Simon Edge

Lightweight satire of the English variety on a very serious topic. All is resolved neatly at the end, but there is a sequel. The characters in the book have real world analogues which are probably much easier for an English reader to recognize.

I think we are experiencing a cycle of history; extraordinary new achievements in science result in a freakishly credulous public. Think of the fairy hoax that took in much of Victorian England as well as mesmerism, etc. And intimidation by label is a weirdly powerful weapon right now; call someone a "racist" for saying most people have ten toes and they will stop asserting their belief in public. A few will remove a toe, just to be on the safe side.

I have been wondering for a while why I grew up believing that everybody thought the earth was flat until 1492 and this book helpfully explains that it is due to a biography of Columbus written by Washington Irving in the early 1800s. A really powerful myth, that.

The surreal Twitter/X dialogues scattered throughout the book are painfully hilarious.… (meer)

An allegorical tale about a fantastic (not in the sense of being good) idea that takes over the world, thanks to a relentless online campaign. A billionaire uses cash to capture a reputable charity and turns it into a propaganda machine to push his own version of reality - a flat earth. It is easy to see traces of more than one current movement in this story, but the obvious parallels are with trans activism...intentionally so. I do feel like the conclusion is not satisfying; it feels like the author reached a point, didn't know what to do, so he gave it more of an anticlimax than a climax. Seeking the easy solution was not a great way to end this book. Otherwise, it was a satisfying and worthwhile novel.… (meer)