DEADLY MEMORY by David Walton – Review

I received this book for free from the Author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Deadly Memory by David Walton
Series: Living Memory #2
Published by Archaeopteryx Books on May 2 2023
Genres: Adult, Science fiction
Pages: 260
Format: eARC
Source: Author
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The nitty-gritty: Another thrilling entry in David Walton’s series, Deadly Memory delivers fast-paced action—and dinosaurs.

Dinosaurs. A deadly pandemic. A Thai Queen. An ancient extinction event. A group of dedicated scientists. What do all these things have in common? They are all elements in Deadly Memory, the exciting sequel to David Walton’s Living Memory. I had a blast with this book, but you do need to start from the beginning and read the series in order. Saying that, there are spoilers ahead for book one, so do be aware.

The story picks up soon after the shocking ending of Living Memory and alternates among several different groups of characters. A scientist who studies extinction events has just made a potentially deadly discovery as her team is drilling into Permian ocean sediment in the South Atlantic. Meanwhile, paleontologist Samira Shannon is back in Colorado, where a miracle has occurred. A maniraptor named Prey, who we met in the first book, has been brought back to life after surviving the asteroid that destroyed the rest of his kind.

Samira is dismayed to find out that Paula, the head of the research facility where Prey is being held for observation, has made an agreement with the government to extract pheromones from Prey for profit. This substance, which the maniraptors used to survive, has the ability to control the actions of others, and could turn out to be either a powerful research tool—or a terrible weapon. The more time Samira spends with Prey—now called “Charlie” by the team—the more she realizes that caging him for research is the wrong thing to do.

Back in Thailand, we follow Princess Mai Sirindhorn, a young woman who has also discovered what she calls the “domination drug,” and has used it in some very violent ways to help the oppressed people of Thailand. But the Chinese know about the drug and they want to seize it and take control.

Finally, a deadly pandemic called the Julian virus has just hit the United States and is spreading like wildfire. And when it threatens Samira’s family, she knows she must do everything possible to help find a cure.

All these story threads eventually connect in a thrilling finale, but getting there is a lot of fun too. Of all the different story lines, I enjoyed the scenes between Samira and Charlie the most, and I found their attempts at communication fascinating. Now you do have to suspend your disbelief a bit, since the idea of talking dinosaurs borders on the cartoonish, but the relationship they developed was very sweet. Samira is one of the few people in the story concerned with Charlie’s well being, and when she finds out what Paula is doing to Charlie, she comes up with a risky plan to save him.

I also loved the science in Deadly Memory. From the idea of being able to bring a dinosaur back to life, to the origins of the deadly Julian virus, to the fascinating idea of weaponizing Charlie’s pheromones, Walton appears to have done his homework. We learn even more about the maniraptor’s ability to communicate through their highly developed sense of smell, as well as the important role memory preservation plays in their society. Samira gets to experience Charlie’s memories first hand in some very cool scenes that almost seem like magic, but in fact they are based in science.

The only story line I didn’t really care about was the one dealing with Mai and the Chinese. We got a taste of Mai’s story in the first book, when she acquired the “domination drug” and used it to free the oppressed women of her country. I’m all for evil men who abuse women getting what’s coming to them, but is Mai really any better than them, using the drug to kill and control? I much preferred to spend time with Charlie and Samira who aren’t trying to hurt anyone, but simply want to learn from each other.

The final action sequence was very exciting, and I loved the way Walton sets up his story for the final book in the series. He also drops a shocking twist that is sure to add a lot of excitement to the finale, which I’m very eager to read. Readers who love stories that combine science and political drama with good old fashioned thriller elements will probably love this series too.

Big thanks to the author for providing a review copy.