STARRED Book Review: A Sense for Memory (Part Two)

Reviewed by Kathy L. Brown

This can’t-miss sequel puts the reader through a wormhole to a realm filled with intrigue, adventure, and action.

In A Sense for Memory: Part One the reader cheers on the exploits of a tough Rej-Jir soldier/cop, Commander Qwatajawa, as she investigates the theft of a mysterious and powerful artifact, as well as a ninja of sorts who fights a strange entity deep within a bioengineered planet.

A Sense for Memory: Part Two doubles down on its engaging protagonists, introducing two rock stars of the joint. These soldiers think the story is about them, but Commander Qwatajawa, her loyal squad, and her friend, illusionist Xa-Kol, must put a stop to their audacious plan.

In a prologue, we meet Supreme Commander Nazatl, a Rej-Jir, and Supreme Commander Soropo-Omb, a Zurxok. They soon show they have the “right stuff” as their undercover mission to steal the spaceship A Sense for Memory and its illegally developed wormhole technology goes off with style. But the reader learns that serious political shenanigans are going on behind the scenes. Have the national heroes gone rogue? Or worse, been subverted by a powerful alien intelligence?

Commander Qwatajawa, the head cop of an isolated beach village, experiences unique combat situations and acquires special knowledge in Part One that her superiors believe might be useful on an apprehension and recovery mission. She and her team are dispatched to investigate the spaceship’s theft and follow Nazatl and Soropo-Omb, somehow convincing them to stand down and start following orders again.

It’s a tricky situation, and Qwatajawa’s investigation soon confirms that an old nemesis may be behind it all. And the artifact she thought destroyed has somehow come back into play. When Qwatajawa and company locate A Sense for Memory, it all seems easy. A little too easy. Nasty surprises await.

While Qwatajawa and her squad are dispatched to recover the stolen ship and prohibited tech, Xa-Kol, the Zurxok protagonist of Part One, is summoned to investigate a mystery at the training academy she left fifty years ago. A monster she defeated and killed as a cadet is suddenly and inexplicably causing problems and even calling out for her.

The two novellas of A Sense for Memory Part One are woven together into a more complex story in Part Two: more characters and more character development; bigger, more cinematic settings; and greater challenges as characters struggle to overcome problems. Experiencing these storylines come together and knit into a satisfying whole is to enjoy exciting space opera at its finest.

Part Two introduces and expands on several characters, such as the hotshots Nazatl and Soropo-Omb and Qwatajawa’s team members. All are magnificently differentiated and portrayed through personal opinions, actions, and speech patterns. And the original characters continue to delight.

Like the first book, readers learn about the world through scenes, rich in revealing dialogue and exciting action sequences. The novel uses summary passages sparingly and appropriately.

The nature of duty, particularly in a military chain of command, is front and center among the issues and themes of the book. Nazatl’s “monster” invites a closer look at relationships among the subjugated and the powerful, as do all the behind-the-scenes political machinations among the governmental entities in the story. With the title of the book the name of a spaceship that is powered by forbidden technology, the reader can’t help but think about the complex interplay between science doing all that it can, but maybe not what it should. And who decides these things?

The book features many illustrations, which help the reader imagine the characters, setting, and important items even more clearly than their verbal description. And it is rich in dazzling technology befitting an advanced alien science fiction setting, for example, the armor “…which comprised segmented black plates. Each plate bore an intricate, layered structure, dispersing kinetic energy with ease, while embedded nanofibers ensured that any heat-based attack would dissipate…”

Part Two brings the reader up to speed on Part One events, both in a summary at the beginning of the book and within the story text. While you could follow the narrative without reading Part One first, it’d be most fulfilling taking in the series in order.

A Sense for Memory: Part Two kicks up the action several notches for Commander Qwatajawa and Xa-Kol. It’s a blast to see them interact with more formidable opponents. I sense some mutual respect in the rivalry with the errant Nazatl and Soropo-Omb and look forward to what’s next of this dynamic series.

Thank you for reading Kathy L. Brown’s book review of A Sense for Memory: Part Two by R.H. Stevens! If you liked what you read, please spend some more time with us at the links below.

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