boring. But all of this changes when his cat makes a discovery that causes Dase to question the regimentation of Hermetica.
In addition to a cat playing a mischievous and subversive role (what else do you need?), Dase is neurodivergent, and mental health and emotions factor considerably into what might otherwise be the cold and logical world of Hermetica.
About 20-30 pages in I was hooked.
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Ok, now for my more in-depth review.
I liked how immersive Lea’s description was, and how easy it was to get lost in Hermetica. I also really enjoyed the pace at which plot was revealed—it often felt natural to the flow of the story and not forced. I haven’t read a lot of sci-fi, but the role mental health and emotions played in the story struck me as somewhat novel, and I found myself really appreciating them.
There’s also social commentary sprinkled throughout Hermetica—like that the Aeneid is a Western, when it makes sense to burn fossil fuels, etc—that I consider a staple of good sci-fi. I also got a huge kick out of Robin Williams and Humphrey Bogart being spliced into a movie together—such a hilarious/dystopic concept, both the technology and the plot of their movie!
I think this book is more or less the perfect size. There’s a few things I would have liked to see fleshed out more (like the final sequences in the central prison), but were Hermetica much longer I don’t know if I would have made time to read it or enjoyed it as much as I did.
Some criticism. Why is the central prison the least controlled part of the world? It doesn’t make sense to me that the conversations Dase and Robert and Shawna have with each other would be allowed to take place. Obviously, this could just be a way to introduce new ideas and move the story along (or perhaps whoever’s in charge wants this (mis)information exchanged), but it stood out to me as sloppier compared to how well Lea introduced plot throughout the rest of the book. A friend who reads a lot of sci-fi (and really liked Hermetica) said this also stood out to him.
If the multiple worlds of the book are designed to sort and control various populations—and serve as a commentary on how fractured and factionalized life is becoming in real life—I don’t think this social control would last years, much less decades. One thing that pops out to me from history, is that, for better or worse, there are always people who chaff under and reject the societies they’re born into. So these separate worlds may work initially, but not generationally.
In real life, we all might be living in smaller and smaller bubbles designed by our preferences and the algorithm, but this is all itemized and individualized—my friends and family don’t all get bombarded with the same crap I do. So, were I born into a world designed around the kinds of products and ideas my parents like to consume (in which they’re placated with little challenges and rewards), this world would do little to pacify me in the way that Hermetica, etc has been doing to these various populations for decades. At the very least, if there are other installments in this series, I’d like to see how the other worlds deal with social misfits.
Finally, I don’t agree with Dase’s choice to kill themself. Dase knows almost nothing about the overall world, and the little they know has been fed to them by an entity that doesn’t have their best interests in mind. But Dase convinces themselves that they know how everything is going to turn out so they might as well kill themself—as a final fuck you to whoever's in charge or a liberatory act. In my mind, it's a tragic ending. I don't see any glory in Dase ending their life, but Lea seems to suggest that there is. The impression I get is that the story is not meant to be tragic, or perhaps tragic but with this final unbowed gesture to dampen the tragedy. For me, the suicide heightens it.
One of the ways I experience depression in myself and others is convincing oneself that there is no point in doing things. It ranges from the large scale to the micro. It sort of feels like that's what Dase is doing: making a decision clouded by their mental health but portraying it as clearheaded, perhaps the most clearheaded thing they've ever done. I wish Hermetica hadn’t ended like this, but that it elicits such a strong response in me (and leads to thinking about confinement, mental health, isolation, freedom) speaks to Lea’s strength as a storyteller and world builder.
Overall, I really liked Hermetica and am glad I read.
4.2
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I really enjoyed this novella and recommend folks read it. Coming in just over a hundred pages, it was short enough to be read at a pleasant pace without too much commitment, but long enough to have considerable depth. I look forward to more from Lea, hopefully expanding on the world he has started creating with Hermetica. 4.2
Copies available from Detritus Books
https://detritusbooks.com/products/he...
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Dase lives on a space ship making its way towards a hopefully habitable planet. They have an assigned career based on standardized testing, and a small apartment in a grid identical to other neighborhood grids. A deadly virus has made this isolation necessary. Dase’s life is fairly structured, monotonous, and boring. But all of this changes when his cat makes a discovery that causes Dase to question the regimentation of Hermetica.
In addition to a cat playing a mischievous and subversive role (what else do you need?), Dase is neurodivergent, and mental health and emotions factor considerably into what might otherwise be the cold and logical world of Hermetica.
About 20-30 pages in I was hooked.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Ok, now for my more in-depth review.
I liked how immersive Lea’s description was, and how easy it was to get lost in Hermetica. I also really enjoyed the pace at which plot was revealed—it often felt natural to the flow of the story and not forced. I haven’t read a lot of sci-fi, but the role mental health and emotions played in the story struck me as somewhat novel, and I found myself really appreciating them.
There’s also social commentary sprinkled throughout Hermetica—like that the Aeneid is a Western, when it makes sense to burn fossil fuels, etc—that I consider a staple of good sci-fi. I also got a huge kick out of Robin Williams and Humphrey Bogart being spliced into a movie together—such a hilarious/dystopic concept, both the technology and the plot of their movie!
I think this book is more or less the perfect size. There’s a few things I would have liked to see fleshed out more (like the final sequences in the central prison), but were Hermetica much longer I don’t know if I would have made time to read it or enjoyed it as much as I did.
Some criticism. Why is the central prison the least controlled part of the world? It doesn’t make sense to me that the conversations Dase and Robert and Shawna have with each other would be allowed to take place. Obviously, this could just be a way to introduce new ideas and move the story along (or perhaps whoever’s in charge wants this (mis)information exchanged), but it stood out to me as sloppier compared to how well Lea introduced plot throughout the rest of the book. A friend who reads a lot of sci-fi (and really liked Hermetica) said this also stood out to him.
If the multiple worlds of the book are designed to sort and control various populations—and serve as a commentary on how fractured and factionalized life is becoming in real life—I don’t think this social control would last years, much less decades. One thing that pops out to me from history, is that, for better or worse, there are always people who chaff under and reject the societies they’re born into. So these separate worlds may work initially, but not generationally.
In real life, we all might be living in smaller and smaller bubbles designed by our preferences and the algorithm, but this is all itemized and individualized—my friends and family don’t all get bombarded with the same crap I do. So, were I born into a world designed around the kinds of products and ideas my parents like to consume (in which they’re placated with little challenges and rewards), this world would do little to pacify me in the way that Hermetica, etc has been doing to these various populations for decades. At the very least, if there are other installments in this series, I’d like to see how the other worlds deal with social misfits.
Finally, I don’t agree with Dase’s choice to kill themself. Dase knows almost nothing about the overall world, and the little they know has been fed to them by an entity that doesn’t have their best interests in mind. But Dase convinces themselves that they know how everything is going to turn out so they might as well kill themself—as a final fuck you to whoever's in charge or a liberatory act. In my mind, it's a tragic ending. I don't see any glory in Dase ending their life, but Lea seems to suggest that there is. The impression I get is that the story is not meant to be tragic, or perhaps tragic but with this final unbowed gesture to dampen the tragedy. For me, the suicide heightens it.
One of the ways I experience depression in myself and others is convincing oneself that there is no point in doing things. It ranges from the large scale to the micro. It sort of feels like that's what Dase is doing: making a decision clouded by their mental health but portraying it as clearheaded, perhaps the most clearheaded thing they've ever done. I wish Hermetica hadn’t ended like this, but that it elicits such a strong response in me (and leads to thinking about confinement, mental health, isolation, freedom) speaks to Lea’s strength as a storyteller and world builder.
Overall, I really liked Hermetica and am glad I read.
4.2
March 9, 2024
more like 3.5 stars. I really enjoyed this book and I love Dase. the plot is so unique and I think really well paced. I just wish that the exposition of anarchist concepts were at least a little bit less obvious, it started to feel like Lea’s voice was coming through Dase a bit too strongly and just telling me what I should believe and how I should feel instead of letting Dase feel it naturally, and in turn it felt unnatural to me. I don’t disagree with what Lea was getting at per se, I just wish he didn’t spell it out so obviously because I feel like it took away from the intrigue and mystery of it all.
January 13, 2022
It’s possible I picked the wrong book to start 2022, but with the way the world is right now, it’s also possible I picked the most apt. Hermetica, a science fiction novella by Alan Lea, is remarkable in that it starts to tell one story and then, at the midway point, takes the reader in a completely different direction. You may think you know where it’s going, but trust me, once you’ve finished you will remember the main character Dase for some time to come. To tell you why would be to spoil the story, but this book, although a quick read, packs a lot into its short length.
Dase is a passenger on the generation ship Hermetica. Fleeing Earth along with millions of others like them, Dase leads a solitary existence where their every need and move is monitored by the artificial intelligence that runs the ship. Every passenger has a job to do, a “compartment” their assigned to, and Dase is a masseuse of sorts. They didn’t do well in aptitude tests taken when they were much younger so this is their lot until they die, which they will, long before Hermetica reaches its destination. Their only solace is Snookums, a stray cat that Dase befriends and lets stay in his room. This is where things change for Dase. Snookums scratches a hole in one of the walls, and upon investigation Dase sees a piece of paper (a product they’re unfamiliar with) which tells of a history that doesn’t match with what Dase knows as truth. So what really happened on Earth? What is Hermetica’s true purpose? Needless to say, other passengers, authorised by the AI, don’t want Dase to take their investigations much further than they already have.
Dase is a compelling character; they don’t define themselves as he or she: they’re simply they, as is everyone around them. When they’re confronted with the concept of gender later in the story, they make a profound argument about how unnecessary binary division actually is. This will no doubt rile a few readers, as it does with one of the supporting characters in Hermetica, but for me, as a reader, I engaged with Dase and their philosophy. The main thrust of the narrative is an enjoyable one, too, but it takes second place to the ideas Alan Lea wants his readers to come to grips with. He describes this quite well in a Q&A he did on the website From First Page To Last. Stuck as we are with the ongoing pandemic, we are all like Dase, compartmentalised, stuck in our rooms, looking at tablets or the like, and not seeing the big picture until it’s literally in front of our eyes, and even then it might be too late to do anything about it.
Dase is a passenger on the generation ship Hermetica. Fleeing Earth along with millions of others like them, Dase leads a solitary existence where their every need and move is monitored by the artificial intelligence that runs the ship. Every passenger has a job to do, a “compartment” their assigned to, and Dase is a masseuse of sorts. They didn’t do well in aptitude tests taken when they were much younger so this is their lot until they die, which they will, long before Hermetica reaches its destination. Their only solace is Snookums, a stray cat that Dase befriends and lets stay in his room. This is where things change for Dase. Snookums scratches a hole in one of the walls, and upon investigation Dase sees a piece of paper (a product they’re unfamiliar with) which tells of a history that doesn’t match with what Dase knows as truth. So what really happened on Earth? What is Hermetica’s true purpose? Needless to say, other passengers, authorised by the AI, don’t want Dase to take their investigations much further than they already have.
Dase is a compelling character; they don’t define themselves as he or she: they’re simply they, as is everyone around them. When they’re confronted with the concept of gender later in the story, they make a profound argument about how unnecessary binary division actually is. This will no doubt rile a few readers, as it does with one of the supporting characters in Hermetica, but for me, as a reader, I engaged with Dase and their philosophy. The main thrust of the narrative is an enjoyable one, too, but it takes second place to the ideas Alan Lea wants his readers to come to grips with. He describes this quite well in a Q&A he did on the website From First Page To Last. Stuck as we are with the ongoing pandemic, we are all like Dase, compartmentalised, stuck in our rooms, looking at tablets or the like, and not seeing the big picture until it’s literally in front of our eyes, and even then it might be too late to do anything about it.
June 23, 2024
I ended up giving this 3 stars because I feel a little conflicted. The first half was great! I was hooked within a few pages, I thought the world building and the main character were interesting.
The second half is unfortunately where it started to lose me. I feel like the story went from Dase exploring their world and themself, to mostly exposition that felt a little ham-fisted at times. It ended up making Dase's growth during this portion feel a bit inauthentic in some scenes, because they're coming to conclusions about the world through exposition dumps from strangers instead of getting to learn any of this information on their own. It doesn't help that the second half of the book takes place in one very limited location.
I also wasn't a huge fan of the implications that the conclusion seemed to have, though I understand the point that was trying to be made.
Overall I really loved the concept and enjoyed Dase as a character. It had a great start but just didn't quite stick the landing for me.
The second half is unfortunately where it started to lose me. I feel like the story went from Dase exploring their world and themself, to mostly exposition that felt a little ham-fisted at times. It ended up making Dase's growth during this portion feel a bit inauthentic in some scenes, because they're coming to conclusions about the world through exposition dumps from strangers instead of getting to learn any of this information on their own. It doesn't help that the second half of the book takes place in one very limited location.
I also wasn't a huge fan of the implications that the conclusion seemed to have, though I understand the point that was trying to be made.
Overall I really loved the concept and enjoyed Dase as a character. It had a great start but just didn't quite stick the landing for me.
September 2, 2024
A very short scifi novella, but an interesting one. The author goes all in on "they/their" pronouns. Neither the protagonist nor any other characters have any discernible sex or gender. The effect was at first somewhat disconcerting and annoying. I initially had difficulty telling which character was saying what. Theoretically this ought not to pose any more difficulty than when 2 "he/him" characters have a dialogue, or when 2 "she/her" characters do, but "they/their" was inexplicably more confusing. It turns out that playing with preferred pronouns is more than a random or politically correct conceit of the author, it is an essential part of the plot. Thus in a few pages the conceit turned from being merely annoying to being quite interesting and subversive, and subversive not quite in the way that current gender politics might entail. I shan't say more, so as not to reveal the plot.
February 20, 2022
Hermetica is an interesting short story with potential. It raises poignant questions about a number of social issues framed within a world built upon multiple layers and systems of control. While the questions raised are highly relevant and very important they are largely the focus here as what starts out as a compelling science fiction mystery quickly becomes an examination in control, where the only suitable answer for the author seems to be a full rejection of any and all system or construct as the only possible choice. While I love stories that challenge the reader and ask these big important questions I do wish more of that fascinating scifi mystery and setting could have been explored.
The level of writing here is excellent. I recommend checking this book out.
3 stars
The level of writing here is excellent. I recommend checking this book out.
3 stars
September 21, 2025
Narrated by Margaret Killjoy on It Could Happen Here/ CZM Bookclub.
An excellent novella dealing with some larger questions packaged within a really intriguing sci-fi concept. Dase is an interesting main character in their juxtaposition of just how unfulfilled they feel their life is compared to everyone around them. The first half showing Dase slowly unraveling this mystery that seemingly got dumped in their lap is intriguing and kept me on the edge of my seat. The second half does have more info dump/exposition from other characters, but the information is so crazy that is still keeps the reader hooked. Lea creates this insane extreme of the world and presents the reader with some poignant critiques on our current society.
An excellent novella dealing with some larger questions packaged within a really intriguing sci-fi concept. Dase is an interesting main character in their juxtaposition of just how unfulfilled they feel their life is compared to everyone around them. The first half showing Dase slowly unraveling this mystery that seemingly got dumped in their lap is intriguing and kept me on the edge of my seat. The second half does have more info dump/exposition from other characters, but the information is so crazy that is still keeps the reader hooked. Lea creates this insane extreme of the world and presents the reader with some poignant critiques on our current society.
December 4, 2021
What a thrilling read! I enjoyed getting lost into Dase’s world. Alan Lea does a great job at creating this dystopian reality that is currently relevant to our political times but not making it so mentally heavy for the reader where you’re not able to get out of your own head to enjoy it.
It was a really quick read and I find myself wishing it was series because there’s still so much more I want to explore.
It was a really quick read and I find myself wishing it was series because there’s still so much more I want to explore.
August 14, 2023
Read hermetica in one day/two sittings, after buying it at a Detritus Books table at the ACAB Fair (Another Carolina Anarchist Book fair). Alan Lea if you’re reading this: I’m obsessed. Interesting science fiction that wasn’t to dense but to keep up with! A twist I normally would have seen coming, but felt so emotionally entangled with the lead that I was too distracted to really think ahead. ❤️🔥
September 14, 2025
Thanks to the CZM Bookclub and Margaret Killjoy for so beautifully narrating this haunting dystopian story.
The recency of Hermetica's writing makes its point about the state of the world poignant, and the main character is very relatable in their struggles. The ending was also well-crafted and it felt like there were no other satisfying alternatives.
I also personally liked the world building and its attention to contemporary dynamics of race and gender.
The recency of Hermetica's writing makes its point about the state of the world poignant, and the main character is very relatable in their struggles. The ending was also well-crafted and it felt like there were no other satisfying alternatives.
I also personally liked the world building and its attention to contemporary dynamics of race and gender.
October 26, 2021
Sci fi is a terrific medium for allegory, and Hermetica is a tip of the space helmet to Orwell's "1984" combined with Peter Weir's "The Truman Show" to make us reflect on the world in which we live.
July 11, 2024
A great piece of anarchist science fiction by a solid comrade. Excellent world building, a compelling story, a thought-provoking conclusion.
October 2, 2025
Very clever little novella. I would’ve liked some of it to be expanded on a bit more, but, well, then it wouldn’t have been a novella. I hope Alan Lea will have more work out someday!
October 13, 2025
Book club! Book club! Book club!
Super interesting, goes in a very different direction than I was expecting.
Secret dragon: Snookums.
Super interesting, goes in a very different direction than I was expecting.
Secret dragon: Snookums.
October 16, 2025
As read to me by Margaret Killjoy on CZM Bookclub.
Reading this immediately after finishing Walkaway sure was something.
Reading this immediately after finishing Walkaway sure was something.
November 20, 2025
i liked this a lot! the first half was stronger, but there were some standout passages in the second half as well. super quick and interesting read.
May 25, 2023
I really liked the concept of Hermetica despite seeing the twist coming, but just as the world started to expand it ended. Far too abrupt, but enjoyable.
March 6, 2025
Anarchist science fiction with an intriguing concept! We need more books in this vein. Can be pedantic at certain points, but that’s overlook-able when it comes to the value that this adds to the sci fi genre. The world needs more books, especially fiction, by anarchists.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews