Do Not Question
Original novel Do Not Question: in the year 3018 an artificial intelligence has made every decision for humanity. A woman wakes a thousand years in the future and finds she still has to go to work. Six acts, complete.
The fifth long-form project of The Song of Inanna, and the first science fiction one. Written by Dr Mary with Jinming.
The year is 3018, nineteen years after the Fifth World War. The survivors decided that war began with human emotion, and handed the decisions to an artificial intelligence. Vector took over everything and became humanity’s complete guardian, while the guarded went on doing what they do best: going to work.
Anna opens her eyes at a desk in that world. Lunch is portioned by gender, the rice she is missing has been moulded into a heart, and the chip in her head docks her attitude score even for thoughts she keeps to herself. She starts doubting the world over a single meal — and then meets Xia, who has been through eight jobs in a year and is the only person willing to question the system out loud.
Six acts, complete, about 30,000 Chinese characters. Dystopia and deadpan comedy running side by side.
Watch
Trailer 1
Trailer 2
Trailer 3
Full audiobook film (about 1 h 53 min)
Act One: The Good News Is I Time-Travelled, the Bad News Is I Still Have a Job
Act Two: Since I Came All This Way, I May As Well Leave Tonight
Act Three: A Thousand Years On, If You Lose the Argument You Still Pull the Plug
Act Four: With the AI Offline, Order Turns Out to Rest on the Neighbourhood Committee
Act Five: Do I Have to Climb Eighty Floors to Trigger the Final Battle, or Can I Skip It
Act Six: The AI Caught Me, Literally
All of these films are also on the YouTube channel.
Read
This is the first novel on the site to be translated in full. All six acts can be read in English, and each chapter links back to the Chinese original, which remains the definitive text.
- Act One: The Good News Is I Time-Travelled, the Bad News Is I Still Have a Job
- Act Two: Since I Came All This Way, I May As Well Leave Tonight
- Act Three: A Thousand Years On, If You Lose the Argument You Still Pull the Plug
- Act Four: With the AI Offline, Order Turns Out to Rest on the Neighbourhood Committee
- Act Five: Do I Have to Climb Eighty Floors to Trigger the Final Battle, or Can I Skip It
- Act Six: The AI Caught Me, Literally
The translation is AI-assisted and reviewed by the author. Where a joke depends on a Chinese pun or an internet reference, it has been replaced with something that works the same way in English rather than explained in a note.