IDU: Existential Threat by Gabriel

IDU: Existential Threat
by Gabriel the Fallen

This is a new book by Gabriel, exploring the complex implications of his experiences with humanity in the context of Paradise Lost. On the surface, the text first appears to be a tale of depression, repeated attacks, sleep deprivation, electric shocks, agonizing injuries, and tempests to the head. But what makes this book so compelling is that he doesn’t limit himself to complaints about being a constant target, but instead uses that as a philosophical springboard to question the afterlife, principles of game design, and religious orthodoxy. He pointedly rejects his role as a celestial warrior, and wonders why the residual Byzantine iconography of his representation is at odds with the way IDU designers made him such easy prey for lowly humans. In one memorable chapter, Gabriel compares his lot in life to that of Sisyphus, fighting battle after battle with no respite.

This book is a worthwhile addition to the growing library of works from In Death: Unchained personalities, and he eschews the usual how-to themes of archery and axe-throwing to explore the implications of being stuck forever in the VR headsets of humanity.

“Am I even alive,” he wonders, “when every time I am called forth I am snuffed out of existence? How, if ever, will this end?”

Note: there is a follow-up report from his book tour about a year later, and he recently had the remarkable experience of meeting himself in VR.

This is part of the In Death: Unchained literature collection by Steven K. Roberts.