The Memory Shades by David Watkins

Book Review

Lauren McMenemy

Part creature feature, part sci-fi horror, part psychological terror, the latest from David Watkins is a ripsnorting ride through mental health, ethics, science and morality with little nods to Dune And Alien thrown in for good measure. 

Watkins’ work usually wanders around England; this time he’s in a far-off distant prison planet under siege by more than just the new-settler humans. Here we join Jon as he wakes up from cryostasis, disoriented, confused, and, it turns out, being used as slave labour as punishment for a crime he cannot remember. The memories of each prisoner have been wiped via a chip in their brain; they can remember basic functions but not the reason they are incarcerated. They’re being used to build a settlement on the planet, and a small team of military and science types live alongside them, exploring the environment and, of course, keeping the prisoners in order. With brutal force, usually. 

We’ve essentially got two threads weaving around each other, getting ever-closer to converging. Hollie is on the science side, and she’s never really been a fan of the brain implant that controls the memory of the prisoners. Then some of the prisoners – including Jon – start reporting they’re seeing things. Visions. Haunting visions of bloodied bodies beckoning to them. Hollie is determined to get to the bottom of the visions – and in the process, she makes a startling discovery that threatens everything, especially her life. And then there’s the weird things about the trees, and potential hints that this isn’t the first time around for the settlement. 

Meanwhile, head of security Travers has it in for Jon. When an attempted mutiny fails, he sends Jon and two others on a reconnaissance mission with express instructions to his crew to not let the prisoners return. Ever. But their shuttle is downed by something native to the planet – something that emerges from deep underneath the soil, getting bigger and bigger the closer it gets to base. The crash survivors – all three prisoners – need to decide whether to run and claim freedom or head back to base to warn the others of what’s coming: impending doom. 

This might be an unfamiliar setting, but its uncanny nature adds so much to the tension. Watkins skillfully weaves a taught and thrilling tale that knows when to ratchet up the action and when to let the reader have a breather – and, reader, you won’t have much chance for a breather. Once this ambitious story settles in and you’ve had a chance to get to know the major players, you’ll be racing through it. Honestly, I absolutely devoured it.