“His voice was no more or less compelling than the buzz of the machines around her.” That’s from Mira Grant’s novel *Parasite* (2014), describing the experience of a woman emerging from a coma. It continues: “None of his words meant anything to her, and so she dismissed them as unimportant stimuli in a world that was suddenly full of unimportant stimuli. … Then the other people in the room started making noise, as shrill and confused as the machines around her.” The sequel to *Parasite*, titled *Symbiont*, comes out later this month. I’m just behind in my reading.
*This post first appeared in the Disquiet email newsletter: [tinyletter.com/disquiet](http://tinyletter.com/disquiet/letters/disquiet-2014-11-19-the-cutest-tomita-you-ever-did-see).*