A review by catmisae
The Archive Undying by Emma Mieko Candon

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Short summary:

A middle-aged hermit finds love, reconnects with old friends, and appreciates the natural phenomena of his world while traveling back to his hometown. (It’s the site of his greatest trauma) (At least one giant robot is there) (Coral proves that it is dynamic and interesting, not static and boring)

—

I will admit that I’m a little biased because The Archive Undying seems like it was specifically calibrated to my interests. Because of that, I was willing to overlook some of the content that would have annoyed me in other contexts. 

My top five favorite things about this book:

• Despite being involved in a bunch of shady stuff, Sunai (MC) sometimes reveals his secret identity as a Nice Young Man (though he is not actually that young).
• Hardcore, creative, and messed up enforcement of Asimov’s first law of robotics.
• An excessive, bordering on hilarious, amount of
  backstabbing. Not just directed toward Sunai, but between every conceivable combination of characters.
• Sunai and Veyadi (LI)’s inability to stop sniping at each other like an old married couple even in the midst of
  body horror, possession and betrayal.
• Its thoughtful depiction of religious trauma.

There’s a lot of shifting between POV types; it’s deliberate, but confusing. Adding to that, the POV characters’ perceptions are often unreliable. When I reread this book (I say “when” because I’m definitely planning on rereading this book), I’ll consider going with a print or digital version instead of the audiobook, as I found myself rewinding during several scenes. All that being said, this book is worth the work it takes to read it. I truly enjoyed every minute of it!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror