For someone’s debut novel, this one really comes in guns-a-blazin and doesn’t hold back. I thought the development and explanation of the universe was really intriguing. The pathways in which persons can gain citizenship, make the majority of people indentured servants or slaves really to the corporations that run the galaxy. A salvage crew comes upon a complex piece of aliens technology that can alter thoughts and behaviors. The action is almost non-stop and the main character Ash has a heart that leads her throughout the adventures that take place. Looking forward to the second novel in this series. I highly recommend all libraries purchase this title. Fantastic writing and storytelling in my opinion. I read an advance copy of this via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review and I absolutely loved this and will be purchasing a copy for my own personal collection.

Many thanks to Tor Books and NetGalley for providing me with this advance readers copy in exchange for an honest review..

"Architects of Memory" is the first installment of a new series by Karen Osborn. It was the stunning cover and the discription of the novel that prompted me to aks for a galley proof. And I'm glad I did.

The story deals with Ashland "Ash" Jackson, who picked up a terminal illness working indenture in a mine, when a war with the alien Vai race destroyed not only that world but also her hopes to earn citizenship. Only as a citizen she will be able to get the expensive treatment needed for her chronic medical condition. Luckily, she's picked up and hired by a salvage ship, where she can continue working for her goal. However, she has to keep her disease secret. That's when the crew stumble upon a powerful alien weapon that might not only alter the course of war, but also provide their company with absolute market dominance. Things get complicated, when Ash uncovers conpiracy that sheds a different light on this war, the Vai and her personal fate.

The plot takes place over a few tense days with the secrets revealed gradually involving many twists. It's fast paced, full of suspension, action packed, and deals with questions of loyalty and truth. The world building is excellent. The characters feel real enough to make you care about them, which is probably the best you can say about any fiction. The end of the book seems to wrap uo the story without much of any cliffhanger, so I was wondering what the potential sequel might be about.

Anyway, I can recommend this book without reservation.

Architects of Memory is one of those books where I don’t quite know where to start with my review. It explores many themes that I’ve been reading a lot of in sci-fi lately—space opera, political espionage, enigmatic alien societies, the pervasive intergalatic war machine that is humanity, and intriguing tech and setting descriptions—but does so in a way that feels fresh and without an ounce of excess. In fact, while the sci-fi elements are expertly executed, Architects of Memory’s true strength lies in its characters and human-centered conflict.

The novel follows pilot Ashlan Jackson, an indentured woman aboard the salvage ship matter-of-factly named Twenty-Five. Ashlan was rescued from her former mining colony home by a corporation known as Aurora, after an accident which claimed many lives, including her husband Christopher’s. Ashlan seeks to earn citizenship, but in a society where every living expense incurs heavy debt to the company she’s indentured to, she’ll take every advantage she can get. Complicating matters further, Ashlan has a terminal illness which would disqualify her from citizenship and other aid.

Saying much more would take us into heavy spoiler territory; suffice to say, Architects of Memory starts out at a heart pounding, breakneck pace, and only lets up for the purpose of building more tension in the story. We get to know other characters—captain Kate Keller, engineer Len, and war veteran Natalie—throughout the story, and I deeply appreciate the complexity with which they are presented. There were several times throughout the novel where I had to pause and take a breather because the SUSPENSE of it all. On top of solid pacing and robust characters, Osborne’s prose itself shines in the novel, all precise phrases and gorgeous metaphors. If I provided all my highlighted lines for this novel, I’d easily double the review size.

Also, it’s sapphic, y’all. Ashlan is a canonically bi protagonist with referenced relationships on page to both men and women, and Keller is also attracted to women. Other small notes that made my queer heart happy include an indication that ey/em/eir pronouns are acceptable in this universe and corporate executives of all genders wearing skirts and heels as a symbol of their status.

It’s rare for me to love an ending to a novel, no matter how good the book is, but Architects of Memory sticks the landing with an ending that provides the triple threat: resolving the story, punching the reader in the mouth with Emotions, and setting the stage for a follow up book while leaving some mystery in tact. I can honestly say I have no freaking idea what’s in store for the next installment of The Memory War as much as I can say I’m eagerly anticipating reading it. At times brutal, and others so, so tender, and still at others a wild adrenaline rush, Architects of Memory is a debut I won’t soon forget. Tackling staple themes of the genre with a political bent that feels more relevant now than ever, this is a debut that fans of science fiction should make time for.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Books for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this book. I haven't delved into hard sci-fi in a while, so it took me a minute to get back into it. When I first started this, it felt like there was a lot that wasn't explained. I liked how the story slowly started to unravel the details, but it did make the first chunk quite confusing. I'm really looking forward to continuing the series!

Este libro tenía a priori muchas papeletas para triunfar en el blog: una tripulación que se dedica a la recuperación de recursos valiosos en naves malogradas, corporaciones malvadas que esclavizan a sus recursos humanos mientras buscan una nueva salida y un arma alienígena desconocida que entra en juego. Lo mejor de todo es que ha superado mis expectativas, Architects of Memory puede ser uno de los libros del año.

El hecho de que las naciones hayan sido superadas por las megacorporaciones en la exploración del espacio no es novedoso, como tampoco lo es la «esclavitud» a la que se ven sometidos los pobres que han de trabajar para estas instituciones para pagar su deuda y conseguir la ciudadanía (me viene a la cabeza Autonomous sin tener que irme muy lejos). Pero esta situación está muy bien expuesta por Karen Osborne y resulta muy relevante en la situación actual. Un poco en la línea de McDonald en la trilogía de Luna, hay que pagar por cada uno de los recursos que gastas y resulta casi imposible salir del círculo vicioso entre gasto para subsistir y deuda que va aumentando. Esta agonía constante, esta lucha por salir de un pozo tan profundo que no se vislumbra la salida está muy bien representada tanto por la protagonista Ash como por los otros miembros de la tripulación.
Y sin embargo, Ash tiene algo que la hace especial y que la transforma en un objeto codiciado por varias de estas megacorporaciones. Las luchas sutiles y no tan sutiles por hacerse con el control de este recurso (no importa que sea una persona, no importa que esté enferma) conforman uno de los ejes conductores de la novela. Pero es que hay más, porque entran en escena unos aliens con los que la humanidad se enfrentó en su momento y que a pesar de su increíble superioridad tecnológica se retiraron de la lucha por causas que nunca quedaron claras. Aumentar el escaso conocimiento que se tiene sobre los Vai es el otro eje que hace avanzar la trama, con revelaciones muy interesantes que Karen Osborne nos irá dando a conocer poco a poco, en una forma muy inteligente de controlar la información que llega al lector, racionándola para que siempre queramos seguir leyendo.
No quiero tampoco pasar por alto la condición bisexual de la protagonista, algo que se expone con toda la naturalidad del mundo y que encaja muy bien con el relato. A este respecto, me cuesta más trabajo encontrar ejemplos de una o un protagonista bisexual en al ciencia ficción, seguro que los hay pero ahora mismo no me vienen al cabeza.
No es exactamente una novela de primer contacto pero sí que tiene algunas características de este subgénero, ya que la exploración de cierto artefacto alienígena lleva a tener revelaciones sobre los propios extraterrestres que nadie esperaba al comienzo del libro.
El ritmo de la novela está bastante bien llevado, en ningún momento se hace pesada aunque es cierto que algunas situaciones se resuelven un poco por «la gracia de Dios». Es un libro muy intenso, ya que toda la acción está condensada en poco tiempo y saber que el reloj está descontando minutos añade incluso más tensión a la historia. Una autora a la que definitivamente hay que seguir.

Thank you Macmillan- Tor/ Forge and Netgalley for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Corporate conspiracy and intrigue? Betrayal? A terminally ill Bi protagonist? Can I just admit first, that Science Fiction is literally killing it lately? And Karen Osborne's newest title is definitely one of the books that do so.

I feel in love so fast with the characters of this novel, not just them but the overall premises of the Vai as well. Rarely do I like to step into the Sci-fi sections that involve aliens, but this is one of those cases where I am absolutely glad I did. The characters all felt real, specially when it came to what they did to survive. We see bad decisions made, we see opinions over things change. But the best part? We see strong characters who react to situations with a very real emotion, including being physically ill.

The pacing was so fast that I was literally glued to my kindle in the early hours of the morning, just to see how Ash and her companions would fare. Then, at 4am in the morning, I set my kindle down and just sat there in awe. I know there is a second book, and with that ending I'm entirely curious about how it's going to continue, but I can honestly say I can't wait for this book's release, and the next.

Riveting. That's really all I need to say about this book. Well, that and a few more things to convince you that you simply have to read it.

Ashland Jackson and her entire family were indentures working in a mine, trying to earn citizenship when war with the alien Via destroyed that world and left Ash terminally ill from the product she had been mining. Luckily for her a crew from a salvage vessel and the corporation they work for has taken her on board to let her earn her way toward citizenship with them - hopefully before the sickness kills her.

Don't ever allow yourself to think you have figured out exactly where this novel is headed because every time I did that I was proven wrong with a twist that I never saw coming. Superb plotting, unbelievably vivid descriptions, such intense emotion it sometimes had me holding my breath. Deception is everywhere; don't trust anybody or anything. There is a weapon that can wipe out entire civilizations. How will it be controlled and who will use it first?

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan - Tor/Forge for an e-galley of this novel.

The main character of this book is a space salvage operator. She had been indentured to a mega-corporation as a miner, but the planet she was working on was attacked by aliens, the company holding her indenture went under, and now she’s indentured to *another* mega-corp hoping to earn enough to pay off her debts, become a corporate citizen, and get needed medical treatment.

That is a truly horrible premise for a book. And one that doesn’t sound relevant to contemporary American society in any way at all. Certainly not.

Anyway, on reading the premise, I would’ve told Karen Osborne and Tor to shut up and take my money, but they were nice enough to give me an ARC in exchange for a review.

The main character is named Ash. She has a chronic medical condition, one with very expensive treatment. She needs to keep her condition hidden until she becomes a citizen and is entitled to treatment - if the Aurora corporation finds out about it before then, her hopes of earning her citizenship will disappear. This is complicated by the fact that her condition has the potential to greatly impair her on-the-job performance, which could be putting her and her shipmates in terrible danger given the nature of the work. Also complicating things is that Ash has a serious thing for the ship’s citizen-captain, who in turn herself has a serious thing for Ash. Things are tense but on track when Ash & company luck into a great find while stripping a damaged warship: an intact alien weapon with the potential to give Aurora absolutely dominant market share. Unsurprisingly, things get complicated.

What follows is an excellent science fiction story of bridging the gap to a very, very alien species. Ash makes discoveries about the nature of their alien enemies that put the war into an entirely new light. Meanwhile, Aurora, other companies, and some revolutionary factions are all scrambling to be the one to possess this strange alien artifact.

This entire book takes place over the course of a couple very tense days (which I’m discovering is something I really love when done well). There is a gradual reveal of what’s going on, and it’s layers within layers within layers that kept me wondering and turning one more page. It’s a real nail-biter in many ways.

This is listed on Goodreads as “The Memory War #1” which I find very interesting, because the ending (while excellent, and powerful, and heartbreaking) ties itself up in such a way that there’s no real *need* for a sequel. But I’m super curious to read one, because this was excellent.

Comes out on August 25.

I tried reading this one, but I just could not get into it and decided to DNF as per my review policy. I do not think it's a bad book, but it was not my kind of science fiction story and I really was not enjoying it at the time. I appreciated pieces of the story, but the narrative just did not work for me. I typically do not publicly rate or review books I do not finish. Thank you for the opportunity to read it.

If I tried reading it again and finish it. I will update this review.

I am always amazed when Science Fiction mimics real life. Or maybe it's the other way around...

Architects of Memory asks so many questions about truth and loyalty and provides so much to think about once the final page is read and the book placed back on the bookshelf.

The story moved quickly and left me wanting more just as any good story should.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read a copy of this book.

Space exploration and colonization are expensive. Too expensive for countries. Corporations rule the universe. If you’re lucky, you’re born a citizen. If not, then you’re an uncitizen and your only hope for a better future for yourself and your family is earning citizenship through indenture.

Ash is trying to rebuild her life and earn her citizenship after an alien attack destroyed her life, taking her job as a miner and killing her fiance. Now she’s a pilot for a salvage crew with a real chance of buying out her contract. And there’s the bonus of a possible chance of love with Kate, the crew’s captain.

The biggest hurdle is the time clock in Ash’s body is counting down quicker than she planned. If the corporation discovers her terminal illness, they’ll cancel her indenture contract and leave her to die on the nearest planet.

But what if Ash’s illness isn’t actually celestrium sickness but something that could turn her into a weapon. A weapon that corporations would do anything to control.

This one roller coaster ride of a book full of corporate espionage and secret experiments and double double crosses all set against an outerspace backdrop. Thrilling and heart wrenching right through the end.

I'm excited to see where the second book leads.

Indenture Ash knew if Aurora found out about her celestium sickness, she would never become citizen. But priorities changed when she stumbled upon a huge corporate conspiracy that contradicted everything she used to know.

"They didn't know we could die." – Ash

I love how this quote is on the cover of the book. It pretty much sums up the ongoing conflicts yet gives up none of the plot. The overall concept of Vai was both beautiful and terrifying to read. And when Ash and Kate started to learn more about the alien species as well as the truths about the corporates, we did as well. That heightened the sense of participation for the readers.

As much as a science fiction "Architects of Memory" is, I also read it as a political work. With Ash and the other indentures working to lower the years in their citizenship accounts while birthright citizens have higher default ranks, it is a story on the hardships and unfairness of immigration. Since the equivalent of countries in our world is the corporates, do we know if those in power are working toward a better future or prioritizing profits?

The corporates' conspiracies also prompts us to ask ourselves what the truths are if authorities cannot be trusted. Could we, like Ash and Kate and their friends, know how to react when everything we have ever known turned out to be lies? And what does it mean to trust a person when it comes to that? What is loyalty? How fast can misunderstandings, fights for domination, and violence escalate on a global scale?

There were a lot of "bloody" scenes and murders and massacres in the story. And all are necessary evil for the plot, almost logical. While the whole book happened within an estimated two days, it was intense and I felt myself invested in the story. However, the last chapter felt a little rushed since it covered the time span of about a week, but it left me wondering what happens next.

"Architects of Memory" is a look on humanity through the world of science fiction and the perspectives of Vai, and what it means to be truly alone. There is no doubt I will be looking forward to its sequel.