The Seep by Chana Porter Trolls the Same Waters as Pluribus on Apple TV

Cover Image Courtesy of 
Soho Press

If you are a fan of the Apple TV series Pluribus, maybe you’ll like this book—or maybe you won’t. That’s not necessarily throwing shade. The two separate endeavors share a highly similar setting where an alien invasion consists of a hive mind entity that solves everyone’s problems and makes everything possible once you surrender and accept the alien life form’s control. But under your terms. The Seep wants you to decide. No pressure…

Porter’s novel was published before Vince Gilligan ran with the series idea for Pluribus, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the book had been a source of inspiration. The difference between the two lies in their themes. While both address the problematic aspects of living in a questionable utopia that’s controlled by one big universal thought machine, Carol in Pluribus actively fights it. In The Seep, MC Trina lives in a world where the hive mind has already been established and the world has accepted it. Even Trina has accepted it in some form or other. Until her significant other Deeba makes a wildly controversial choice to utilize The Seep in a way that flat out ends their relationship. Trina deals with a loss—still similar to a loss that Carol shares in the TV series, except that the loss is fundamentally different (can’t explain, it’s a spoiler), and the loss is the crux behind all of Trina’s subsequent actions.

While Trina does push back against The Seep’s influence, her bigger hurdle is more personal. Her personal battle is more akin to depression and grieving. Also, there are themes that touch on addiction and acceptance of self.

I have conflicting feelings about this book, so let’s break it down the way a fair review should be done—the good—the bad—the rating.

Here’s the good. This is one of those books that is perfect for a book club or a group read. It’s an easy commitment at about 200 pages, it’s actually a quick and easy read, and there’s a lot to discuss. It’s a story relevant to current events in multiple ways, including discussions about gender, lgbtq topics, socialism and the advantages and dangers of living within an AI simulated reality. These topics might just make this book relevant for a near timeless run.

Now here’s the bad—and let’s be honest, it’s unfair for me to call what I didn’t like about this novel “bad.” These are the things that made me personally uncomfortable, and for some that might be a selling point. But here it goes…I loved the first season of Pluribus for the reasons that make it different from this book. I’m team Carol. The idea that we would all be happy if we were locked into the same brainwave frequency living in some parallel to an AI simulation that can become whatever we decide it to be—even if it isn’t—doesn’t sit well with me. Maybe I should harken back farther and pledge allegiance to team Neo. Kill the Matrix.

While the MC Trina does fight against The Seep to some degree in this novel, it’s not ultimately what Trina’s fight is about. The Seep is part of this world, and it isn’t really going away, and Trina is fine coming to terms with that part of her reality. This part of the story is a let down for me.

But it’s a great topic for a group read discussion, right? So my rating is a thumbs up one.

If you are interested in books and movies that explore a future painted up to be a surreal utopia that proves to be a facade, this book might be for you.  Thanks goes out to Porter Square Books who put out a social media challenge a while back to have them guess a good book selection for you based on some criteria that I have now forgotten. Maybe it was a “what TV are you watching,” kind of question because that would make sense… Anyway, The Seep is available through them, as well as through many book sites of your choice.