Unsong
Unsong is a serialized web novel by Scott Alexander that blends alternate history, Jewish mysticism, Kabbalah, and speculative fiction. The story takes place in an alternate version of 2017 where the metaphysical structure of the universe has become literal and visible following a catastrophic event called the Metaphysical Plague. In this reality, the divine Names of God possess tangible power, enabling individuals to perform reality-altering acts through their discovery and use. The novel follows protagonist Aaron Smith-Teller, a disgruntled kabbalistic coder working for a magical startup in a dystopian America controlled by various religious and corporate factions. About the Book: The narrative combines deep theological and philosophical concepts with humor, wordplay, and cultural references. Unsong is structured into chapters released as blog posts between 2016 and 2017, making it both a web serial and a completed novel-length work. The story weaves together elements of Jewish esotericism, linguistics, alternate geopolitical history, and meta-commentary on religion and science. Key Themes: • Jewish mysticism and Kabbalah • Alternate history and geopolitics • Power of language and divine Names • Philosophical and ethical questions about knowledge and power • Satirical takes on religion, society, and pop culture Audience: Unsong appeals to readers interested in speculative fiction, theology, linguistics, philosophy, and fans of unconventional narrative structures.
Stats for nerds
18recommend
34mentions
29people
2017–2026years
65% recommend32% neutral3% critical
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
- For those who haven't read it, Scott Alexander's "Unsong" (https://unsongbook.com/) is a very fun piece of historical fiction / religious fantasy. Basic premise is that the world is incredibly shocked when the Apollo 10 mission crashes into the Dome of the Sky and (a) proves that the Biblical cosmology was the true cosmology this whole time and (b) damages reality. It includes the idea that there is a whole cottage industry of people trying to apply technology to deciphering the True Name of God by essentially Mechanical Turking it ("If we divide up all possible syllable combinations into tranches and pay folks minimum wage to sit around reciting every syllable combination possible, we're bound to hit it sometime!").
- While in the very-much-breakable sphere around Earth category, there's Unsong (https://unsongbook.com) by Scott Alexander.
- This comment reminded me, with a smile, of Scott Alexander's Unsong: https://www.astralcodexten.com/p/unsong-available-in-paperba...
- I've been thinking about this a lot, by coincidence, as I read Unsong by Scott Alexander (unsongbook.com). It's a beautifully written somewhat comic and somewhat tragic story about the kabbalic-turned-capitalist search for the powerful Names of God.
It occurred to me that, if the Abrahamic God exists, and the origin of Adam is anything more than a mere metaphor, God must have had to make a decision at some point. "There!", He/She/It said as the last vital chromosome fell into place in generation Aleph-1, "All this work is finally done. Whew! I could use some rest." Or something.
But maybe it's all metaphor (except for the God existing part). Maybe the Garden of Eden was Us (big-us, all the hominids) co-existing without technology, and the rise of flint-knapping/agriculture/representational art/whatever was the "eating of the fruit and gaining of knowledge".
Or any other variation you like, as long as you're not intentionally bound from thinking by a literalist view of the Torah's Book of Genesis. In which case, I have bad news: "Adam" wasn't even named that in the early writings, presumably closer to God's word. So, your translation is a bad start for you.
So, maybe the "Twelve Tribes of Israel" are themselves metaphoric for the whole set of hominin branches. Maybe "Ham" was Paranthropus. Accepting that "seven" in the bible sometimes implies "an important big number", maybe "seven" generations later (give or take a few 100) Paranthropus died out completely. Poor Ham. He was just checking to make sure Dad didn't oversleep.
Or maybe, there is no God, and it's just fun to play with myths, which are culturally powerful.
- A similar kind of story though much longer is Unsong by Scott Alexander. The prolog starts with Apollo 8 crashing into the celestial sphere and divine magic starts leaking back into the world; Angels are real, Kabala based on the names of God allow real magic and they've been copyrighted. Our protagonist is a worker bee that spends all day saying nonsense combinations that could be True Names for his employer to patent and sell. One day right after the end of his shift he stumbles on one completely by accident and it changes everything.
- My reads this year with my personal ratings:
Greg Egan, Diaspora (7/10)
Dan Simmons, Hyperion 1-4 (9/10)
James S.A. Corey, Leviathan Wakes (6/10)
Scott Alexander, Unsong (7/10)
Qtmn, Ra (7/10)
Qtmn, Fine Structure (6/10)
Andy Weir, Project Hail Mary (6/10)
Wildbow, Worm (8/10)
