MEMORY POOL

Bollens presents a dystopian SF cautionary tale about the dangers of emerging technology and the powerful figures pulling its strings.

In 2033, the world is immersed in augmented virtual reality, thanks in large part to Adrian Bolt and Miles Gillcrest—the arrogant, and very rich, co-founders of a corporation called Translucid. Their company has pioneered massively popular AI tech that offers immersive storytelling; it helps that many consumers believe that “organic reality [is] too flat and distant, one’s actions too reliant on the unexplained behavior of others.” The two founders discover that scientists have found a way for humans to relive their own memories in a similarly immersive way; many companies would see this as an opportunity to improve the lives of the memory-impaired, but Translucid sees dollar signs. Despite setbacks—such as some clients developing seizures—the addictive tech is wildly popular, and extremely profitable. Before long, Translucid, with the help of some powerful and mysterious benefactors, create MemoryPool, a service that allows users to live in other people’s recollections. The technology evolves faster than Translucid can control it, however, and it threatens to change the world forever. Bollens has crafted an intriguing and timely premise that allows for an examination of the ethical implications of unchecked innovation and corporate power. The narrative, told from a distant, omniscient perspective, gives readers a broad view of events, separating them from the characters’ thoughts. Although the concept is a compelling one, the pacing can feel slow and repetitive, and some ideas feel unnecessarily overexplained. The ending also feels rather abrupt. That said, readers who are drawn to stories centered on speculative tech, including fans of such books as Ernest Cline’s Ready Player One (2011), will find a lot of enjoyment here.

An often engaging, high-concept novel about the drawbacks of reliving the past.