ENCODED MINDS

Content levels

Trigger warnings

Positive tags

Heroine archetypes

Protagonist archetypes

Tropes

Themes

Synopsis

Dark Matter meets HBO’s “The Last of Us” in this apocalyptic tale of humanity’s fight against a quickly spreading bacterial infection that turns people into possessed followers of the mysterious “Collective.” Olivia Scott once had a strange ability: she could glimpse echoes of high-emotion events that had taken place nearby. As a child, those visions terrified her. Now, these long-forgotten gifts might be the only thing standing between survival and annihilation. When Liv’s brother Bobby is arrested for murder, she must reclaim the power she once buried if she hopes to prove his innocence. With the help of two scientists, she makes a stunning discovery: bacteria can store memories of the world around them and transmit those memories directly into the human brain. Humans, made of trillions of bacteria, are the perfect hosts for this microscopic invasion. A military state takes control, while scientists search for the bacteria's origins at its epicenter, the city of Wexberg. But the deeper they dig, the more disturbing the truth becomes. Because the bacteria aren’t just recording human history. They’re learning to control it. Can Liv’s visions save humankind before they fall prey to the hivemind of The Collective?

Tags

ENCODED MINDS: content & age rating

Intended for adult readers (18+).

This adult science fiction horror features a bacterial infection that possesses people into a hivemind collective, with themes of murder investigation, body horror, loss of autonomy, and apocalyptic survival. Expect strong violence and disturbing imagery around possession and loss of free will.