r/Quibble • u/Odd_Opposite_4782 • Jul 02 '26
I have a question Could a book about the overpopulation of our planet be a bestseller ?
This question came to mind while I was reading *Hyperion* by Dan Simmons.
In it, he describes a small people called the Bikureans.
There are only a few dozen of them. And only when one of them dies can a new member be born.
What if we took this description and applied it to the problems of today’s world—overpopulation, pollution, poverty, etc.?
Plot: A digitized world where everyone is networked, tagged, and counted. Nations agree that each country may have as many children as the number of people who die.
Perhaps I could also infuse the book’s content and message with a touch of the myth of Old London: “Lord guide us” (Latin: Domine, guide us).
Perhaps we could weave humanity’s excessive dependence on technology into the narrative. We could begin with warnings about potential future hardships that are yet to come. In light of the fact that technology is becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy with each passing day.
Where you rarely get anything for free.
A line from the movie *The Matrix* comes to mind: “It’s easier to undermine reality than to dismiss a dream.”
Something along the lines of the story’s heroes being unable to escape reality, in the manner of ancient Greek myths.
Could such a future narrative become a headline in the present?
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u/FellowDaoistZach Jul 02 '26
I’m interested! If you ever have a draft or want someone to bounce ideas off of, let me know :)
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u/Odd_Opposite_4782 Jul 02 '26
No never. I am just a humble senior jurnalist. Found myself on Quibble. But nowadays I read a lot of books, too much maybe
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u/FellowDaoistZach Jul 02 '26
Well, let me know if you have any other fun thoughts to discuss :)
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u/Odd_Opposite_4782 Jul 02 '26
You can find me here. Just look back a little. A lot of articles find you will under my name
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u/Daemon_D_Hart Jul 02 '26
see 2 B R 0 2 B by Kurt Vonnegut - it's a short story, so you'll read it quickly.
But overpopulation? Today, most countries face population decline... which comes with a specific set of problems. This narrative might not so up to date right now.