Crazy In The Best Way Possible
5 out of 5 stars
The cover on this one, even being a Crichton and Jurassic Park fan at first, didn’t jump out at me, but then I realized it was written by one of my favorite working authors today, AND it contained a crazy dino-themed story that was so far out of left field I never saw it coming. I mentioned my all-time favorite author above, Crichton, for a good reason. I know that Walton mentions it in his blurbs and book descriptions, but honestly – Walton’s stories always contain the Crichton-esque writing, storytelling, and above all, realistic science weaved in with some “what ifs” to knock my socks off. I miss Crichton and couldn’t believe how far ahead of his time he was technologically. Walton did that in his other stories but took the Jurassic Park-like “what ifs” and turned them into one of the craziest (in a good way) stories I’ve ever read.
Living Memory, without giving too much away, is about stumbling across the find of a century, only to discover that it’s a find that would redefine how we looked back on dinosaur intelligence. I don’t want to go too far into it because this book has some insane twists and turns. The scenes that Walton writes where they “discover” what the substance they found with the remains does are some of the most interesting and out-there thinking I’ve come across in a story like this. And I absolutely loved it.
I thought that Sofia Rowley did a great job performing Living Memory. She was able to ‘become’ the characters without overacting. The performance added to the excellent storytelling that Walton already had and made it even more enjoyable.
Overall, Living Memory, without giving anything away, was a surprise from beginning to end. I thought the pacing, storytelling, and overall world and character builder were top-notch. A successor to Michael Crichton in every way.
Read my reviews of Walton’s other books, Three Laws Lethal & The Genius Plague.
Book Description:
“Walton has brought hard sci-fi roaring back to life.” (The Wall Street Journal)
When paleontologists Samira and Kit uncover dinosaur skeletons in northern Thailand, they also find the remains of an ancient genetic technology that nations will kill to control. Catapulted into a web of murder and intrigue involving the Chinese Ministry of State Security, a powerful Asian crime syndicate, the CIA, and a beautiful Thai princess, Samira and Kit don’t know who they can trust. Torn apart by competing factions and stranded on opposite sides of the world, they race to discover the truth before the world goes to war. Can they bring the past to life before it kills them all?
Living Memory is the first book of a globe-spanning thriller series by the author of The Genius Plague
“The literary heir of Michael Crichton…. David Walton consistently delivers exciting thrillers packed with likable characters and big ideas.” (Craig DiLouie, author of The Children of Red Peak)
“David Walton is one of our very best writers of science-fiction thrillers.” (Robert J. Sawyer, Hugo Award-winning author of Quantum Night)
“Solidly grounded in pragmatic engineering and science, Walton explores beyond the immediate horizon…making the tech-driven future feel so very real.” (David Brin, Hugo and Nebula Award-winning author of Existence)
Living Memory by David WaltonNarrator: Sofia Rowley
Length: 7 hrs and 18 mins
Published by Archaeopteryx Books on October 11th 2022
Genres: Technothriller, Dinosaur Thriller
Format: Audiobook
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Also by this author: The Genius Plague, Three Laws Lethal
