Suggest me a book that's like Pluribus (TV show)
I was totally enthralled by the TV show Pluribus on Apple TV, moreso because of the core concept than because of the plot details or characters.
[Minor TV spoiler:] For those unaware, the core concept is that an alien race from some super distant star beams a message to Earth, that message is decoded as a DNA sequence, humans unwittingly infect themselves with it, and presto -- all humans on Earth become a hive mind, except for a handful of accidental holdouts that are genetically incompatible. The show follows the relationship between the holdouts and the hive mind.
I was totally captivated by all the details of how the hive mind behaves. It got me thinking how much of human society is not in our collective interest, but really due to the need to align individual incentives. There's no traffic or jails or courts anymore. No factory farming, no personal homes. The resource footprint of the hive mind is a tiny fraction of humanity before. The hive mind is creepy to the viewer by it's very nature, but it's actual behavior borders on angelic -- it has respect for all life and sentient perspectives, and abores violence.
It feels almost like a reverse 1984 -- making your feel the weight and cost of our individuality, and perhaps even a responsibility to curb it.
Unfortunately, the TV show is original and not based off of a book, so there's no more material for me to peruse. Any suggestions?
Posted Mar 5, 2026, 4:45 PM UTC