Like any collection of short stories, some of the stories in The Memory Librarian really take flight, and others fall a little flat. The science fiction here was really solid, especially in the first story of the book. The relationships and twists were richly developed, I was deeply emotionally invested, and the resolution was earned. Other stories, however, felt just a little ham-fisted with their messages, but even then this did not take away from enjoying the read. I thought the book did a great job of continuing the stories from Monae's emotion pictures, and really expanded the world in believable and authentic ways. I didn't always agree with character choices, but they were honest to the last.

A lot is learned about the future world of this book that the author's multiple-album concept music piece only hint at. That said, I personally wanted more out of the writing, given Monae's creative reputation and the list of collaborators for this project. Overall I found myself thinking: cool concepts, clunky execution. Still, there's more than enough of interest here for me to be recommending this title to fans of cyberpunk, Afrofuturism, and of course Monae's music.

Unsurprisingly, this is a great collection of short stories/novellas tied in to Monae's larger world/multimedia project that she's been building for over a decade now, in some ways. Linked overtly to "Dirty Computer," these works embellish that already fascinating world, and we get new characters to love (and cry over) here. I do wish it was clearer from the outset which authors/artists collaborated with Monae on which works, but that's a small quibble in a great new work.

This set of stories that takes place in a universe adjacent to the one featured in Monae’s linked concept albums (full of bangers) offer hope when despair is at its ripest. Stories of invented homes, found families, hard choices, escape routes, and the exhausting work of imagining a better future jump off the page. The reader can feel the contributions of the co-writers, but the unifying vision of what the marginalized endure in the struggle to make everyone free is present throughout.

From her debut EP of Metropolis and the introduction of Cindi Mayweather to Dirty Computer, her latest album and "emotion picture" that centers on Jane's celebration of freedom, Monáe has spent her music career building a world where its inhabitants fight memory control, explore identity, navigate technology, and ultimately, organize towards liberation. The Memory Librarian is a culmination of that narrative and, just like her music, the results feel electric, hopeful, and new.

The stories shift from city apartments to desert hideouts, from coworkers to families (both birth and chosen), from couples to communities but are united in their exploration of what it means to be free. References to songs and lyrics from Monáe's discography are sprinkled throughout the book which, beyond being just plain fun for her fans, serve as a reminder of how this years-long narrative has evolved. Already a formidable storyteller herself, Monáe collaborates with some super stellar and exciting writers (like the one and only Eve Ewing!) and it is their collective love of Afrofuturism, of queerness in its endless facets, of hope, community, and of love itself that comes together to send currents of energy humming throughout these pages.