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A review by schnoebs13
Forest of Memory by Mary Robinette Kowal
4.0
Finding and purchasing long forgotten items from society’s past is a job that Katya has grown to love. While trying to get back in time for her train, she finds herself stuck waiting for a herd of deer to cross. This moment though costs her dealer and forces her off the grid, out of connection with society, and in the path of someone she desperately wishes she didn’t encounter. Now she’s typing up her story for a client but she doesn’t know how to get anyone to believe her.
I really enjoyed this story. Not something I highly anticipated but I ended up connecting with it on many levels. This is a not so distant future where we find society heavily relying on AI for their day to day. The issues with people trying to remember without AI was a fascinating concept and as someone who doesn’t remember a lot of life details, I could see how easy it would be to quickly rely on that technology to bring up details you just don’t have. I also really enjoyed the whole concept of a future where they put such a high value on nature that you get heavily fined for disturbing it. The ways in which they track this and how connected life is to technology is something I can easily see happen. Lastly, the direction in which this took was really interesting and I really enjoyed the weird twist in the end for why Katya feels like no one believes her. There’s so much packed into such a small story and I can easily see myself reflecting on it for a long time.
I really enjoyed this story. Not something I highly anticipated but I ended up connecting with it on many levels. This is a not so distant future where we find society heavily relying on AI for their day to day. The issues with people trying to remember without AI was a fascinating concept and as someone who doesn’t remember a lot of life details, I could see how easy it would be to quickly rely on that technology to bring up details you just don’t have. I also really enjoyed the whole concept of a future where they put such a high value on nature that you get heavily fined for disturbing it. The ways in which they track this and how connected life is to technology is something I can easily see happen. Lastly, the direction in which this took was really interesting and I really enjoyed the weird twist in the end for why Katya feels like no one believes her. There’s so much packed into such a small story and I can easily see myself reflecting on it for a long time.