Hello, everyone! Today I’m reviewing The Republic of Memory by Mahmud El Sayed. The premise of this one sounded so fascinating that I couldn’t pass up accepting an ARC. Read on for all of my thoughts!

The Safina is a city ship, two hundred years into its voyage from the ruins of Earth towards a new habitable world. Its crew maintain the ship, generation after generation, while protecting their ‘ancestors’—the final remnants of Earth’s doomed Network Empire—by keeping them alive in cryostasis.

But a lot can change in two hundred years, and people are starting to ask questions. Why should the crew continue to toil for people none of them remember? What exactly gives Administration its authority over everyone else?

And when the blackouts start, they set in motion a chain of events that will change life on the Safina forever. A reckoning is coming. The system is only secure so long as those in power maintain the obedience of those beneath them.

And the crew has had enough.

A science fiction odyssey of breathtaking scope, The Republic of Memory, is a gripping examination of what divides us, and what brings us together. This is a modern and ambitious work of Arabfuturism, and is perfect for fans of The Expanse, A Memory Called Empire or Children of Time.

***Thank you to Saga Press for providing an advanced copy of the book. My review contains my honest thoughts about my reading experience.***

It took me an entire month to get through The Republic of Memory, which is a lot longer than it usually takes me to finish a book. Looking back, it took me quite a while to sink into this one for a myriad of reasons (dense world-building, slow & character-focused start, the weird use of language in some of the chapters, etc.), but I’m so glad I stuck with it. Many of the things that I found difficult in the beginning became some of my favorite things about the book. I also eventually switched to listening to the audiobook while following along in my physical copy, which really helped while reading the chapters with the unique slang.

The first third of The Republic of Memory was basically just following along with the day-to-day life of the crew. The culture and history of the ship and of the world it left behind felt both so foreign yet also vaguely familiar. I struggled with it all at first, but the character work was so good that I became deeply invested in the lives of the characters. When the plot picked up and became more focused on the mystery and the seeds of revolution on the ship, I realized how brilliantly the subtle clues of where things were building toward had been laid in the slower moments at the start of the book. After all, how can you understand a revolution without getting a clear picture of the conditions the people are revolting against?

I also really enjoyed the focus on language in The Republic of Memory. The author created such a unique slang dialect that felt incredibly authentic to this ship and its people. I won’t lie. I had so much trouble reading it at first, and it’s probably one of the main reasons it took me so long to finish the book. However, I also came to really enjoy reading it and got a lot better at deciphering its meaning by the end of my time with the story. Furthermore, the story explored how language can be used as a tool to sow division for the purpose of maintaining the status quo of a hierarchy. I do wish the story had leaned a little harder into that theme, though, and the specifics of how language came to be the dividing factor on the ship weren’t super clear, especially given how language is so intrinsically tied to other cultural factors.

As for the characters in The Republic of Memory, my favorites were Iskander and Heba Hilal. Iskander’s role as a translator meant that he was at the intersection of how language was used by the administration to implement control over the crew. I also found his personal story of setting out to do his own thing quite compelling, especially since his role as translator meant a combination of perks/respect and being viewed as a class traitor by some of his family and friends. I can’t say too much about Heba’s journey without delving into spoiler territory, but her circumstances were so fascinating and added so much context to certain aspects of the story. Her investigation into the mystery of the blackouts was possibly my favorite subplot of the book. Despite really enjoying all of the character work in this book, I will admit that there were just too many POVs, especially in the latter half. It diluted the momentum at times and a few of them seemed like they could have been cut.

All in all, The Republic of Memory was a captivating story about a city ship on the edge of revolution. The character work was phenomenal, and the author managed to craft a society that felt like it could truly be part of humanity’s future. Although, I kind of hope it won’t be. lol. Therefore, I rate the book 4 out of 5 stars and will definitely be picking up the sequel.

There you have it! My thoughts on The Republic of Memory by Mahmud El Sayed. Are you looking for an epic and thought-provoking sci fi story? Look no further! Have you already read it? Let me know your thoughts down in the comments!