[cavejay]

Unsong by Scott Alexander

A delightful, completed serial that tells an alternate story of the world since 1968, when Apollo 8 crashed into the crystal fabric of the sky and fundamentally broke the machinery of the universe. Now science no longer works, the old ways have power and sometimes people go to bed on Monday to wake up on Wednesday.

I loved the way the fiction intertwined with reality.

[ppsreejith]

This book is so underrated! One of my favourite parts is when overworked archangel Uriel loses his shit when trying to load New Zealand from a backup.

Relevant quote: https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/8050527-please-asked-the-gi...

“Please?” asked the girl.

“I AM BUSY. I AM TRYING TO FIX CONTINENTAL DRIFT.”

“I…didn’t know it was broken.”

Uriel’s face became more animated, his speech faster.

“IT HAS BEEN BROKEN FOR FIVE WEEKS AND FIVE DAYS. I THINK IT BROKE WHEN I RELOADED NEW ZEALAND FROM A BACKUP COPY, BUT I DO NOT KNOW WHY. MY SYNCHRONIZATION WAS IMPECCABLE AND THE CHANGE PROPAGATED SIMULTANEOUSLY ACROSS ALL SEPHIROT. I THINK SOMEBODY BOILED A GOAT IN ITS MOTHER’S MILK. IT IS ALWAYS THAT. I KEEP TELLING PEOPLE NOT TO DO IT, BUT NOBODY LISTENS.”

[DocTomoe]

Given the topic Uriel talks about here, this is awfully relatable.

[clb92]

My favorite part was probably the American Pie discussion, but this paragraph highlights the pun overload in this book well:

Exodus 15:3 says “The LORD is a man of war; the LORD is His Name.” But this verse is ambiguous: “man of war” can mean either a type of Portuguese jellyfish or a type of British warship. Which one is the LORD? I suggest that He is the latter. A jellyfish is a primitive and ignorant animal, unworthy to be compared to the glories of God. But a warship is mighty and inspires awe, and divine comparisons are entirely suitable; indeed, God may be the only thing worthy of being compared to it. For it is written, “The LORD alone is worthy of warship.”

[AccountAccount1]

Yes! Unsong. I love this book, Scott Alexander is such a genius. He has knowledge of modern physics, of Jung psychology, ethics, biblical stories, and he intertwines everything in this book. Also, he is witty man! In my opinion, his fiction is on whole another level (I like it much more than to his non-fiction blog.)

[monkeycantype]

I loved it