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thedoctorsaysrun's review
5.0
With flashes of Philip K. Dick (Authenticities, Captures and wabi-sabi similar to historicity in "Man in the High Castle") this could also be an episode of Netflix's "Black Mirror" -- a great, quick read!
greeniezona's review against another edition
4.0
I've been keeping my eye out for speculative fiction novellas and novellettes on my trips to the library with the kids, and this one certainly looked interesting. The tension of a book as tiny as this is always will it feel like it does enough world-building and question answering to feel complete? Or will it feel like if it had just been a little bit longer it would have been more satisfying?
This book rides that line. There are a few world aspects I'm still feeling fuzzy enough on to want a little clarification, but that lack of explanation at least makes sense given the conceit of the story -- it is an account of an experience the narrator recently had, typed up for an unknown buyer on commission. Part of that conceit includes the idea that the story is being written on a typewriter, and typos are intrinsically part of the document.
Anyway, for such a short book, it functions on multiple levels. One of which being the nature of our dependency on our cyborg extensions -- computers to record and remember and reproduce things for us. In this story's future, this capability is advanced to the point that your LiveConnect can reproduce anything you've heard or seen for a given memory. When the connection to that system is suddenly interrupted, how does the brain's ability to create, interpret, and play back memories compare?
I spent most of this book with a very visceral desire to punch a certain character in the face, and for that reason I am glad that the book was short.
Interesting ideas. Well worth the read.
This book rides that line. There are a few world aspects I'm still feeling fuzzy enough on to want a little clarification, but that lack of explanation at least makes sense given the conceit of the story -- it is an account of an experience the narrator recently had, typed up for an unknown buyer on commission. Part of that conceit includes the idea that the story is being written on a typewriter, and typos are intrinsically part of the document.
Anyway, for such a short book, it functions on multiple levels. One of which being the nature of our dependency on our cyborg extensions -- computers to record and remember and reproduce things for us. In this story's future, this capability is advanced to the point that your LiveConnect can reproduce anything you've heard or seen for a given memory. When the connection to that system is suddenly interrupted, how does the brain's ability to create, interpret, and play back memories compare?
I spent most of this book with a very visceral desire to punch a certain character in the face, and for that reason I am glad that the book was short.
Interesting ideas. Well worth the read.
suncani's review
3.0
Liked the concept not sure about the story. Interesting mediation of the idea of if it wasn't recorded did it happen, and the nature of memory. But the actual what happened when the camera goes of was a bit unsatisfying.
alysounbookish's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
cloudwriter's review against another edition
4.0
The idea of not being the master of your memory is frightening. But what if it is not a degenerative disease to blame for the loss of memories, but technology? In her novella "Forest of Memory", Mary Robinette Kowal explores exactly that idea. In a hundred years' time, people are equipped with implants that allow them to be online anywhere anytime. Cameras and microphones record everything so that you do not have to rely on your memory when you need to recall something later.
Katya, collector and seller of Authenticites in a world where everything can be 3D-printed ,is on her way home from a successful trip of acquisition. Among her purchases is a well-used paper dictionary. When she crosses paths with Johnny, a masked man injecting deer with nanotechnology of unknown purpose, she sells him the dictionary. By then, she has lost the connection to the Net and is on her own to recreate the experience. Johnny's work with the deer is illegal, but rather than killing her, he keeps her offline and takes her to his base camp until he sets her free.
Katya, online once more, now tells the reader her whole story, but it is evident what relying on technology does in this case: her brain has never learned to create memories and build connections between them. And society does not trust anything that has not been recorded audio-visually.
This makes Katya a narrator of questionable credibility, and she's aware of this short-coming. Rather than guessing, she just leaves out those events of which she cannot be sure. She is intelligent and has been trained to read her surroundings and the people around her, all of which help her deal with her situation. She's a quick learner too, giving up on attempts of escape when she realises that she will not stand a chance. Also, she's a quick thinker, alert, and not squeamish. When Johnny needs help, she provides it quickly, having earned his trust by obeying him. Also, she takes great pride and pleasure in her work with Authenticities.
Johnny is not on his own; he has bosses to work for, and he follows their orders. If that is loyalty or blind obedience I cannot tell. His job is illegal; animals of all kinds are protected in this future, but what he does to them, injecting them with trackers of the nano-sized variety occurs to me to be some kind of scientific research. He proves empathy, kindness, and gentleness when he treats the animals and Katya.
I really loved that once of the effects of relying on technology is the loss of the art of typing. Katya is typing rather than dictating her experience, and has typos to show for it. While it first it is a little unusual to read, you soon get used to it.
Katya, who hunts Authenticities in a world of 3D-printed objects, gets the most authentic experience in her life: a few days offline that affect her positively and negatively. She learns to appreciate her surroundings, but she also understands that life outside the digitized world has become of less value. Unless you record and share your experiences with your on-body camera and microphones, there is nothing to prove your experience was real. And that is a powerful message in a world of filter bubbles and fake news, when you share mundane things with everyone through social media.
Kowal offers a great glimpse, a tantalising one even, into such a world.
I would love to read more of it, because the novella has left me with quite a few questions, particularly about the world she has created for Katya and Johnny. It would be interesting to see how Katya's friends and family react to her absence, and how her absence affects her life.
Katya, collector and seller of Authenticites in a world where everything can be 3D-printed ,is on her way home from a successful trip of acquisition. Among her purchases is a well-used paper dictionary. When she crosses paths with Johnny, a masked man injecting deer with nanotechnology of unknown purpose, she sells him the dictionary. By then, she has lost the connection to the Net and is on her own to recreate the experience. Johnny's work with the deer is illegal, but rather than killing her, he keeps her offline and takes her to his base camp until he sets her free.
Katya, online once more, now tells the reader her whole story, but it is evident what relying on technology does in this case: her brain has never learned to create memories and build connections between them. And society does not trust anything that has not been recorded audio-visually.
This makes Katya a narrator of questionable credibility, and she's aware of this short-coming. Rather than guessing, she just leaves out those events of which she cannot be sure. She is intelligent and has been trained to read her surroundings and the people around her, all of which help her deal with her situation. She's a quick learner too, giving up on attempts of escape when she realises that she will not stand a chance. Also, she's a quick thinker, alert, and not squeamish. When Johnny needs help, she provides it quickly, having earned his trust by obeying him. Also, she takes great pride and pleasure in her work with Authenticities.
Johnny is not on his own; he has bosses to work for, and he follows their orders. If that is loyalty or blind obedience I cannot tell. His job is illegal; animals of all kinds are protected in this future, but what he does to them, injecting them with trackers of the nano-sized variety occurs to me to be some kind of scientific research. He proves empathy, kindness, and gentleness when he treats the animals and Katya.
I really loved that once of the effects of relying on technology is the loss of the art of typing. Katya is typing rather than dictating her experience, and has typos to show for it. While it first it is a little unusual to read, you soon get used to it.
Katya, who hunts Authenticities in a world of 3D-printed objects, gets the most authentic experience in her life: a few days offline that affect her positively and negatively. She learns to appreciate her surroundings, but she also understands that life outside the digitized world has become of less value. Unless you record and share your experiences with your on-body camera and microphones, there is nothing to prove your experience was real. And that is a powerful message in a world of filter bubbles and fake news, when you share mundane things with everyone through social media.
Kowal offers a great glimpse, a tantalising one even, into such a world.
I would love to read more of it, because the novella has left me with quite a few questions, particularly about the world she has created for Katya and Johnny. It would be interesting to see how Katya's friends and family react to her absence, and how her absence affects her life.
jkpiowa's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.0
An open ended Sci fi short story about being disconnected in a constantly connected technological world. Confusing, and I'm not sure I get the point.
twainy88's review against another edition
3.0
This is a short story in METAtropolis (3/3).
Katya deals in things of the past. She finds and sells them. One day while deer are crossing the road she meets a stranger named Johnny in the woods. Or did she? The story has an open-ended ending,
The writing was good but overly detailed. A mysterious, atmospheric, short, sci-fi story.
Good narration.
Katya deals in things of the past. She finds and sells them. One day while deer are crossing the road she meets a stranger named Johnny in the woods. Or did she? The story has an open-ended ending,
The writing was good but overly detailed. A mysterious, atmospheric, short, sci-fi story.
Good narration.