The Planet of Sergeants (el. knyga) (skaityta knyga) | knygos.lt

Aprašymas

This book is set on a fictitious small planet where bureaucratic systems have turned into a living nightmare for its citizens. The true power lies with the Sergeants, mid-level enforcers who have seized the levers of administration and operate far beyond the reach of higher authority. Meanwhile, the ruling class of Royals remains completely disconnected, indifferent to whether their decrees yield progress or ruin lives. Through absurd administrative rules, the Sergeants maintain a quiet, terrifying dominance. The planet's inhabitants share an inexplicable biological trait: everyone is born with two to six caterpillars in their ear canals. Apparently linked to the brain, these larvae shift colors as the host matures. While all caterpillars begin white and mature to yellow, their biological evolution then diverges. The "Natural Evolution" progresses through green and to blue (indication of a Royal politician), culminating in the Royal purple found exclusively in the reigning monarch. Conversely, the "Wrong Evolution" shifts from yellow to orange, red, and finally a near-black dark brown, the final stage before a mysterious phenomenon known as de-caterpillarization. During this metamorphosis, the caterpillars transform into butterflies and depart. In this rigid society, losing one's symbionts is the ultimate catastrophe. Those who undergo the shift are branded "Decats" and cast out as pariahs. Through State-sponsored propaganda, the population is conditioned to view de-caterpillarization as a contagious mental affliction that degrades brain function, as Decats criticize government administration and authorities. Communities fear Decats as biological vectors capable of corrupting "Clean Cats" into unruly, uncontrollable citizens. While mainstream scientists scramble to develop vaccines against the transformation, the Sergeants face a growing threat: the Decats. Having challenged the bureaucracy, the Decats were banished to isolated ghettos, the Decatomes, where the Sergeants faced a nasty surprise: life began to dangerously flourish. Blending grotesque fiction with real-world absurdities, the story offers a sharp critique of how unchecked bureaucracy undermines individual freedom without dismissing the fundamental need for societal order.