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The Memory Shades
Not yet published
Expected 17 Feb 26A brave new world…
Jon is being used as slave labour on a distant planet. The memory of his crimes has been wiped to help keep him compliant. But Jon has visions of a dead woman with horrific wounds. Who is she? Why is she haunting his thoughts?
Hollie was against the wiping of prisoners’ memories and is horrified they are seeing things. Determined to get to the bottom of the visions, she makes a startling discovery.
Neither of them are prepared for what comes next.
…as deadly as the old one.
Jon is being used as slave labour on a distant planet. The memory of his crimes has been wiped to help keep him compliant. But Jon has visions of a dead woman with horrific wounds. Who is she? Why is she haunting his thoughts?
Hollie was against the wiping of prisoners’ memories and is horrified they are seeing things. Determined to get to the bottom of the visions, she makes a startling discovery.
Neither of them are prepared for what comes next.
…as deadly as the old one.
237 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication February 17, 2026
5 people are currently reading
7 people want to read
About the author
David Watkins
12 books32 followersDavid Watkins lives in Devon in the UK with his wife, two sons, crazy dog and psychotic cat.
He has currently released five novels, two novellas and several short stories. Each book is well rated and reviewed on Amazon and beyond.
His most recent release is The Original's Rage, from Original Books.
"Great monsters and dynamic characters make this brutal, bloody, brilliant novel an essential read. I'll never see Exeter in the same light again!" - Tim Lebbon, The Last Storm (praise for The Exeter Incident)
"...gut twisting scenes...” 4* Joe X Young, Gingernuts of Horror (The Devil's Inn)
"..a damn entertaining read.." - DLS Reviews (The Devil's Inn)
"Watkins writes with a real flow for tension." - Steve Stred, Kendall Reviews
"Great horror! I couldn't put the book down" 4.5*, Pamela Kinney, Ismellsheep.com (The Original's Return)
He hates referring to himself in the third person, but no-one else is going to write this for him.
Dave can be found on Twitter so drop by and say hello @joshfishkins, where you'll find him ranting about horror, the British education system and Welsh rugby, but not usually at the same time.
He has currently released five novels, two novellas and several short stories. Each book is well rated and reviewed on Amazon and beyond.
His most recent release is The Original's Rage, from Original Books.
"Great monsters and dynamic characters make this brutal, bloody, brilliant novel an essential read. I'll never see Exeter in the same light again!" - Tim Lebbon, The Last Storm (praise for The Exeter Incident)
"...gut twisting scenes...” 4* Joe X Young, Gingernuts of Horror (The Devil's Inn)
"..a damn entertaining read.." - DLS Reviews (The Devil's Inn)
"Watkins writes with a real flow for tension." - Steve Stred, Kendall Reviews
"Great horror! I couldn't put the book down" 4.5*, Pamela Kinney, Ismellsheep.com (The Original's Return)
He hates referring to himself in the third person, but no-one else is going to write this for him.
Dave can be found on Twitter so drop by and say hello @joshfishkins, where you'll find him ranting about horror, the British education system and Welsh rugby, but not usually at the same time.
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 31, 2026
Jon is among a group of prisoners who find themselves being used for slave labour on a new planetary base. Their memories wiped, all they know is work. Until they start to see figures following them. Bloody ghosts of crimes they cannot remember.
And it isn’t just the ghosts that they need to be wary of: as the planet begins to fight back, prisoners and guards alike are trapped in a desperate bid for survival.
This story had me hooked, with interesting sub plots that keep you guessing as well as the main plot. The beginning is slow-burn, really establishing the characters and the planetary base that they call home. But when the story builds it doesn’t pack any punches, and the blood-soaked ending had me enthralled.
David Watkins is a master of urban sci-fi stories (just look at The Exeter Incident), but here he proves that this talent extends to rural settings, psychology, and creature features. His dialogue is witty, the characters are well-developed, and the truly is truly unique. While there was one twist I had worked out in advance, and I had wished for a little more focus on the ghosts, this is a brilliant read and a must-read for any fans of sci-fi horror, complex characters, good stories, and excellent writing.
And it isn’t just the ghosts that they need to be wary of: as the planet begins to fight back, prisoners and guards alike are trapped in a desperate bid for survival.
This story had me hooked, with interesting sub plots that keep you guessing as well as the main plot. The beginning is slow-burn, really establishing the characters and the planetary base that they call home. But when the story builds it doesn’t pack any punches, and the blood-soaked ending had me enthralled.
David Watkins is a master of urban sci-fi stories (just look at The Exeter Incident), but here he proves that this talent extends to rural settings, psychology, and creature features. His dialogue is witty, the characters are well-developed, and the truly is truly unique. While there was one twist I had worked out in advance, and I had wished for a little more focus on the ghosts, this is a brilliant read and a must-read for any fans of sci-fi horror, complex characters, good stories, and excellent writing.
February 2, 2026
On a new planet light years from earth, prisoners are being used as slave labour to set up a new earth colony. Their memories have been wiped, a timer on their arms tells them how long they have to serve. But the planet is not as safe as they thought and the prisoners are haunted by the ghosts of their victims. Soon the prisoners, their guards and the doctors tasked with creating a new world must join forces to defeat the threat.
A sci-fi horror thriller that starts slowly introducing the characters, the location and their journey to a new world and then ramps up to potential annihilation. Jon is a prisoner but knows things he shouldn’t. The military lead, Travers, is manipulative and vindictive. Dr. Hollie is investigating the ghosts the prisoners are seeing.
The threat is a classic creature feature, gruesome and bloodthirsty. This is a psychological thriller, where nothing is as it seems. With fantastic dialogue and well rounded characters this is a game of survival played out on an alien world far from home. A thrilling sci-fi horror with an explosive finale.
A sci-fi horror thriller that starts slowly introducing the characters, the location and their journey to a new world and then ramps up to potential annihilation. Jon is a prisoner but knows things he shouldn’t. The military lead, Travers, is manipulative and vindictive. Dr. Hollie is investigating the ghosts the prisoners are seeing.
The threat is a classic creature feature, gruesome and bloodthirsty. This is a psychological thriller, where nothing is as it seems. With fantastic dialogue and well rounded characters this is a game of survival played out on an alien world far from home. A thrilling sci-fi horror with an explosive finale.
Review of advance copy received from Author
David Watkins gives us his usual brand of horror mixed with action, but this time on a scifi backdrop on a different planet, with weird technology AND quite a bit of mystery and character depth. I think it's one of the best novels he's released so far.
I spent the whole book feeling like I was standing on 5 different rugs and not knowing which/how many of them were going to be ripped out from under me. The plot unfolded in a very satisfying way, leading to an explosive third act, and it was a lot of fun. But you know, "fun" in a horror way!
I spent the whole book feeling like I was standing on 5 different rugs and not knowing which/how many of them were going to be ripped out from under me. The plot unfolded in a very satisfying way, leading to an explosive third act, and it was a lot of fun. But you know, "fun" in a horror way!
Review of advance copy received from Author
Action, horror, dystopian science fiction, human rights, crime, experiments, and...hehehe...monsters. There's always some kind of cool beast in a Watkins story and this one made me nostalgic for the 1980's. Great story!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews