Review – Memento by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Title Memento

Author Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Description from Amazon

AIDAN is the AI you’ll love to hate.

The advanced AI system was supposed to protect a fleet of survivors who’d escaped the deadly attack on Kerenza IV. AIDAN was supposed to be infallible. But in the chaotic weeks and months that followed, it became clear that something was terribly, terribly wrong with AIDAN…

Release Date October 20, 2020

Initial Thoughts

I’m utterly and hopelessly obsessed with The Illuminae Files so when I saw that Memento was finally going to be available, I knew I had to read it immediately.

Some Things I Liked

• New characters and an old favorite. AIDAN is such an interesting concept and I was so fascinated to learn more about how he studied humans and learned the concepts he references in the rest of the series. Also, I just loved the new characters for this novella.
• Bringing other characters full circle. No spoilers but I really enjoyed the cameos of characters and places that are featured in the rest of the series.
• Darker themes. Let’s be honest, there are some heavy and dark concepts in the rest of the series. The Trolley Problem is one of many moral dilemmas faced by the characters. AIDAN’s attempt to rationalize and help humanity are so fascinating.

Series Value

I would love to see more novels and novellas set in this universe. The writing style and concept behind this series is so interesting and unique. I’ve already read the rest of the series but I can easily see reading this first and then the other three novels.

Final Thoughts

For a rather short novella, this one packed quite a punch. I laughed, I cried, and I felt all the feelings that the rest of the series made me feel. I’m so glad I finally had the chance to read it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Recommendations for Further Reading

• Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff – unlikely, but if you haven’t already read the rest of the series, drop whatever you’re doing, and go read it!
• Scythe by Neal Shusterman – if you enjoyed the moral dilemmas as well as the sci-fi elements of this series, try the Arc of a Scythe series.