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CZM Book Club: Black Hole, by November Rush

Feb 15, 2026
A Valentine's Day reading of a queer dark sci-fi love story about parasitic fungal minds and body takeover. The narrative follows consciousness-swapping, intimate codependence, and catastrophic physical collapse. Tension rises as a shipboard contagion spreads and a captain fights to stop possession. The hosts then discuss the story as an allegory for codependent relationships.
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INSIGHT

Love As Literal Possession

  • November Rush's story reframes romantic obsession as literal possession, blending body-horror and love.
  • The narrative links codependence to destructive, identity-erasing dependence across forms and time.
ANECDOTE

Morgan's Sudden Possession

  • Morgan is overtaken by a foreign consciousness after touching an alien syneseed sample and loses control of her body.
  • The takeover reveals a multilife perspective and an instinctual drive toward an entity called Void.
INSIGHT

Bodies Limit Immortal Bonds

  • The story highlights how human bodies impose limits on immortal, shifting identities, making intimacy physically costly.
  • Star wants stability but the human vessel's fragility continually undermines long-term union.
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