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August 2, 2007 7:33 AM Subscribe
I'm trying to find the title of a scifi story about semi-symbiotic red jellylike ooze.
The plot, as I recall it: A guy moves to a planet for some reason, and finds that almost everyone there is unusually happy and harmonious, and is host to a reddish jellylike parasite. It can be a tiny mole-sized dot, or a big drapey amoebic blob of semitransparent stuff that covers large parts of the person's body, and dissolves it slowly. The guy is grossed out by this, but is told by everyone who has the parasites that they feel great because the parasites pump euphoria chemicals into them, or maybe it's just that they make the people feel connected to everyone else with the parasite? The parasites have maybe made some sort of psychic link with the other parasites, and the humans get to share in this? Maybe this isn't true. I can't exactly remember the day-to-day draw.
The guy eventually goes to a cave outside of town which is where people go to die, when they're mostly consumed by their parasite, and inside is this gigantic seething mass of red ooze with bones visible inside it. The people are not alarmed by this because the parasite absorbs them and their consciousness somehow continues inside it, so they have contact with everyone else it has absorbed. They regard this as some kind of concrete afterlife, and the guy also eventually comes to regard this as a good bet in terms of immortality.
The plot, as I recall it: A guy moves to a planet for some reason, and finds that almost everyone there is unusually happy and harmonious, and is host to a reddish jellylike parasite. It can be a tiny mole-sized dot, or a big drapey amoebic blob of semitransparent stuff that covers large parts of the person's body, and dissolves it slowly. The guy is grossed out by this, but is told by everyone who has the parasites that they feel great because the parasites pump euphoria chemicals into them, or maybe it's just that they make the people feel connected to everyone else with the parasite? The parasites have maybe made some sort of psychic link with the other parasites, and the humans get to share in this? Maybe this isn't true. I can't exactly remember the day-to-day draw.
The guy eventually goes to a cave outside of town which is where people go to die, when they're mostly consumed by their parasite, and inside is this gigantic seething mass of red ooze with bones visible inside it. The people are not alarmed by this because the parasite absorbs them and their consciousness somehow continues inside it, so they have contact with everyone else it has absorbed. They regard this as some kind of concrete afterlife, and the guy also eventually comes to regard this as a good bet in terms of immortality.
Best answer: A Song for Lya, found by Googling rec.arts.sf.written for a few other things I remember from that story.
posted by edd at 7:57 AM on August 2, 2007
posted by edd at 7:57 AM on August 2, 2007
Response by poster: Rock, I do believe that is it! What did you remember, if I may ask? I couldn't think of any specifics or names, so essentially I was screwed.
posted by zusty at 8:20 AM on August 2, 2007
posted by zusty at 8:20 AM on August 2, 2007
Mainly that he had a telepathic girlfriend or something. Who, presumably, is Lya.
posted by edd at 9:01 AM on August 2, 2007
posted by edd at 9:01 AM on August 2, 2007
Blood Music was my first thought as well -- although obviously a wrong thought. But I didn't want Jessamyn to feel bad.
posted by davejay at 10:56 AM on August 2, 2007
posted by davejay at 10:56 AM on August 2, 2007
Response by poster: Gosh, I managed to forget entirely about the romantic subplot, which I guess is normal for me. Thanks, edd, you are ruley.
posted by zusty at 11:15 AM on August 2, 2007
posted by zusty at 11:15 AM on August 2, 2007
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by jessamyn at 7:36 AM on August 2, 2007 [1 favorite]