Cully

"Cully" by Jack Egan is a science fiction story that plunges into a bizarre future where the main character, Cully, struggles with who he is in a world full of peril. It's a story about what it means to lose something important, the sacrifices people make, and what it means to be human, all through a science fiction lens that makes you think about mind reading and the emotional harm of taking over other worlds. Cully wakes up confused, hurt, and underwater, wearing a strange yellow suit, with only pieces of his memory. He feels deeply empty, but is drawn towards a strange garden. Sadly, he is used by others to turn on a machine that destroys the garden. He gets to a spaceship and learns that he had a lobotomy to wipe his mind so he could complete a dangerous mission against telepathic enemies. Cully’s adventure is a sad look at losing yourself for what people think is the greater good, leaving him with emptiness that will always be with him.