Rememory: A Science Fiction Novelette

I picked this novelette up because I wanted to read a short SF story, but once I finished it I wished it had been much longer! It's difficult to review this short story without spoiling much of it, but what I can say is that in this future Asian metropolis nothing is what it seems and there are several plot-twists that will give you that “aha!” moment. It's all about memories and how in a dystopia future these can be traded and uploaded in other people's minds. I'd recommend this to anyone that would like to read an original and action-packed SF story without investing too much time in thick trilogies that nowadays have become the norm. I'm looking forward to reading more from Frasier Armitage.

This is part of the author’s forthcoming A Stitch Between Worlds, but as it also has a live separate release, I wanted to share a review for it here as well.

This is a futuristic story, taking place in what felt like a Blade Runner-esque Japan, where memory has become the only form of currency. And just like with dollars and cents, where there’s profit, there’s always someone wanting more. The rich covet, investing in people who are referred to as Hard-Drivers, aka those kept safe like a piggy bank of others memories. This has some thriller notes that were reminiscent of the film In Time, and some of the more scifi notes involving memory recall/replay that are hit upon in the movie of the same name, Rememory.

Felix and Jock are on the run. Wanted by the authoritarian, or perhaps even empirical, OneWorld. The deal they made with the yakuza is only going to keep them safe for some long. The seemingly all-powerful Nagasaki will do anything to remain in power and have memories to spare.

What follows is a fast paced technothriller that plows straight on into an all out revenge story. The scifi elements lend themselves well to a cyberpunk dystopia, and the central theme made for a unique and addictive read.