MEMORY REBORN 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.

Memory Reborn by David Walton
Series: Living Memory #3
Published by Archaeopteryx Books on November 28 2023
Genres: Adult, Science fiction
Pages: 286
Format: eARC
Source: Author
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The nitty-gritty: David Walton’s thrilling sci-fi dinosaur-centric series concludes with plenty of action and surprises.

David Walton’s exciting trilogy has come to an end, and this was such a fun reading experience. If you love science fiction books with an emphasis on the “science,” combined with high stakes and thrilling action, then you might be the perfect reader for this series. Memory Reborn wraps things up nicely with some heartfelt moments and plenty of food for thought.

Do be aware that there will be spoilers for the first two books in the series!

The story begins soon after the conclusion of Deadly Memory. Our characters are scattered all over the world, dealing with the unfolding events caused by the extraordinary appearance of two maniraptors, brought back to life after they were able to “save” themselves from the asteroid that struck Earth 66,000,000 years ago. Now several factions are vying for control over the dinosaurs, each with their own agenda. Samira and her friends are still hiding out on the ranch in Oregon with Prey, one of the maniraptors, and although the location is private, Samira knows it is only a matter of time before the authorities come after them.

We also meet Li Ling, a young Chinese scientist who has just been hired by a prestigious genetics company in the remote area of Yunnan. Li Ling is determined to prove her worth to her boss, but one day she’s horrified to discover that the female maniraptor they’re studying is being tortured so that she’ll secrete a particular chemical. As we learned in the first two books, this chemical has been turned into a dangerous weapon, where people can be controlled by its scent. Li Ling forms a connection with the dinosaur, named Rain, and makes a plan to help her escape.

Meanwhile, the deadly Julian virus is spreading. With the help of Prey, Samira makes a startling discovery that could change the course of the disease, but in order to pursue it, she needs to get Prey to Thailand, the location of the dig site where Prey’s remains were discovered. But the Chinese will do anything to steal him back for themselves, and time is running out.

Walton has upped the stakes in this installment with lots of nail-biting chase scenes and plenty of danger, spanning the United States, China and Thailand, giving the story an epic, international flavor. The cast of characters is fairly large and varied, but the author deftly jumps from character to character with ease. I also loved that we get the perspectives of Rain and Prey, who are caught up in events they can barely understand at first. And yet their intelligence allows them to quickly figure out what’s going on: the Chinese want to enslave them and harvest the memory chemical they secrete. Luckily, the dinos have some amazing allies who are committed to helping them escape the clutches of the Chinese. The maniraptors are truly the stars of the show, with their uncanny ability to cure illness and even influence how people behave.

Which brings me to the science. David Walton’s books always feel authentic when it comes to scientific details, and this book is no exception. The idea that dinosaurs could be revived from fossilized remains is incredible to begin with, but Walton takes things a step further by giving his dinos the ability to communicate via scent and even make changes to their DNA. I won’t go into detail because of spoilers, but I was in awe of what they could do, especially when it came to the Julian virus.

There are a few scenes involving the dinosaurs that came across as a bit silly, though. At times they felt almost human, like when Prey is forced onto an airplane by the Chinese. The fact that Prey can communicate with speech also felt far fetched to me, although I understand that communication was necessary for the plot to move forward. I will say it was pretty easy to suspend my disbelief despite some of the silliness, simply because the story was so entertaining.

The resolution to the Julian virus was not at all what I was expecting, so kudos to the author for surprising me! I thought it was a weird but very cool idea that solved the problem in a unique way, and I do love when authors take chances like this.

I’m very glad I had the chance to read the Living Memory trilogy. This was such a fun combination of science fiction and paleontology, with engaging characters, political intrigue and a good dose of social commentary added for good measure. Don’t miss it!

Big thanks to the author for providing a review copy.