Review of Memory Thieves
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LinaJan
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- Latest Review: Memory Thieves by Tayma Tameem
Review by LinaJan -- Memory Thieves by Tayma Tameem
[i][Following is a volunteer review of "Memory Thieves" by Tayma Tameem.][/i]
[rwc=id469347-125]4 out of 4 stars.[/rwc]First and foremost, [i]Memory Thieves[/i] by Tayma Tameem is a fantasy novel. Or is it?
Vince, the war veteran, is more than satisfied living a bachelor’s life in a small apartment is a made-up land. Burt – the turtle – is what keeps him company while he spends his leisure time fiddling with his gadgets and spares. The only thing that he would be happy to go without is his nightly terrors that appear the moment he shuts his eyes. It’s been a long time since Vince had a restful night’s sleep. So, when he, scrolling on his phone, comes across a pop-up advert that promises to cure insomnia, he decides he has nothing to lose to try. On arrival at Emron, the treatment (or so ‘they’ say) centre, he is greeted by the luxury of softer than soft bed mattresses, caviar, and top of the range technology. The CEO – John Adams – himself honours him with a personal introduction. It all seems legit, and so Vince is trying his hardest to keep his earned-at-war paranoia and scepticism in check. He is soon lulled by a lovely nurse named Kate, who comes in to check his pre-procedure vitals. The connection is immediate. But is Kate really who she says she is?
T. Tameem’s fantasy world-building must be acknowledged. I genuinely struggled to distinguish the actual reality that we all live in from the one that this author built. It is indeed a made-up land with places named Antalium, Leona, Vantiz, etc. Someone is reminiscing about what we now consider a contemporary issue, such as refugees fleeing in overcrowded fishing boats. This is mixed with some surreal, sci-fi stuff, such as holograms and plasma waves exploited in ways we do not yet see in today’s reality. Elevators had been designed to be used in emergencies about ten years ago, and staircases are somewhat obsolete. It is without a doubt a fascinating concoction of things familiar and things to come. It all blends well and, depending on the reader, creates feelings of either fear and discomfort or excitement.
For me, the feature that stood out was how the author masterfully put the whole story together, revealing the ‘mystery’ at the very beginning. One would think that this would spoil an otherwise good story, but it did not! Tameem’s ability to have the reader bite their nails in anticipation and angst even when all is revealed is note-worthy. I have since started reading another book of the same author, and it appears that she has indeed deliberately chosen this approach – to reveal the ‘good’ and the ‘bad’ at the very beginning. Against all odds, though, it only makes her stories more gripping.
There is nothing that I would’ve disliked about this novel. It gripped me at the very beginning and didn’t let me go until the end. Or, to be even more precise, it didn’t let me go even after a week passed of me closing the last page. The final chapter, appropriately, is named ‘Hope.’ It could be treated as a cliff-hanger or, the way I chose to treat it, as food and space for thought. I do not know if a sequel is in store, but I hope that there isn’t. The whole plot and world were pretty eerie, leaving no hope, even. Therefore, I like the fact that I was given certain freedom to build my own follow-up to the events that took place. And I would not have it any other way.
Due to all of the above, I award T. Tameem’s[I]Memory Thieves[/i] with [b]4 out of 4 stars[/b] . Not only was the content engaging, but the writing style was very rich and gripping too. Those very few typos and punctuation mistakes that I came across had no weight when it came to my enjoyment of this novel and indicated professional editing. It contains no erotic or any other scenes that could be described as sensitive, nor does it have any profanities. In that regard, it is suitable for anyone. However, it would be most enjoyed by the lovers of realistic fantasy and sci-fi genres.
******
[i]Memory Thieves [/i]
View: [url=http://forums.onlinebookclub.org/shelves/book.php?id=469347]on Bookshelves[/url]
[rwc=id469347-125]4 out of 4 stars.[/rwc]
Vince, the war veteran, is more than satisfied living a bachelor’s life in a small apartment is a made-up land. Burt – the turtle – is what keeps him company while he spends his leisure time fiddling with his gadgets and spares. The only thing that he would be happy to go without is his nightly terrors that appear the moment he shuts his eyes. It’s been a long time since Vince had a restful night’s sleep. So, when he, scrolling on his phone, comes across a pop-up advert that promises to cure insomnia, he decides he has nothing to lose to try. On arrival at Emron, the treatment (or so ‘they’ say) centre, he is greeted by the luxury of softer than soft bed mattresses, caviar, and top of the range technology. The CEO – John Adams – himself honours him with a personal introduction. It all seems legit, and so Vince is trying his hardest to keep his earned-at-war paranoia and scepticism in check. He is soon lulled by a lovely nurse named Kate, who comes in to check his pre-procedure vitals. The connection is immediate. But is Kate really who she says she is?
T. Tameem’s fantasy world-building must be acknowledged. I genuinely struggled to distinguish the actual reality that we all live in from the one that this author built. It is indeed a made-up land with places named Antalium, Leona, Vantiz, etc. Someone is reminiscing about what we now consider a contemporary issue, such as refugees fleeing in overcrowded fishing boats. This is mixed with some surreal, sci-fi stuff, such as holograms and plasma waves exploited in ways we do not yet see in today’s reality. Elevators had been designed to be used in emergencies about ten years ago, and staircases are somewhat obsolete. It is without a doubt a fascinating concoction of things familiar and things to come. It all blends well and, depending on the reader, creates feelings of either fear and discomfort or excitement.
For me, the feature that stood out was how the author masterfully put the whole story together, revealing the ‘mystery’ at the very beginning. One would think that this would spoil an otherwise good story, but it did not! Tameem’s ability to have the reader bite their nails in anticipation and angst even when all is revealed is note-worthy. I have since started reading another book of the same author, and it appears that she has indeed deliberately chosen this approach – to reveal the ‘good’ and the ‘bad’ at the very beginning. Against all odds, though, it only makes her stories more gripping.
There is nothing that I would’ve disliked about this novel. It gripped me at the very beginning and didn’t let me go until the end. Or, to be even more precise, it didn’t let me go even after a week passed of me closing the last page. The final chapter, appropriately, is named ‘Hope.’ It could be treated as a cliff-hanger or, the way I chose to treat it, as food and space for thought. I do not know if a sequel is in store, but I hope that there isn’t. The whole plot and world were pretty eerie, leaving no hope, even. Therefore, I like the fact that I was given certain freedom to build my own follow-up to the events that took place. And I would not have it any other way.
Due to all of the above, I award T. Tameem’s
******
[i]Memory Thieves [/i]
View: [url=http://forums.onlinebookclub.org/shelves/book.php?id=469347]on Bookshelves[/url]
Latest Review: Memory Thieves by Tayma Tameem
