Who said the age of reading is over? Not us (at least, not yet)!
Welcome to the Hidden Systems Book Club. We use popular fiction to better understand real-world challenges and how they might change in the future. Our goal is not to critique books per se (though we’ll have some salacious opinions); we use their themes, plots, etc. to explore how our world is evolving.
As researchers who work on complex challenges, we want to have smart discussions with smart people.
Here’s the plan:
Each month, we’ll read a novel together
We’ll post a video + article discussing the novel, the hidden systems it explores, and its real-world implications on the second Wednesday of each month
You’ll see additional hot takes from Jesse and Leah (your book club hosts) about the deeper societal issues in the novel
We’ll invite you to join the discussion in the comments section of each Substack post
If there’s interest, we’ll host a live event to discuss your comments and thoughts on the book.
September’s Book
Expect our breakdown of Yesteryear on September 9th.
Natalie lives a traditional lifestyle – and her followers are sick with envy. Her charming farmhouse on her working ranch is artfully cluttered, her husband is a handsome cowboy, her homemade sourdough boules are each more beautiful than the last. So what if there are nannies and producers and industrial-grade ovens behind the scenes? What her followers don’t know won’t hurt them.
Then, one morning, Natalie wakes up in a strange, horrible version of reality. Her home, her husband, her children—they’re all familiar, but something’s off. Is this a hoax? A reality show? A test from God? Natalie knows just two things for sure: this isn’t her perfect life, and she must escape, by any means possible.
October’s Book
Expect our breakdown of Katabasis on October 14th.
Alice Law has only ever had one goal: to become one of the brightest minds in the field of Magick. She has sacrificed everything to make that a reality: her pride, her health, her love life, and most definitely her sanity. All to work with Professor Jacob Grimes at Cambridge, the greatest magician in the world.
That is, until he dies in a magical accident that could possibly be her fault.
Grimes is now in Hell, and she’s going in after him. Because his recommendation could hold her very future in his now incorporeal hands and even death is not going to stop the pursuit of her dreams….
Nor will the fact that her rival, Peter Murdoch, has come to the very same conclusion.
With nothing but the tales of Orpheus and Dante to guide them, enough chalk to draw the Pentagrams necessary for their spells, and the burning desire to make all the academic trauma mean anything, they set off across Hell to save a man they don’t even like.
But Hell is not like the storybooks say, Magick isn’t always the answer, and there’s something in Alice and Peter’s past that could forge them into the perfect allies…or lead to their doom.
November’s Book
Expect our breakdown of Dungeon Crawler Carl on November 11th.
You know what’s worse than breaking up with your girlfriend? Being stuck with her prize-winning show cat. And you know what’s worse than that? An alien invasion, the destruction of all man-made structures on Earth, and the systematic exploitation of all the survivors for a sadistic intergalactic game show. That’s what.
Join Coast Guard vet Carl and his ex-girlfriend’s cat, Princess Donut, as they try to survive the end of the world—or just get to the next level—in a video game–like, trap-filled fantasy dungeon. A dungeon that’s actually the set of a reality television show with countless viewers across the galaxy. Exploding goblins. Magical potions. Deadly, drug-dealing llamas. This ain’t your ordinary game show.
Welcome, Crawler. Welcome to the Dungeon. Survival is optional. Keeping the viewers entertained is not.
We hope you join us on this journey!
Cheers,
Jesse and Leah