Amnesia Moon
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| Author | Jonathan Lethem |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Science fiction novel |
| Publisher | Harcourt |
| Released | September 1995 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover) |
| Pages | 247 pp |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-15-100091-3 |
Amnesia Moon is a 1995 novel written by Jonathan Lethem. Lethem adapted the novel from several unpublished short stories he had written, all about catastrophic, apocalyptic events. In finished form Amnesia Moon bears homage to Philip K. Dick. In fact, during a party scene, one guest describes a battle of wills in West Marin, clearly a reference to Dick's Dr. Bloodmoney, or How We Got Along After the Bomb.
The protagonist is a survivalist named Chaos, who lives in an abandoned megaplex in Wyoming after an apparent nuclear strike. The residents of his town of Hatfork are reliant on a sinister messianic figure named Kellogg for food. Kellogg also has powerful dreams, which he transfers into the minds of others. Chaos's mind is especially receptive, making him reluctant to sleep.
Both Lethem and Chaos abandon this premise early on, and Chaos also goes by the name of "Everett Moon", depending on where he is. The novel plays with several other dystopian and post-apocalyptic setups. One area is covered in a thick green fog, save for an exclusive private school. Vacaville, California has converted to a luck-based social system, taken to totalitarian extremes.
The one constant throughout is the idea that reality is shaped by powerful and charismatic "dreamers." The reason for the break in realities, and Chaos/Moon's place in this world, is a unifying mystery.
