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The Memory Catcher
Not yet published
Expected 18 May 27From Fabian Nicieza, Edgar Award finalist and co-creator of Deadpool, comes a psychological horror-thriller about one man's darkest secrets and the terrible acts they can inspire in the wrong hands... or mind.
At age sixteen, Grissom Vandermeer lost his memory and his family in a tragic car accident. Twenty years later, hoping to reclaim what he had lost, Vandermeer has developed a revolutionary process to turn memories into images and audio, in essence digitizing life experience into a scroll on your phone.
In his rush to prove its efficacy, Vandermeer experiments on himself and unwittingly unleashes all of the darkest secrets he’s buried inside his own scarred psyche, broadcasting them to the residents of his town. The guilts, mistakes, angers, and prejudices of his misspent youth are broadcast into the innocent minds of the small Pennsylvania town of Eboncross.
Now, Vandermeer must track down and retrieve these scattered memories before the townsfolk become corrupted by them. But what if some of his most violent memories have found their way into people already plagued by their own deadly desires? What if his memories are creating rapists, thieves and killers? In order to stop their escalating violence, Vandermeer will have to first come to terms with his own darkest sins.
At age sixteen, Grissom Vandermeer lost his memory and his family in a tragic car accident. Twenty years later, hoping to reclaim what he had lost, Vandermeer has developed a revolutionary process to turn memories into images and audio, in essence digitizing life experience into a scroll on your phone.
In his rush to prove its efficacy, Vandermeer experiments on himself and unwittingly unleashes all of the darkest secrets he’s buried inside his own scarred psyche, broadcasting them to the residents of his town. The guilts, mistakes, angers, and prejudices of his misspent youth are broadcast into the innocent minds of the small Pennsylvania town of Eboncross.
Now, Vandermeer must track down and retrieve these scattered memories before the townsfolk become corrupted by them. But what if some of his most violent memories have found their way into people already plagued by their own deadly desires? What if his memories are creating rapists, thieves and killers? In order to stop their escalating violence, Vandermeer will have to first come to terms with his own darkest sins.
384 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication May 18, 2027
About the author
Fabian Nicieza
2,054 books438 followersFabian Nicieza is a writer and editor who is best known as the co-creator of DEADPOOL and for his work on Marvel titles such as X-Men, X-Force, New Warriors, and Robin.
His first novel, the Edgar Award-nominated SUBURBAN DICKS, a sarcastic murder mystery, is on sale now from Putnam Books.
The Dicks will return in THE SELF-MADE WIDOW, coming June 21st.
His first novel, the Edgar Award-nominated SUBURBAN DICKS, a sarcastic murder mystery, is on sale now from Putnam Books.
The Dicks will return in THE SELF-MADE WIDOW, coming June 21st.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
1⭐️
ARC Review
Publication Date: 05/18/27
And here I call myself reading an ARC super early because I was told that this book would fall in line with the genres that I typically love to read…
Last time I checked…Sci-fi wasn’t one of them…
According to the email invitation that I received, The Memory Catcher is supposed to be a Psychological Thriller. It’s been 9 hours since I’ve finished this and I am more convinced than ever that The Memory Catcher should be labeled as both Sci-fi and Contemporary Fiction. Oooh. And there should be a list of trigger warnings, especially if the author is looking for a female audience. I honestly don’t know who has been reading my NetGalley profile but, sending me this book was a HUGE mistake. And honestly, I am pretty upset about it. Reading The Memory Catcher didn’t just make me angry. I have found myself beyond pissed off because I feel like I wasted two days worth of reading time. And we all know: Time wasted is something a person cannot get back.
I lost interest in The Memory Catcher upon finishing Chapter 3. At first I just thought that it was all the science (my least favorite subject in school) terminology and difficulty pronouncing some of the words that the author used to describe things. However, the more determination I put into reading this book the worst things got for me. I couldn’t connect with the MMC “Grissom Vandermeer” or any of his friends. His relationship with Sam, The Vet, gave me more anxiety than happiness. Having to read about Grissom’s memories caused me so much anger that I wanted to throw my Kindle across the room. In all honesty, I wish I would’ve listened to my gut and DNF’d this after 6%. Had it not been for the “Read Aloud” option on the NetGalley app, I would still be suffering through this right now (my Kindle told me that it would’ve taken me 22hrs and 15 minutes to finish this and I wasn’t having that.) Had it also not been for the fact that The Memory Catcher was an ARC that I was invited to read, I honestly wouldn’t be picking this up in 2027 no matter how interesting I found the synopsis.
The Memory Catcher is one of those books that has a very interesting premise but should be created as a movie. From my personal experience, I had difficulty not just enjoying this but also following along with each chapter. I wish I could say that it’s the format of the ARC that was the issue but, really it’s the story as a whole. I just didn’t have fun reading this. The writing was too confusing and I found myself severely bored. Each chapter felt too long and lacked coherent explanations. Given the premise of this story, using AI terminology and thinking that big and fancy words are going to suddenly make us regular people understand what in the world is going on is a huge mistake. Some of us need to be talked to like we are between the ages of 5-12 when it comes to science terms and AI functions. This book is written like we should know what the hell is going on and, because it’s 2026, a reader should know that AI is the future end of story. Having this type of attitude or feeling this way while reading a book is going to DEFINITELY result into people losing interest. To be glad that I am done with this book is an understatement. I have this overwhelming need to cancel all of my plans this weekend and read, at least, 3 books just to get this one out of my head.
Given that this story is divided into 3 parts, one would think that I, at least, found one part interesting. But, no. I just found myself starting at the “time left” on my Kindle and worked really hard to get this story over with. Not to throw shade but, just because you create movies and write scripts, it doesn’t mean you should write a book. I am having trouble believing that the editor of this book had a great time reading it.
Were there some parts that were interest?!?! Yes.
Were they enough to keep me focused and wanting to recommend this to my friends and family members?!?! No.
Will this book find its audience?!?! Probably.
Honestly, I think this book is going to experience a lot of 1 star and DNF reviews before anyone truly gives it a chance. I am not saying that The Memory Catcher is a bad book. I am saying that my experience with it was bad. Between my difficulty understanding what in the world was going on to the scientific terminology that was constantly being used, I just couldn’t muster interest in this. Sci-fi is one of a few genres that I avoid at all costs. My main goal while reading a book is to relax, escape, and enjoy the literature. Not spend every 2 minutes googling the pronunciation of each word. I don’t mind being invited to review an ARC. I would just greatly appreciate it if I was given books that I could brag about (in a more positive manner.)
Wishing Fabian Nicieza all the best on his future endeavors, especially his writing career!!!
Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the invitation to read this Advance Reader’s Copy in exchange for my honest and personal opinion!!!
ARC Review
Publication Date: 05/18/27
And here I call myself reading an ARC super early because I was told that this book would fall in line with the genres that I typically love to read…
Last time I checked…Sci-fi wasn’t one of them…
According to the email invitation that I received, The Memory Catcher is supposed to be a Psychological Thriller. It’s been 9 hours since I’ve finished this and I am more convinced than ever that The Memory Catcher should be labeled as both Sci-fi and Contemporary Fiction. Oooh. And there should be a list of trigger warnings, especially if the author is looking for a female audience. I honestly don’t know who has been reading my NetGalley profile but, sending me this book was a HUGE mistake. And honestly, I am pretty upset about it. Reading The Memory Catcher didn’t just make me angry. I have found myself beyond pissed off because I feel like I wasted two days worth of reading time. And we all know: Time wasted is something a person cannot get back.
I lost interest in The Memory Catcher upon finishing Chapter 3. At first I just thought that it was all the science (my least favorite subject in school) terminology and difficulty pronouncing some of the words that the author used to describe things. However, the more determination I put into reading this book the worst things got for me. I couldn’t connect with the MMC “Grissom Vandermeer” or any of his friends. His relationship with Sam, The Vet, gave me more anxiety than happiness. Having to read about Grissom’s memories caused me so much anger that I wanted to throw my Kindle across the room. In all honesty, I wish I would’ve listened to my gut and DNF’d this after 6%. Had it not been for the “Read Aloud” option on the NetGalley app, I would still be suffering through this right now (my Kindle told me that it would’ve taken me 22hrs and 15 minutes to finish this and I wasn’t having that.) Had it also not been for the fact that The Memory Catcher was an ARC that I was invited to read, I honestly wouldn’t be picking this up in 2027 no matter how interesting I found the synopsis.
The Memory Catcher is one of those books that has a very interesting premise but should be created as a movie. From my personal experience, I had difficulty not just enjoying this but also following along with each chapter. I wish I could say that it’s the format of the ARC that was the issue but, really it’s the story as a whole. I just didn’t have fun reading this. The writing was too confusing and I found myself severely bored. Each chapter felt too long and lacked coherent explanations. Given the premise of this story, using AI terminology and thinking that big and fancy words are going to suddenly make us regular people understand what in the world is going on is a huge mistake. Some of us need to be talked to like we are between the ages of 5-12 when it comes to science terms and AI functions. This book is written like we should know what the hell is going on and, because it’s 2026, a reader should know that AI is the future end of story. Having this type of attitude or feeling this way while reading a book is going to DEFINITELY result into people losing interest. To be glad that I am done with this book is an understatement. I have this overwhelming need to cancel all of my plans this weekend and read, at least, 3 books just to get this one out of my head.
Given that this story is divided into 3 parts, one would think that I, at least, found one part interesting. But, no. I just found myself starting at the “time left” on my Kindle and worked really hard to get this story over with. Not to throw shade but, just because you create movies and write scripts, it doesn’t mean you should write a book. I am having trouble believing that the editor of this book had a great time reading it.
Were there some parts that were interest?!?! Yes.
Were they enough to keep me focused and wanting to recommend this to my friends and family members?!?! No.
Will this book find its audience?!?! Probably.
Honestly, I think this book is going to experience a lot of 1 star and DNF reviews before anyone truly gives it a chance. I am not saying that The Memory Catcher is a bad book. I am saying that my experience with it was bad. Between my difficulty understanding what in the world was going on to the scientific terminology that was constantly being used, I just couldn’t muster interest in this. Sci-fi is one of a few genres that I avoid at all costs. My main goal while reading a book is to relax, escape, and enjoy the literature. Not spend every 2 minutes googling the pronunciation of each word. I don’t mind being invited to review an ARC. I would just greatly appreciate it if I was given books that I could brag about (in a more positive manner.)
Wishing Fabian Nicieza all the best on his future endeavors, especially his writing career!!!
Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the invitation to read this Advance Reader’s Copy in exchange for my honest and personal opinion!!!
arcs-to-read
October 19, 2026Co-creator of Deadpool, huh? Am I a fan of Deadpool? No, not really. But does this book sound super interesting? Heck yes 🙂↕️
Want to Read
October 19, 2026Just got a widget from the publisher to read this one, and saw the author is the co creator of... Deadpool? What? I don't know what to think about this, but I accepted so we shall see!
October 25, 2026
The Memory Catcher by Fabian Nicieza
Received as an ARC.
Grissom lost his memory in a car accident 20 years ago. He’s been working on a way to save memories as images, etc in a form of AI. He just needs the funding.
He is impatient to get results now. But the 5 years of grants come in safety time restraints.
His at home unauthorized test on himself works and does not. He saw memories he lost but where they were to be stored is empty. Where were his thoughts sent?
Around town people are doing strange things not of their nature.
As he retrieves some of his memories and seeing the things others are doing he’s wondering who he was prior to the accident he lost his memories.
He wants his sealed juvenile records.
He hates seeing who he was before
He and a couple loyal friend coworkers try to fix
5⭐️
Received as an ARC.
Grissom lost his memory in a car accident 20 years ago. He’s been working on a way to save memories as images, etc in a form of AI. He just needs the funding.
He is impatient to get results now. But the 5 years of grants come in safety time restraints.
His at home unauthorized test on himself works and does not. He saw memories he lost but where they were to be stored is empty. Where were his thoughts sent?
Around town people are doing strange things not of their nature.
As he retrieves some of his memories and seeing the things others are doing he’s wondering who he was prior to the accident he lost his memories.
He wants his sealed juvenile records.
He hates seeing who he was before
He and a couple loyal friend coworkers try to fix
5⭐️
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
What if the memories you lost were better left forgotten?
Twenty years ago, Grissom survived a tragic car accident that claimed the lives of his parents and sister, leaving him with no memory of his past. Now, alongside his friends and colleagues Mirabella and Pavan, he has developed a groundbreaking invention called the Memory Catcher. But when Grissom brings the device home, he accidentally triggers a mysterious power outage that sends his memories into the minds of unsuspecting strangers. These fragments of his past, known as “echoes,” leave him desperate for answers. Determined to piece together his forgotten life, Grissom sets out to find the people carrying his memories, unaware that some things might be better left buried.
Twenty years ago, Grissom survived a tragic car accident that claimed the lives of his parents and sister, leaving him with no memory of his past. Now, alongside his friends and colleagues Mirabella and Pavan, he has developed a groundbreaking invention called the Memory Catcher. But when Grissom brings the device home, he accidentally triggers a mysterious power outage that sends his memories into the minds of unsuspecting strangers. These fragments of his past, known as “echoes,” leave him desperate for answers. Determined to piece together his forgotten life, Grissom sets out to find the people carrying his memories, unaware that some things might be better left buried.
Want to Read
October 21, 2026I too received an invitation from St. Martin's Press (one of my FAVORITE Publishers) to read the ARC of The Memory Catcher by Fabian Nicieza and I have to say it looks like something that I could really like! I hope to be able to provide a positive review in the coming weeks!! Deadpool is certainly a favorite of mine! I hope that this will become one too! :)
To be Continued.....
:)
To be Continued.....
:)
Read
October 24, 2026The Memory Catcher by new to me author Fabian Nicieza is a stand alone psychological thriller published by St. Martin's Press.
I read the blurb and was intrigued. So I started reading anf pretty quick I learned this book is not for me. I couldn't for the live of me connect with the characters or get into the story. The writing is ok and I liked the cover.
I read the blurb and was intrigued. So I started reading anf pretty quick I learned this book is not for me. I couldn't for the live of me connect with the characters or get into the story. The writing is ok and I liked the cover.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews