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One of my other hobbies is video games. One of my favourite games in the past few years is Metal Gear Solid V. This was inspired by Genocidal Organ. A book written by the late Project Itoh ( (May), n.d.). Hideo Kojima and Project Itoh were great friends while he was alive and, Itoh helped write many of the Metal Gear games.
Plot Summary
Imagine a weapon of mass destruction that could be targeted not by location or even DNA. But by the language your intended victims. This weapon could target anyone who spoke a language that the user targeted. It’s a scary thought especially when it is used to target the most popular languages.
With a lot of these types of books. The weapon was developed by America as an experiment and was never meant to be used. Unfortunately for America, this weapon was hijacked by an untouchable group hell bent on killing everyone who spoke fluent English.
Following the events of a nuclear attack. All developed countries switched to becoming a nanny state, almost reminiscent of 1984. However, the people in Genocidal Organ have a lot more freedom just that their every moved is watched by the government. This is possible in today’s world with mobile phones (Taylor, 2016).
Outside of the developed countries, the developing countries were fairing a lot worse. Mass genocides were being committed by John Paul who is American. A task force is sent in to find, restrain and interrogate Paul to find out how he is doing it as well as why.
Translation
Even though Genocidal Organ was translated from Japanese to English. It is hard to find any errors in the translation. It all makes sense, and it didn’t read like it was translated. Rather that it was in its native tongue. This can often make or break a book, especially when the book becomes more complicated.
Faith in the Developed World
The main theme towards the end of Genocidal Organ is when Clavis Shepherd (member of the task force) begins to question the motives of his homeland. He realizes that the real culprit of this weapon are his people. The ending is a huge shocker. It truly makes you realize that the Hero can’t always win. It’s a theme that the Japanese are more likely to take than their Western counterparts.
Cultural Impact
Genocidal Organ only came into my hands when I completed Metal Gear Solid V. I had heard of Project Itoh when I completed Peace Walker. But I didn’t start reading until I completed the fifth game. During a chapter of the game, the exact same weapon is used to wipe out Venom Snake’s force. Luckily it was contained. But it does drive home the point that nuclear weapons are only the start. That it could be possible to create far more devastating weapons. If they haven’t already been created.
Final Verdict
It’s a great read and I would recommend anyone who likes military fiction or Sci-Fi to at least try it. It provides a lot to think about after the book has finished. Which in my opinion is the whole point of Sci-Fi. Such as how the developed world will always put their needs first above others. And that anyone who tries to prevent that is villainised.
I’m currently going through my second playthrough of the MGSV and will be rereading this book afterwards to see if there is anything I missed. The two make a great paring and it’s unfortunate that Itoh died so young.
Bibliography
May), T. C. (n.d.). Project Itoh: Creating a Legacy – The Canipa Effect. Retrieved 8 30, 2022, from YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uffV-gA6sTE
Taylor, L. (2016). No place to hide? The ethics and analytics of tracking mobility using mobile phone data. Environment and Planning D-society & Space, 34(2), 319-336. Retrieved 8 30, 2022, from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0263775815608851
Please note any links with an asterisk (*) is an affiliate link. Clicking and purchasing via this link will award me a small commission which helps to pay for the site.
Please note any links with an asterisk (*) is an affiliate link. Clicking and purchasing via this link will award me a small commission which helps to pay for the site.
Genocidal Organ
One of my other hobbies is video games. One of my favourite games in the past few years is Metal Gear Solid V. This was inspired by Genocidal Organ. A book written by the late Project Itoh ( (May), n.d.). Hideo Kojima and Project Itoh were great friends while he was alive and, Itoh helped write many of the Metal Gear games.
URL: https://thesciencefantasy.com/recommends/genocidal-organ/
Author: Project Itoh
Author: Project Itoh
Format: https://schema.org/EBook
4
Pros
- Gives the reader perspective on Western culture
- Interesting story
English