The Fifth Science
- Downloads：8013
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-03-17 07:53:47
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Exurb1a
- ISBN：1796356301
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
The Galactic Human Empire was built atop four sciences: logic， physics， psychology， and sociology。 Standing on those pillars， humans spent 100，000 years spreading out into the galaxy: warring， exploring， partying — the usual。 Then there was the fifth science。 And that killed the empire stone dead。
The Fifth Science is a collection of 12 stories， beginning at the start of the Galactic Human Empire and following right through to its final days。 We’ll see some untypical things along the way， meet some untypical folk: galactic lighthouses from the distant future， alien tombs from the distant past， murderers， emperors， archaeologists and drunks; mad mathematicians attempting to wake the universe itself up。
And when humans have fallen back into savagery， when the secrets of space folding and perfect wisdom are forgotten， we’ll attend the empire’s deathbed， hold its hand as it goes。 Unfortunately that may well only be the beginning。
The Fifth Science is a collection of 12 stories， beginning at the start of the Galactic Human Empire and following right through to its final days。 We’ll see some untypical things along the way， meet some untypical folk: galactic lighthouses from the distant future， alien tombs from the distant past， murderers， emperors， archaeologists and drunks; mad mathematicians attempting to wake the universe itself up。
And when humans have fallen back into savagery， when the secrets of space folding and perfect wisdom are forgotten， we’ll attend the empire’s deathbed， hold its hand as it goes。 Unfortunately that may well only be the beginning。
Reviews
nadastra
，
this book will take you from now to end of the history， to the end of everyting
Luke Buynack
，
Absolutely amazing read on the beauty of consciousness and being alive in this universe。 Amazing tales of geniuses， idiots， and everything in between for the future of our species。
Christina
，
I love how this author thinks。 All 12 stories were unique， and the world-building was great。There's a lot of talk of consciousness， and I've never read anything that goes into that much detail and thought about how it could affect us negatively rather than improve us。 I don't have much to say about this book and I wasn't too invested in the story since it's an anthology， but believe me when I say it's enjoyable。 It makes you think。 Because each story was different， there were no characters to ge I love how this author thinks。 All 12 stories were unique， and the world-building was great。There's a lot of talk of consciousness， and I've never read anything that goes into that much detail and thought about how it could affect us negatively rather than improve us。 I don't have much to say about this book and I wasn't too invested in the story since it's an anthology， but believe me when I say it's enjoyable。 It makes you think。 Because each story was different， there were no characters to get attached to。 So this was not a page-turner in that way， but I did want to know how the universe had changed in the thousand years each chapter skipped by， like the technology and culture。Also， I recommend reading the last "chapter" because it gives a nice， lighthearted conclusion to this deep and existential book。 Comedy is used in clever ways to make these topics seem less intimidating。This book is Black Mirror in space。 。。。more
Anca
，
Absolutely brilliant
Jorge Garcia
，
STUPID STUPID BOOKI THOUGHT IT WOULD WRAP UP OR SOMETHING BUT IT DIDNTITS JUST A LOT OF DIFFERENT STORIESAll in all wasn’t bad tho…
leeskech
，
dnf @ 70%this was probably me and not the book but i just didn’t get these stories， i just didn’t understand what was going on
X G
，
I couldn’t put it down and have never felt this way after reading a book， it’s as if the author could read my mind and put my random thoughts into words， fill in stories and build a universe。 I’m inspired to write my own stories some day， but I will never do such a good job as Exbur1a。
Maor
，
Loc。130> I wonder， if we all divorced ourselves in two， what would be the result？ One half the observer， one half the doer。Reminds me of [[Person - Sam Ovens]]'s recommendation to view yourself from a third-person's pov and manage yourself as if managing a character in a game。 And also reminds of of [[Book - Will]] where he doesn't give any weight to his feelings or emotions， but rather to his more rational mind。 Our brain's have the reptilian mind which "wants"， and the neo-cortex which "think Loc。130> I wonder， if we all divorced ourselves in two， what would be the result？ One half the observer， one half the doer。Reminds me of [[Person - Sam Ovens]]'s recommendation to view yourself from a third-person's pov and manage yourself as if managing a character in a game。 And also reminds of of [[Book - Will]] where he doesn't give any weight to his feelings or emotions， but rather to his more rational mind。 Our brain's have the reptilian mind which "wants"， and the neo-cortex which "thinks"。 Maybe I need to stop caring so much about feeling good and instead just follow through on what the "neo-cortex Maor" planned。。。Loc。166> A lifetime of almosts。 Almost kissing Abigail Payne only to go back inside。 Almost giving his father a piece of his mind just before the old man died。 Almost pursuing his true dream of becoming a railway driver， only to go into academia instead out of a stupid sense of duty。Is this me？ - Almost staying longer in the military but leaving because I was too weak to act upon it。That's the only example I can think of， which isn't that bad actually。So if it's not me， it's definitely what I fear， what I don't want to happen。Exurb1a reflects the same ideas as others - [[Optimizing for fewest regrets]]。> Humans must be the only animals who build zoos for themselves。And Loc。1794> Inaction is the primary refuge of those who prefer their own constructed realities to the beautiful chaos of the real world。Damn。 Keeping ourselves trapped in our own minds。 Stuck in mental loops， convincing ourselves out of doing things that we may actually be good for us。 [[Analysis Paralysis]]。Giving in （נכנעים） to our reptilian mind， which is ironic。 The "animal" within us is keeping us locked in our own zoo - a shielded mental compound of wants， desires and dreams， but no fruition， no action。I've been in this zoo for a while。。。 Need to get out。Loc。415> In all things， across all avenues， a choice must be made: whether to follow love， truth， or power。 That choice will consume the chooser。 If he follows only love then his wellbeing will be constantly at the mercy of another， though his highs will be sublime。 If he follows truth then it will be a lonely journey， but potentially a noble one。 If he should follow power though， not only will he come to know a desperate and revolting loneliness， but he will also never experience even a drop of satisfaction in anything。Love， truth， power - Is there a way to have all？ In [[Book - Will]]， Will and Jada Pinkett Smith have an open relationship - each one is responsible for their own happiness， and not trying to make the other happy。 I quite like that。 Loc。987> Youth breeds a certain self-preservation instinct。 It is understood on some primal level that one's whole life is ahead， and death or disfigurement now will result in decades of life unlived。 > At my age another feeling sets in。 > One knows life will be over soon， that the body will revert to little more than dust and a story。 Then only a story。 Then an old story。 Then a nothing。 > That tends to nip most fears in the bud。 Ageing is backwards。 One begins in （sometimes） perfect health and with absolutely no idea what to use it for。 The world is strange and its mechanisms are strange。 Meaning is in short supply and distractions are everywhere。 > Then one begins to learn who they actually are， noticing there are passions and proclivities buried down inside and can be teased out。 There is a meaning after all and it swims leisurely into focus as the years wander past。 > And finally when one knows what it is they are looking for in a lover， in a career， in a house or a book， the body is beginning to fail。 The spine begins to ache。 The legs seize up after too long sat down and seize up after too long standing。 The mind is full of information now， but whatever strange search algorithm retrieves the information is as slow and geriatric as the mind it fetches information for。 > I fear that on my last day， on my deathbed， that is when the meaning of things will enter the room and kiss my forehead and whisper into my ear what it was I should have done with my life， and how I should've conducted myself。 Hell isn't a fire pit but a museum of regrets。The irony that when we're young and strong we don't know what we want， and when we're older and weaker we do。 It's something I've been thinking about lately - how should I spend my time as a young man。 I'm 24 - No aches， no pains， strong， supple。 Should it be spent in front of a computer， or out in the world？Loc。1760> Lomese is the only language in the galaxy with seventeen versions of thank you and no imperatives。 That is， it is very easy to show gratitude and almost impossible to command anyone to do anything。> Instead， on Lom， one learns to put things very gently。> *Perhaps you could take my bags up to the room？* > *I would love to purchase your house。* > *Now it is time for you to fucking die， I’m afraid。* > In this way the Lomese have learned to temper their desires。 Slavery is unthinkable。 Anger is rare。 Waiters are treated very， very well indeed。From watching his videos I noticed that one of his interests is language - its origin， and effect on our psyche。 Here he's expressing an interesting thought - how language influences our behaviour。If there was a language with very few nasty words， would people be nicer？Russian has a wide and deep variety of words， and Russians apparently curse， complain and swear very poetically。**Loc。1760 - The Want Machine。**What would happen if we took away all desire？ Isn't that what [[Buddhism]] is about？Buddhists don't desire like others do， but I think they still desire something - to live a good life。 If we took away all desire， all the way at the root of the mind， I think that person would become a vegetable。**Loc。1899 - Water for Lunch**In this chapter he illustrates a future where social media is taken to the extreme， sort of like Black Mirror 0301 （Nosedive）。 I understood the message he was trying to portray， but feel it was too simplistic and too rushed。 The plot was a bit dry。**Summary**The stories portray tales of humanity as it continually advances scientifically and technologically， but no matter how much they advance outwards， inside they will always struggle with what they've always struggled with - wants， fears， desires， love。。。 。。。more
Paweł Rusin
，
Like with most short-stories collections， some stories were amazing some so-so。
Ethan Cullen
，
I would put it closer to 4 stars but my man Exurbia deserves the 5。 Some of the stories were pretty lackluster and made this book take months as I would put it down for a few weeks at a time when it got slow。 On the other hand some of the stories dropped my jaw to the floor in a way only Exurbia can， some deserve 6 stars honestly。 Overall very happy I picked this up。
Viren Timble
，
Excellent read！ Some of the stories were mind blowing and made you think deeply about human behavioral evolution
Jérémy Borel
，
Simply put: my favourite book。
Richard
，
The Fifth Science is a “future history”， a series of twelve short stories charting the long-term fate of humanity and whatever might come after us。 And “long-term” doesn’t mean decades or centuries; it means hundreds of thousands of years， more on the scale of Asimov’s Foundation trilogy say。 While parts of this book are done fairly tongue-in-cheek （the story about an obsession with taking “selfies” being the obvious example） the impression I got， even so， was of a writer bashing， if not his The Fifth Science is a “future history”， a series of twelve short stories charting the long-term fate of humanity and whatever might come after us。 And “long-term” doesn’t mean decades or centuries; it means hundreds of thousands of years， more on the scale of Asimov’s Foundation trilogy say。 While parts of this book are done fairly tongue-in-cheek （the story about an obsession with taking “selfies” being the obvious example） the impression I got， even so， was of a writer bashing， if not his head exactly， then his imagination against an invisible ceiling， straining to come up with something new enough for a future this distant but not quite managing it。 For example， even that far ahead they’re still using computers， and having to actually cross space to get from A to B。 Or again， one of the themes here is of the Universe itself being conscious: either made so by our descendants， or becoming conscious itself， or having always been conscious—all interesting， but not new。 The problem is that we can’t help peering into the future in a dead-straight line， as if standing on a railway track， imagining variations on， or improved versions of， things which exist already—extrapolating from what we already know。 But the actual world， human culture in particular， doesn’t go much like that; it zigs and it zags， stops and starts， suddenly veers off in some unforeseen direction…then goes more sort of sideways… Which is not to say that I didn’t enjoy reading The Fifth Science; I did， it’s not a bad book at all。 It did remind me of the Foundation trilogy though: I liked those too （read them half a lifetime ago） but one thing I distinctly remember is that their future and its inhabitants seemed uncannily like the author’s own time—written during the 1950s， its Galactic Empire had a definite ’50s feel to it。 Same here: written now， this Empire feels like now。 Perhaps， in being this ambitious， we’re just attempting the impossible。 。。。more
Ben Cares
，
FantasticBrilliant concepts and a refreshing approach to the principles of consciousness， the AI， and the human condition。 Short stories were a wonderful medium to work rich， depthy， and brilliant concepts into a galactic drama。 Highly recommend。
Frank
，
Refreshingly bizarre and unexpected ！This was such a treat。 It leaped from the formulaic into hilarity and infinitely scaled scenes of awe。 I needed something unchained from the same plots。 Thank you Exurb1a。 Write more would you？
sophia
，
It took me forever to finish this book but I really enjoyed it。 It definitely wasn't a perfect book， and I didn't enjoy all of the short stories， but overall I thought it was very good。 It was the perfect combination of ominous and comforting， and incredibly thought provoking throughout。 One of my favorite things about this book was the way he titled each of the short stories。 As I read each one， different nuances of the story created more meaning and significance to the title。 In a similar vein It took me forever to finish this book but I really enjoyed it。 It definitely wasn't a perfect book， and I didn't enjoy all of the short stories， but overall I thought it was very good。 It was the perfect combination of ominous and comforting， and incredibly thought provoking throughout。 One of my favorite things about this book was the way he titled each of the short stories。 As I read each one， different nuances of the story created more meaning and significance to the title。 In a similar vein， I really liked how the stories all felt simultaneously interconnected and stand-alone。Some of my favorites were "And The Leaves All Sing of God"， "Water for Lunch"， and "The Girl and the Pit"。 。。。more
Michael Slavin
，
It had great reviews so I decided to read this even though I'm not a big fan of short stories。I have not finished this book yet， it is a set of loosely connected science fiction short stories。As I read the short stories I'll give a short review。 12 stories， beginning at the start of the Galactic Human Empire and following right through to its final days。 For Every Dove a Bullet （First Story） -Very unique and interesting。 An undefined being who travels through time and takes possession of a perso It had great reviews so I decided to read this even though I'm not a big fan of short stories。I have not finished this book yet， it is a set of loosely connected science fiction short stories。As I read the short stories I'll give a short review。 12 stories， beginning at the start of the Galactic Human Empire and following right through to its final days。 For Every Dove a Bullet （First Story） -Very unique and interesting。 An undefined being who travels through time and takes possession of a person/entity。 This undefined being doesn't even know who or what he is either。 And he meets another。 Great concept， but for me， it ended flat。A Menagerie （Second story） -I have seen this travel concept on an old show， Twilight Zone or Outer Limits。 An android psychologist goes on a mission， but things turn upside down。 I felt this was very predictable to me。 But the reason they give as an explanation at the end was very interesting。A Dictionary （Third Story） -Wow-My favorite so far。 It was not so much the story， but the concepts presented。 This story really made me stop and think。 A doctor takes a 400-year sleep to go to a new world （already established） and for him to start over personally。 A big accident occurs on an asteroid （hollowed-out asteroid for the outer shell） starship。 This is really worth reading。Nine more stories to read and review。 Check back。Next:And the Leaves All Sing of God （Fourth Story） 。。。more
C。 Chambers
，
"Hell is not a fiery pit， but a museum of regret"I don't know much of who Exurb1a is on a personal level。 I only know of him through the insightful and nihilist YouTube videos that continue to stick with me years after watching。 The concepts covered in those videos are delved into on a fictional level here with some new， fun ideas fleshed out with his signature prose。 I really enjoyed this book。 A collection of short stories all settled in a similar universe， they often reference one another in "Hell is not a fiery pit， but a museum of regret"I don't know much of who Exurb1a is on a personal level。 I only know of him through the insightful and nihilist YouTube videos that continue to stick with me years after watching。 The concepts covered in those videos are delved into on a fictional level here with some new， fun ideas fleshed out with his signature prose。 I really enjoyed this book。 A collection of short stories all settled in a similar universe， they often reference one another in some way but stand alone without needing knowledge of all。 Ranging from hard sci-fi to a more approchable Post-Modern setting， this book offers new takes on classic ideas like teleportation and a social media dystopia with unabashed freshness。 Never shying away from being 'too weird'， The Fifth Science shows an unquestionable passion for writing and a creative mind that I look forward to experiencing again in his other works。 4。5/5 stars。 。。。more
Mateo Jaramillo
，
Simply lovely。 His writing style bounces between drunk friend telling you a story， to hard science fiction， to philosophy essay， to millennial ranting about how annoying dating is。 I enjoyed every page
Andre
，
creative and fresh。 pleasant to read。 proper style， but the premise， the importance of the fifth science， is weak
Maya
，
I've been reading too much messy stuff。 I've been reading too much messy stuff。 。。。more
Octavian
，
Loved it。 And would read it again。 A great book about rise and down of the human empire when humans be am multi-planetary species
Colin
，
It was an interesting book about the inner workings of the human mind and consciousness。
Jeremy Kazimer
，
Note that I took。。。awhile to read this， partially because it didn't captivate me in ways that I would hope， but also the disjoint nature of short stories。For Every Dove a BulletI really enjoyed the first two-thirds of this book or so。 I felt like it started to go downhill when the ‘other’ was discovered。 Maybe my expectations were different， but I anticipated to get more of an answer rather than a melodramatic end to the two characters。 The philosophy is what brought me in， but the end is what t Note that I took。。。awhile to read this， partially because it didn't captivate me in ways that I would hope， but also the disjoint nature of short stories。For Every Dove a BulletI really enjoyed the first two-thirds of this book or so。 I felt like it started to go downhill when the ‘other’ was discovered。 Maybe my expectations were different， but I anticipated to get more of an answer rather than a melodramatic end to the two characters。 The philosophy is what brought me in， but the end is what threw me out。 Overall， a 3。5/5。The MenagerieThe premise of this story was interesting。 What if we could instantaneously transport matter from one location to the next？ And what is the implication for that of humans？ However， I felt as if this had the opposite issue of that of the previous story: it was too short。 At no point did I really feel like it was building towards the ending， but then it came suddenly and really without， at least to me， sufficient explanation。 Like， yeah， I was able to piece things together by the end of it， but certainly it wasn’t strewn about enough to really justify this ending。 Overall， a 3/5。The DictionaryThis， by far， has been the worst so far。 I enjoyed perhaps the first third and the clever nod to a lot of science fiction cliches， but after the creatures on the ship had been addressed I felt as if the story fell apart。 I found myself at times questioning if I was actually even reading the same story。 I was。 Unfortunately。 Overall， a 1。5/5。And the Leaves All Sing of GodI think that there was an interesting philosophy discussed a bit at the beginning。 Otherwise， I didn’t really get much out of this story。 It wasn’t bad。 I would just say that it wasn’t stimulating。 Overall， a 2/5。 101 Things Not to Visit in the Galaxy Before You DieThis was short and to the point。 I liked it。 I think it did a better job at worldbuilding than the other short stories did， without the confusing or entangling fluff。 Overall， a 4/5。The LanternThe story here wasn’t all there。 The author jumped into the story with what seems no thought and it reflects on the content。 I feel like it should’ve been included elsewhere， as opposed to being its own thing。 Perhaps the worst of the collection （so far）。 Overall， a 1/5。The Want MachineI thought that philosophically this was the most interesting so far。 The length of this one benefited it well， but my only gripe is that it didn’t particularly fit in the established universe that well。 Overall， a 4。5/5。Water for LunchOh， boy。 I didn’t like this one。 It felt totally irrelevant to the world that has been built so far - really， this read like any other romance story gone wrong。 Overall， a 1/5。The Girl and the PitI genuinely liked the premise of this - the idea that there exists evidence of a species before them。 But once this reveal happened， I felt like everything spiraled out of control。 The ending was rather generic， given the amount of stories that end in similar ways knowing that the main character discovers something that they shouldn’t。 I just wish it was less political， if that makes sense。 Overall， a 3/5。Be Awake， Be GoodI reckon that this is supposed to be the most consequential story of the whole book， but I really couldn’t get into it。 I felt like at worst it was coherent， but at best it was trying to explain the title through inter-universal politics。 I like what he was trying to do， but on average it was a slog。 Overall， a 2/5。 The CaretakerThis was neat， but maybe too short for the story to be impactful。 Ultimately， though， I’m not like the space politics that dominate much of these short stories。 Overall， a 3/5。Lullaby For The EmpireTonally， this was very different from the rest of the stories。 I loved the pure existentialism expressed in this excerpt。 Although I was impartial towards their galactic politics the entire time， I felt like it was done well here。 Definitely a fantastic way to end off the collection。 Overall， a 4/5。When averaging everything together unweighted， this comes out to be overall a 3/5， rounded up。 I think that's realistic based on my overall enjoyment！ 。。。more
Ramen
，
This was the first of his works that I read once I found out that the cunt wrote books and it was a fine place to start from。 The world was mesmerizing and I am still amazed by how breathtaking they turn out to be。 The science parts here go hand in hand with the story， both supporting each other write nicely。 This book is， in my eyes， a more polished and organized version of his older book， 'Bridge of Lucy Dunne' but still very much holds it's own ground story wise。 All in all nicely done and This was the first of his works that I read once I found out that the cunt wrote books and it was a fine place to start from。 The world was mesmerizing and I am still amazed by how breathtaking they turn out to be。 The science parts here go hand in hand with the story， both supporting each other write nicely。 This book is， in my eyes， a more polished and organized version of his older book， 'Bridge of Lucy Dunne' but still very much holds it's own ground story wise。 All in all nicely done and would serve as a nice intro book to exurb as an author 。。。more
Adriana Porter Felt
，
The Fifth Science is a surprisingly good collection of speculative fiction short stories。 The stories are clever， the characterization is compelling， and Exurb1a writes with irreverence and dark humor。 Many of the concepts and images lingered with me after reading。 As a bonus， I enjoyed the slow game of figuring out how all the stories are connected。In my opinion， this collection of work is underrated。 This may be because the author is a YouTuber and， possibly， an asshole。 It doesn't matter much The Fifth Science is a surprisingly good collection of speculative fiction short stories。 The stories are clever， the characterization is compelling， and Exurb1a writes with irreverence and dark humor。 Many of the concepts and images lingered with me after reading。 As a bonus， I enjoyed the slow game of figuring out how all the stories are connected。In my opinion， this collection of work is underrated。 This may be because the author is a YouTuber and， possibly， an asshole。 It doesn't matter much to me; I'm not going to watch his videos。 I did enjoy the book quite a lot and recommend it。 。。。more
Kea
，
I am sorry， to only give 2 stars。。 so if you're interested in this book， please read it！ It's greatly written it's just not the right kind of story for me。 :） I just expected something different。 I am sorry， to only give 2 stars。。 so if you're interested in this book， please read it！ It's greatly written it's just not the right kind of story for me。 :） I just expected something different。 。。。more
Kyle Petersen
，
This book is captivating; there is no real other way to put it。 It’s not often I see the format of short stories used， and even rarely is it done well。 When done wrong， the format can seem scatter with an underdeveloped overarching plot and character， and it can leave the reader confused about what exactly is happening。 This is not the case here。 The stories manage to be somewhat connected yet still very distinct in tone， characters， and content。 It’s fascinating to slowly familiarize yourself w This book is captivating; there is no real other way to put it。 It’s not often I see the format of short stories used， and even rarely is it done well。 When done wrong， the format can seem scatter with an underdeveloped overarching plot and character， and it can leave the reader confused about what exactly is happening。 This is not the case here。 The stories manage to be somewhat connected yet still very distinct in tone， characters， and content。 It’s fascinating to slowly familiarize yourself with the world and all of its quirky aspects。 The book allows you to learn slowly， and provides quite the payoff when the veil is completely dropped when all the pieces finally fall into place。 Once again， however， for another one of his books， the author has a weaker introduction that doesn’t feel all too fulfilling and is kind of detached from the rest and feels off。 This is nowhere near enough reason to take off a star as the rest of the story absolutely carries the weight。 Honestly， I could go on and on， but I’ll just suggest you read the book yourself already。 。。。more
Susan Crabtree
，
One of the better sci-fi reads。
Maya Angelica Hernandez
，
Enjoyed most of the stories here。 Although I don’t read much sci-fi so don’t have much to compare it to but love the blend between spirituality and science， consciousness。 The future painted here is one I can easily imagine and I liked the little looks into some small stories within that universe。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Fifth Science
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Fifth Science&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Fifth Science&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0