I couldn't get in to this book unfortnetly. I loved the concept but the story just didn't grip me as a hoped. It was a DNF at around 30%.

I appreciate opportunities to read science-fiction by women authors, so I was excited to see Architects of Memory from Karen Osborne. This was a solid book, with a space opera feel. It was the first in a duology, with the second, Engines of Oblivion, already available. I have definitely added it to my TBR.

3.5 Whoa, that was surprisingly dark! My latest space opera books have been found family crews fighting together, but this one blows that trope to smithereens. They were scrappy and persistent though, and it ended in heroics, but unexpected ones. With "Space plus bullshit equals death" being a recurring phrase, I should have known when they encountered so many lies from the corporations' search for the ultimate weapon (what a hellish future with citizens and indentures!) where this would lead.
That said, I LOVED how original the Vai aliens were! Their togetherness and "glory" are things I will remember from this book!
I know there's another book in this series, but I'll need time to recover from this one, especially if it's as dark. If Ash is in it, with what she knows now, it might be one I'm more inclined to pick up.

This sci-fi was exciting and fun and felt like the first time you experienced Star Trek. It's fun and new and I just really enjoyed reading it.

Architects of Memory is the definition of a book that felt like needed more time in the oven. Saying that it “needs polish,” though, feels like an understatement: this scifi novel is just lacking in so many areas that the places where it does stand out are overwhelmed by the lack of quality elsewhere. What promising fundamentals its simple but well-designed world gives way to a weakly organized writing, a frustrating grind for new stuff, bizarre inconsistencies.
Full review to come on my YouTube channel: Holly Hearts Books

Mediocre at best

I am the only person I know who does not like this book, which seems to be on a trajectory to win awards. The only thing I can say is that the characters make choices that have no logical basis. Why should Ash, who has no science, military, or team leader experience, be named to head the expedition? Because she has the most experience with the artefact, which consisted of getting shocked into unconsciousness by it. Makes no sense. Sexual attraction leads the military agenda.

Architects of Memory was a good one. I took me a minute to get into it, but once I did, I was hooked and struggled to put it down. It's a unique book that is packed with action and excitement. It was one of the better Space Operas I have read in a while. I also liked that while it featured characters who were, for example, bisexual, it was done in a way that it wasn't at the core of the novel but rather just another fact about the person. It's more realistic that way, especially when the book was obviously centered on something else entirely.

Architects of Memory by Karen Osborne
Review by Sam Lubell
Tor Trade Paperback / eBook ISBN/ITEM#: 9781250215475
Date: 25 August 2020
Links: Author's Website / Amazon Link / Show Official Info /


A crew of space salvage workers with their own secrets may hold the key to ending a war with a never-seen alien race in this debut space adventure.

One of the fun but confusing aspects of science fiction world-building is that many novels throw the reader into a new universe and slowly reveal the background and backstory. Instead of having characters explain things to each other, the much-derided "As you know Bob...", or starting a chapter with a quote from the Encyclopedia Galactica or the works of Princess Irulan, modern novels trust the reader will keep reading through the strange situations until the key concepts are introduced and the setting makes sense. This is what happens in Architects of Memory, a debut novel by Karen Osborne set in a corporate-dominated universe where indentured laborers work in space to earn citizenship and first contact with the alien Vai has resulted in a war that has killed millions.

The book has two viewpoint characters. Ashlan "Ash" Jackson is a pilot on the cargo spaceship Twenty-Five. She is indentured to Aurora Intersystems, a big step up from her position as a miner for a different company. When she works off her seven-year indenture, by earning bounties for recovering salvage from spaceships partially destroyed in the war with the alien Vai, she will gain citizenship. But before then, any medical care will increase the length of her indenture and a major illness will cause Aurora to kick her out. So Ash hides the fact that she has contracted celestium madness, even though it causes hallucinations, impairs her coordination, and shakes her hands, which makes her a danger to her crewmates. She is attracted to Captain Kate Keller, the other viewpoint character, and the two are in the early stages of a relationship.

The book begins with Ash salvaging an alien weapon, whose loss may have caused the Vai to retreat from a major battle with the humans. This may be a crucial turning point in the war with the mysterious Vai, who, as far as Ash knows, have never been seen by any human. But it is so valuable that one of the crew turns traitor, selling their secrets and allowing mercenaries from another corporation to capture the Twenty-Five. Ash and Natalie, the only soldier, fake their deaths and flee to the London, the ship they were salvaging. Meanwhile, Captain Keller, who eventually realizes that the traitor has removed her control codes, tries to recapture her ship or, failing that, destroy it with the occupiers still on it.

Ash and Keller have separate adventures for most of the book not knowing that the other is still alive. In the course of the novel, they find out that another member of the crew was keeping secrets, and learn the truth behind Ash's illness, the Vai, and the war.

There is lots of action in the book, but the real plot is the slow revelation of the elaborate backstory behind the action. The characterization of the main characters is well done. Readers understand how Ash's own personal history influences her actions. We do not learn as much about Captain Keller but she too has a consistent, clearly drawn personality.

The book is mostly well written, especially considering that this is a first novel, although there are a few places where more clarity would have helped. I think the captain (or Aurora) should have done a better job vetting the crew members and it was sometimes hard to track how the secondary characters who were left in one place got to the next place where they rejoined the plot. Due to the complexities of the background, this book may benefit from a second reading.

The sequel, Engines of Oblivion, comes out on February 9, 2021. The sequel will focus more on Natalie who was a secondary character in this book.

Readers who like mysteries, conspiracies, and characters keeping secrets will enjoy Architects of Memory. However, readers who are not used to the conventions of modern SF may find the initial chapters confusing since not everything is explained at the beginning. Readers who have the patience to trust the author and figure things out as they go will find the book worthwhile.

I am a member of the American Library Association Reading List Award Committee. This title was suggested for the 2021 list. It was not nominated for the award. The complete list of winners and shortlisted titles is at <a href="https://rusaupdate.org/2021/02/2021-reading-list-years-best-in-genre-fiction-for-adult-readers/">

Rating: 9/10

Architects of Memory is book 1 in The Memory War duology by Karen Osborne, and my first impression was that it gave me hardcore vibes of The Expanse. It is dark and mysterious and very spacey, plus it is heavy on sensory descriptions. Themes of power, war, colonization, and alien encounters persist, as well.

The story begins by throwing the main protagonist, Ash, right into the conflict when she runs into alien technology on a salvage mission in the first scene. No one knows exactly what it is, at first, or the effect the exposure may have on Ash. Osborne does not give the reader much time to build up to things in the beginning, and it is a really weighty start to the book. This is a positive for me, as grabbed me from the start and did a wonderful job of holding my attention. The narrative just gets deeper and darker from there as Ash and her crew begin to unravel the mystery of the alien technology and how it fits in with the current situation. The company they work for is at war with the Vai (their name for the alien species they have encountered), and solving this puzzle could be the key to winning.

As the plot unfolds, the secrets hidden beneath layers are unveiled, and the result is thrilling. It turns out there is so much more to this story than a war with aliens. There is indentured servitude and corporate greed. There are aliens and genocide and cultural clashes. There is new technology and viruses and forgotten memories. There are also forbidden relationships and those that would do anything to protect those they love. All of these components are elaborately intertwined, creating a big ball of tension that just gets bigger and more dense until it explodes in a satisfying spray of destruction. Every time I turned a page there was a new reveal, betrayal, or discovery. This story is deep and intense, and I was on the edge of my seat the entire time.

The author put a lot of work into the sensory descriptions in the story, as well. I get the feeling that if this book was not set in space maybe Osborne does not decide to describe things in so much detail. Due to the fact that there is a lot of alien stuff going on and death, especially death in space where the effects of gravity and anti-gravity and small spaces but also the vastness of space need to accounted for, the author feels the need to describe sights, smells, sounds, and how things feel in extreme detail (sometimes tastes, too, but that is not as prevalent). To me, this added to the overall tone of the book. I imagined being out in space and in all of these difficult situations, walking into a room where the crew of a space shuttle has been dead for weeks and BAM! it hits you in the senses. It really made me feel immersed in the setting.

Another interesting aspect of this book is the fact that most of the character set is female. Male characters are few, and I actually did not notice until I was more than halfway through the book. I love to see that, because I think there are not enough female leads in sci-fi, let alone books which have a female lead, as well as a second, third, and fourth. And Ash was a perfect main character. Her story was intimate and profound, and it was a really emotional journey; in fact, the book as a whole was incredibly emotive. This is a compliment to the author’s writing, as I would consider Architects of Memory to be rigorous sci-fi, and to be able to write a story such as this that contains both hard sci-fi concepts and to be able to hit me in the feels at the same time is not an easy task. Osborne accomplishes this with ease, and that is a big reason as to why I had trouble putting the book down.

Architects of Memory is such a good read. It is a smartly written, intricate story that combines hard sci-fi with emotional undertones to create a satisfactory result. I enjoyed the hell out of it, and I think most other science fiction readers will, as well, and for that reason I give it my recommendation. And the ending left me wanting more, for sure; luckily I have book 2 in the series (Engines of Oblivion) right next to me and ready to go.

Space Opera, as I mentioned on twitter recently that Space Opera and Epic Fantasy are my core subgenres of SFF. When I want to sink into the comfort of comforts in my reading, especially for a new to me author, these are the subgenres I seek out.

Imagine a corporate interstellar future, where an indentured worker finds herself on the front line of not only an intercorporate, but also interspecies conflict. Where that indentured worker’s tie to the alien technology makes her, and her Captain, targets for all sides seeking control of weapons capable of prosecuting, or ending, the war.

This is Karen Osborne’s debut novel Architects of Memory.

Full review unlocked at my Patreon

This book reminded me about what I loved most watching the science fiction movie 'arrival' which was challenging the notion that only humans are worthy of dignity. This book was an emotional read with a strong handle on characterization, cinematic prose, elements of body horror, fantastic actions scenes paired with a brutal space setting-a fixture of the sci fi genre-with menacing corporate villains to match. I am excited to see what Ash will do next.

While I found the premise for this to be incredibly enticing, I just don't think the execution worked well for me. I think that this book will work well for a certain target audience, but unfortunately, I am not it.

Architects of Memory is a good kind of paradox. Its story links a degrading sense of self, the greed and depravity of humanity, and lofty misunderstanding to create a fiery conflict. Things don’t go well for the characters when multiple concepts are intertwined in that world. But on a craft level, the novel intertwines space opera tropes, a few inventive twists, fully-formed characters, and a perfectly paced structure to create a glowing achievement. If only the characters' travails mirrored the writerly utopia that transpires when Karen Osborne’s typing away.

In Architects of Memory, Ash Jackson is indentured to a massive corporation, and she must work to attain freedom. Upon her work, while on a spaceship with a motley crew, she encounters a mysterious object that has to do with her dark past and humanity’s conflict against an alien race. To compound matters, she also has an illness that could cost her freedom and impair her abilities. And to escalate the situation further, she’s in a secret relationship with a member of her crew.

The beginning of the novel mostly takes its time organically sliding in worldbuilding and pieces of the plot. To those new to sci-fi, it may be jarring with the amount of information it throws at you right away, as well as putting you in the middle of the action with relationships preestablished, expecting the reader to catch on. Things do click into place, and it’s well worth the effort.

Upon the one-quarter mark, the story swivels directions, goes into lightspeed, and propels through twists and action, mostly knowing when to momentarily hit the brakes and give you a breather. Reading the novel is like riding a spaceship piloted by an apt daredevil. Even the times in the ride when the story hits a wall of exposition, I never felt like I was mired in boring, sludgy plotting because the afterglow of the thrilling scenes that preceded it left me at a high. With that said, feelings are subjective, and those averse to any blatant scenes of the expository variety might feel different.

The most singular talent of Architects of Memory is finding a new bent on a space opera story—a genre that’s been well-trodden so thoroughly and covered in footprints that it can seem impossible to find a patch of your own. And while Karen Osborne does steps on patches that have been stepped on by seemingly every sci-fi author, there are idiosyncrasies to characters and twists regarding alien life that more than make it fresh. While characterization isn’t at the top of the novel’s mind, it does do a much-more-than-serviceable job of establishing believable motivations and ample depth to keep you caring.

But the greatest joy of Architects of Memory lies in its plot and the themes they develop. Whether it tackles individuality and collectivity, the belligerent survival instincts of humanity, or relationships in secrecy, it lays the foundation for those themes and builds upon them, never leaving them underdeveloped along the way. The most intriguing theme is how memory is so tied up with our sense of self. We’re a collection of the knowledge we accrue and the relationships we build, but without memory, those things slip through our fingers like sand. Love can change from everlasting to a brief sensation. Familial bonds that we preoccupy ourselves with if the world around us is rotten becomes lost if our memory – our personal storage locker that tethers all our meaning – is gone.

Space operas can sometimes be so unwilling to take risks and stray from conventions that they’re forgettable. Stories that have edifying substance don’t matter if they immediately leave our memory. The best way to counteract that is to have original characters, and hard-hitting themes despite how well-trodden some story beats are. Architects of Memory does that. Its craft, emotional intelligence, and smooth writing style work to create a gem that will be at the top of my mind for a long time.

The Math

Baseline Score: 7/10

Bonuses: +1 For expert pacing, especially in the wonderfully frenetic latter half.
+1 For a great portrayal of an alien race.

Negatives:
-1 For an ending that could be a little better.

Nerd Coefficient: 8/10

It's a rare treat to find a new science fiction novel that surprises in as many ways as this one did. I'm eager to read the next one.

The themes were cool. The plot was interesting. The characters not so much. Kind of killed it for me when I didn't care for any of them.

Great discussion of death. Who's to blame when the concept isn't the same for everyone/thing.

Great writing but with very winded explanations that in the end got boring, and the action packed beginning was the highlight of the book.

I'd love to see where the story goes, since I need a better explanation of how memories are such a big part of this series to be dubbed the memories war series.

Desperately trying to earn citizenship so she can get treatment for her fatal condition, a salvage pilot and her crew stumbles across an alien artifact that everyone wants and the situation is full of intrigue. I had to read this exciting debut sci-fi that made good on the action and more.

Architects of Memory opens with pilot Ash Jackson, working off her indenturehood aboard a salvage ship owned by Aurora Corporation after the alien Vai attack the world where she and her family had been working for a mining corporation. The attack left Ash without family and fiance, but sickening from an illness she got in the mine destruction. She was lucky Aurora corporation picked her up, but she's in a race to earn her citizenship and gain the payment for her illness before she dies from it. Ash is still grieving, but learning to see the Twenty-Five crew as her new family and the citizen captain as something much more.
But, then on a salvage job she comes across the Vai alien artifact that can be used as a weapon. Aurora isn't the only corporation after it when it can mean defeating the Vai and being the top corporation. And, that is just the surface because that artifact affects Ash and she has just become interesting to several.

Architects of Memory is an action-packed space opera set in the future when corporations rule and citizenship is earned unless one is born into that prized upper class. It's a dark future for most and the heroine is no exception. She has a tough row to hoe and it gets to her like it would most of us. I did want her and the crew to find a way through it all and to see her get a slice of happy with Kate.

I found this to be one of those books that just dives right into the middle of a situation and then explains things in chunks along the way. And, just like I look for when I reach for sci-fi, the author added some unique ingredients like her take on the aliens.

There is an assumption that the reader is somewhat familiar with sci-fi futuristic world in space and specifically when corporations rule. At least, that is how I felt since there was some general description that my mind filled in.

Unfortunately, this was also somewhat how the characters were developed, too. I was told things about them, but didn't see much evidence of this. Like Ash and Kate's love or Ash's relationship with the rest of the crew. Much of the time, Ash and Kate were not together so I was glad at the outcome, but not extremely vested. Ash was still getting over her fiance and this new pair from opposite sides of the track are attracted and I will grant the fact that this book took place over the span of a few days so, again, it heavily relied on the fact that things were already in the middle and not just beginning.

The strength of the story was the hard-hitting and well-paced action scenes and intrigues that left one flipping pages to see how things were going to come out. There were some good surprises and the book ended with Ash's story wrapped up, but left room for more. Luckily, Nat's story is next. I do want to see how it goes now that Nat and Ash are on the same page.

All in all, this was a fab debut book. It was an exciting read and I liked this introduction to a new series. I think space opera and sci-fi fans should definitely give it a go.

Architects of Memory is the latest novel by Karen Osborne, and it is a beautiful and intense science fiction adventure.

Ash Jackson lost everything thanks to the Vai – a technologically superior alien race. Now she's trying to rebuild it all, and find her way towards citizenship. Before the sickness hidden in her blood kills her – or outs her status to those that would turn her away.

Unfortunately, that is not going to be her biggest problem for long. Ash and the crew she's working on are about to find themselves in the center of a new conflict, and it's all thanks to the latest artifact salvaged.

“It isn't a symptom. I'm still too close to my exposure date for symptoms. Nobody's going to notice. I can still finish my indenture and make it to citizenship.”

Warnings: Architects of Memory contains several painful subjects. It covers a fatal disease, loss of loved ones, memory loss, genocide, indenture, and much more.

Architects of Memory is one of those novels that is not afraid to hit you straight in the feels. It's beautifully written, emotionally intense, and full of science fiction elements that make it all feel so much larger than life.

Honestly, it's almost hard to believe that everything I just read happened in only one book. It is one whirlwind of a read, throwing Ash from one event to the next, and giving her very little time to cope or consider her options.

Throw in Ash's backstory, the corporate backstabbing happening all over, and the aliens, and it really is no surprise that this book felt so full. There was a lot of ground to cover, and very little time to do so.

I'm going to be blunt here: after I finished Architects of Memory, I ended up sitting there for ten or fifteen minutes, just thinking. Just processing my feelings, actually. This book did a wonderful job of getting under my skin, and I was sad to see it come to completion. Thank goodness it's part of a series, so I don't really have to say goodbye. Not yet, at any rate.

I used my copy of Architects of Memory to interview Karen Osborne for the Fantasy Inn podcast. I also enjoyed the book enough to preorder a paperback copy, which I have in my Zoom background bookshelf for the online panels I've been in.

In the book Architects of Memory, author Karen Osborne writes about salvage pilot Ash Jackson who has a terminal illness and should not be flying, but continue to fly so she can earn her way out of being an indenture. This sci-fi political story takes you on a journey to war and love.
This was a confusing story line and I am still trying to understand it and the ending. I received a copy of this e-book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.