Well, that was what I thought when I first saw the ciphertext in Part 2 Chapter 8 of “The Fates Unwind Infinity“, an online book detailing the anonymous author’s thoughts on a whole load of speculative-philosophy-style stuff (a great big hat-tip to Richard Greendale who passed a link to it my way, sorry it’s taken so long to post about it!) It’s the kind of obsessively intense book that seems to have been written in a three-day sleep-free trance: as far as I can tell, you might well need to enter a broadly similar state in order to make proper sense of it.

All the same, there’s something quaintly naive about the cipher alphabet used, in that it is made up of a load of rare characters all thrown together, like one of those abysmal Chinese emails where the proper character encoding has failed to arrive with the main text:-

˛¿?,.ç*ϕ , ¥ϕ’¡ˇ∆-.#-ϕπ¡q.µ•∆ˇ•.,*ϕ ,˚ç¿¡˛¡ç˚•ç¡çq˘.Ω’*ϕ¡Ô.çº-.¿˚¡∆ ,. ¥µç,.˛

¡*º•¡º•ˇ.˚’ϕ.ˇ¡π.ç∞¿µ¿.ç¡∆-.y¡,ˇç*•¡•˚.¿¡’•˛•¥ç¡çµ•¿,¿.ç.•Ωç¿ϕ¡’.ˇ˚.ºÔq.¿ π˘

¡-*˚∆.•*.•#-˛¿ˇ’ç.¥¡ˇ¿¡ π¿µ¡¿.ç∆’,Ω.,˚¡•˘.ˇ•∆.¿,˘¡˛¡ç.µ•¥.•*∞Ô¡º-∆¿˘ç˚ϕ-**.

¿¥¡ç.•.ç¡,.¿πˇ•.q’ˇ¡˘’,º-ˇ∆.•ºΩ.#¡•µ*˘.˚¥¿ç.-∆’¡˛ π˘.ç•¿*•,.ç.Ôqç,¿¡ç-

∆º.•˘’¿’•.ˇµ˛ç,ˇ˚ˇ∆¿¡*y,∞¿µ¿ç.˛Ωπ.-.,•¡’º•.ç∆ ¥ yç˚.ç¿,¿ç*Ô¡’•.πϕ-˘*•ç.•˛¡-.

¿,.µç•Ω¡¿.º-µˇ•.^ˇ˚∞¿ π*ç’∆•µ¡Ô˘ˇ.µ ¥*µ˚∆.¿¡Ω•.-ˇ¿•., πç˘º.-º*∆¡*˚•qÔ

¡’.˚’#¿˛*ˇ.˘ πçˇ•Ω¡¿¥ π.µˇ¿˘.∆º˚µç˚•.*’∆µ¡-˘¡¿-ç.,¿.¿*∆.,•¡¿ç π*.-.

¿˘,Ω’Ω.ç#ˇµ•’˚µÔ¡¿˛*¥¡’.¿∆ç π*.• ¥Ωq,˘∞.¿¿-*µ-*¥¡•µçµ¡•.,˛.¿µ∆˚,.º-

çµ πˇÔµ¡’µ.’•ϕ’ ¥-#y˚∆µº-¡ˇ¿µ•ç.µ¡˛.•˘π¡Ô,µ¡˚˚µ’µ,¿,∆-˛.Ωç•.¿¥µ.µçµ,-˘¿π

¡q•.Ô∆.˚ˇ-,µˇ’µç•’¿µ-˘¡ˇ¡µ˚.π∆.•∞-µç*Ô˛˘¿.Ω¡¥˚ˇ,•y.,∆•¡˛-¡*,¿π ,,µ.˛ç∆-

µ˚*˘•.’•.ˇ’-µ¿.ˇΩçyÔçˇ¡•˘¡˚*’,.∆º¿ç•ç π , ¥˘•¿.∞-¡˚˘*µ.Ω•.¿-˛qç,¡,•∆˛¿˘-

¿.•ˇ¥µçˇ,,’*ç’*˚ˇ¡∆ π ,*Ô¿’˛¿•.µy¡,ç•ºΩç-˚ ¥ ,ˇ•¿∆¿µ˛¡˘-¿•,¡*. π∆qç.º•,º*¿#

¡˛.,µ˚.¿çq˛çˇ,ç’¡µ•.¿’.,.qç˛¥∆çˇ˘*•,-∞•¿,˘¡qÔ¥.∆µ˛•.˚’¿,-∆^,•Ω

¿*çµπçº•q˘˚-˛¡ˇ-,,.µ#.’*ˇyº˛ϕ ,Ôˇç,˘¡∆q˘¥.¿’ç˛¿,•º*º•Ω¿µ˚,,çˇ˛.q¡¿∆π

¿∆µ.,ç¥¿-¡¿.˘.ç˛∆¡¿•¡¿çy-.¿º*.¿*ç∞¿∆’¡,µˇ•.’•,.ç¿-¿ˇº*ç*¡˚.’¥π.çºΩ¡*˘˛

¿∆.#.,•¡¿çµµ¿Ô∆•ç*∆-µº*qµ˚.-.¿Ω ,çµ˛¿çˇ¥’¡µˇ•¡ˇ•., π.’ç¥*∆¿µyç.˚’µ¡¿,-

çº*ºµ.•˛.˚Ô¿µq¡ˇ.¥•˘.*,.¿-˚,µπ¡*.¿•µ¿µç˛µ-˚ç¥∞µç.•’¡ˇ,.-.’∆.Ωq’Ô¿•˚¡¿π.#,.

¥.¿˛¡,ç-˘*yµ*.¿•∆.ˇ,¿˚çº-˘¡˛,ç¿¥-*ç¡µ.,Ω•.˚ πçq¿•ˇç¿Ô.ˇ¡’Ωˇµ.*∆.ç’˛,¡¿,.

¥-.*˚’•.* π¡ºΩº.yç-.˛µ.¿¡ˇ¥µ,µç•,.˘.,.˛¡¿∆º.qç*ç¿˚-.•*.¿,˘ºç,ç¡∞.Ω’.ˇ˘ˇ

¡¿Ô∆.#ç˚•µçΩµç˛¿µµ ¥ˇ*ç¿ π*.*∆.•¿µ,ç-‘ç˚-*•¡-Ωπ ,¿¥¡ç∆˚¿.Ôq*¿¿∞.•ˇ.˛

¿çˇ¡q.¿,µ•’¿-,.˚¡’-¡*º•˛ç.ˇ,,¿.µç∆Ωπ.y¥µç˚*¡˛¿,¥,’¥¡∆çµ-ç•*.^Ô˚¿q•Ω.˛,˘µç

¥ˇµ-ˇ∞*.’ π∆¡’*˚q˘•ˇ.q∆¥µ¡˘.*¥Ô¿µ˛∆ç,.?µ˛¿.¡

Note that some of the shapes are in bold, though I haven’t transcribed these any differently (which may well be a mistake). Yet in fact, for all its typographical showiness, it turns out that this ciphertext uses only 27 different characters. Leaving ‘q’ and ‘y’ intact and replacing the rest with A-H and J-Z (I don’t like using ‘I’, it’s too easy to confuse it with ‘1’ and ‘l’), you get the rather more usable:

ABCDEFGHDJHKLMNOEPOHQLqERSNMSEDGHDTFBLALFTSFLFqUEZKGHLVEFWOEBTLNDEJRFDEA

LGWSLWSMETKHEMLQEFXBRBEFLNOEyLDMFGSLSTEBLKSASJFLFRSBDBEFESZFBHLKEMTEWVqEBQU

LOGTNESGESPOABMKFEJLMBLQBRLBEFNKDZEDTLSUEMSNEBDULALFERSJESGXVLWONBUFTHOGGE

BJLFESEFLDEBQMSEqKMLUKDWOMNESWZEPLSRGUETJBFEONKLAQUEFSBGSDEFEVqFDBLFO

NWESUKBKSEMRAFDMTMNBLGyDXBRBFEAZQEOEDSLKWSEFNJyFTEFBDBFGVLKSEQHOUGSFESALOE

BDERFSZLBEWORMSEYMTXBQGFKNSRLVUMERJGRTNEBLZSEOMBSEDQFUWEOWGNLGTSqV

LKETKPBAGMEUQFMSZLBJQERMBUENWTRFTSEGKNRLOULBOFEDBEBGNEDSLBFQGEOE

BUDZKZEFPMRSKTRVLBAGJLKEBNFQGESJZqDUXEBBOGROGJLSRFRLSEDAEBRNTDEWO

FRQMVRLKREKSHKJOPyTNRWOLMBRSFERLAESUQLVDRLTTRKRDBDNOAEZFSEBJRERFRDOUBQ

LqSEVNETMODRMKRFSKBROULMLRTEQNESXORFGVAUBEZLJTMDSyEDNSLAOLGDBQDDREAFNO

RTGUSEKSEMKORBEMZFyVFMLSULTGKDENWBFSFQDJUSBEXOLTUGREZSEBOAqFDLDSNABUO

BESMJRFMDDKGFKGTMLNQDGVBKABSERyLDFSWZFOTJDMSBNBRALUOBSDLGEQNqFEWSDWGBP

LAEDRTEBFqAFMDFKLRSEBKEDEqFAJNFMUGSDOXSBDULqVJENRASETKBDONYDSZ

BGFRQFWSqUTOALMODDERPEKGMyWAHDVMFDULNqUJEBKFABDSWGWSZBRTDDFMAEqLBNQ

BNREDFJBOLBEUEFANLBSLBFyOEBWGEBGFXBNKLDRMSEKSDEFBOBMWGFGLTEKJQEFWZLGUA

BNEPEDSLBFRRBVNSFGNORWGqRTEOEBZDFRABFMJKLRMSLMSEDQEKFJGNBRyFETKRLBDO

FWGWRESAETVBRqLMEJSUEGDEBOTDRQLGEBSRBRFAROTFJXRFESKLMDEOEKNEZqKVBSTLBQEPDE

JEBALDFOUGyRGEBSNEMDBTFWOULADFBJOGFLREDZSETQFqBSMFBVEMLKZMREGNEFKADLBDE

JOEGTKSEGQLWZWEyFOEAREBLMJRDRFSDEUEDEALBNWEqFGFBTOESGEBDUWFDFLXEZKEMUM

LBVNEPFTSRFZRFABRRJMGFBQGEGNESBRDFOKFTOGSLOZQDBJLFNTBEVqGBBXESMEA

BFMLqEBDRSKBODETLKOLGWSAFEMDDBERFNZQEyJRFTGLABDJDKJLNFROFSGEYVTBqSZEADURF

JMROMXGEKQNLKGTqUSMEqNJRLUEGJVBRANFDECRABEL

However, despite the promising-looking frequency counts, I haven’t yet had any luck cracking this as a monoalphabetic substitution cipher. The Friedman index of coincidence for this is 1.52 (slightly too low for English), which makes me strongly suspect that some punctuation is being enciphered here. Yet the commonest letter (‘E’) seems too frequent to be a plaintext ‘e’, and it doesn’t seem to encipher a space either.

As far as n-grams go, repeated 2-grams include:-

* EB (28 instances)

* SE (23)

* DE (19)

* ES (17)

* RF LB EF (16)

* ED (15)

* FE BR (14)

* BE NE BD (13)

* etc

Repeated 3-grams include:-

* GEB OEB MSE (5 instances)

* ETK EOE EBD SED KSE NES FES (4)

* LQE LBF DEJ OUL RMS RTE RFS QGE BEF BDU LBE GNE DBE EDS EBL DUL DEF DSL EKS EQN SDE GWS FTS ESG ERF JRF LKE SME SLB SEB ZSE SGE (3)

* etc

Sadly CrypTool-online only goes up to length-3 n-grams, as I suspect there may be some interesting 4-grams and 5-grams in there. An exercise for the reader! 😉

I don’t know what to make of this: when I first transcribed it, I really thought the answer would just pop out, but I haven’t had any luck with it so far… so I think I’m missing a trick. Any thoughts, codebreakers? 🙂