What do you think?
Rate this book
The Last Witness
also appears in the collection The Father of Lies
I've been told I have a forgettable face. Ironic, really.
I have a gift; I can browse through the library of your mind and remove individual memories. You'll never know I was there, and you'll never miss what was taken. Useful for grieving widowers, moreso for ambitious politicians.
But I'm holding so many memories I'm not always sure which ones are actually mine.
Some of them are sensitive; all of them are private. And there are those who are willing to kill to access the secrets I'm trying to bury...
I've been told I have a forgettable face. Ironic, really.
I have a gift; I can browse through the library of your mind and remove individual memories. You'll never know I was there, and you'll never miss what was taken. Useful for grieving widowers, moreso for ambitious politicians.
But I'm holding so many memories I'm not always sure which ones are actually mine.
Some of them are sensitive; all of them are private. And there are those who are willing to kill to access the secrets I'm trying to bury...
141 pages, Paperback
First published October 6, 2015
36 people are currently reading
1689 people want to read
About the author
K.J. Parker
134 books1,688 followersK.J. Parker is a pseudonym for Tom Holt.
According to the biographical notes in some of Parker's books, Parker has previously worked in law, journalism, and numismatics, and now writes and makes things out of wood and metal. It is also claimed that Parker is married to a solicitor and now lives in southern England. According to an autobiographical note, Parker was raised in rural Vermont, a lifestyle which influenced Parker's work.
According to the biographical notes in some of Parker's books, Parker has previously worked in law, journalism, and numismatics, and now writes and makes things out of wood and metal. It is also claimed that Parker is married to a solicitor and now lives in southern England. According to an autobiographical note, Parker was raised in rural Vermont, a lifestyle which influenced Parker's work.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 199 reviews
October 9, 2015
4 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum http://bibliosanctum.com/2015/10/09/n...
I know I can be quite picky when it comes to short stories and novellas, and in fact there was a time in my life where I simply avoided them all together. I’m big on the immersive reading experience which is something longer novels are in a better position to provide, not to mention characters are also very important to me but it’s less likely I can connect to them when the story is over in a blink of an eye.
But every once in a while, along will come a novella that is so bizarre, so offbeat and so unlike anything I have ever read before, that somehow, against all the odds, it just…works.
The Last Witness by K. J. Parker is such a novella. Its protagonist and narrator is a man with a very special talent. He would be quick to tell you that it is not like mind-reading, not really. What he does is something much more fiddly and delicate. What he can do is enter your mind and take away your memories. A single one or all of them, it doesn’t matter; they would be transferred to his own mind, and it would be like you never had them.
That makes it sound a lot more clear-cut than it is, though. The reality is that things can get a little messy in our narrator’s mind, because all the memories he has ever taken, he retains along with his own. He’s holding so many that he’s not always sure which ones were taken from others and which one are actually his. As you can imagine, that has a profound effect on the narrative.
Also, what would you do if you had an ability like that? Would you use it for good or evil? Our protagonist, who appears to have a dark and mischievous side to him, has decided to let money decide that for him, selling his services to whoever might require them. His clients range from criminals who don’t want anyone to remember their crimes, to traumatized victims who want their bad memories wiped away. Either way, the point is nobody ever asks to get rid of their happy memories. So it’s always the violent, nasty, embarrassing, painful, shameful ones that he has to take away and into himself. And if you’re already someone who’s slightly unhinged, what do think adding that extra load to your psyche does to a person?
The result is a non-linear account of events told through the eyes of a protagonist whom you can’t really count on him to provide a credible narrative. You get also get a sense that he’s not altogether there, or that he’s a twisted guy deep down and all the memories he’s absorbed has only made him even more so. There are moments of clarity in the story, but most of the time you’re also kept guessing – are we still in the character’s present headspace, or are we in a memory? If we are in a memory, is it his or someone else’s? Is it a true memory, or just another “truth” he has created? Because that’s the thing: in addition to his ability to take a memory away, he can also plant seeds of doubt in someone’s mind. If you know someone has been in your head, would you trust what they saw in it? Even if you only half-believed, an innocent comment in passing can sprout into something bigger and change someone’s whole perspective. One of my favorite movies ever, Inception, plays upon this very idea. And our protagonist in The Last Witness, being somewhat of an ass, likes to screw with people the same way, having little to no respect for truths:
Who can blame him, though? To someone who can erase memory and knowledge and history so easily, no wonder truth feels overrated. When you read this, it’s best to brace yourself for a nice little romp through some wild and tangled territory.
I also want to mention that this is the first book I’ve ever read by this author under the name K.J. Parker, even though earlier this year I read a book by Tom Holt, the author behind the pseudonym. After reading The Last Witness, I can really believe the two are one and the same. Though it is completely different from his satirical work, there’s definitely the telltale thread of Holt’s sly and wicked sense of humor lurking beneath the surface. It is a nice, sweet treat.
By all rights I should have found The Last Witness unfulfilling, given the story’s disorganized structure and how impossible it was connect with the character and his haphazard perspective, but it ended up really resonating with me. It’s strange, but in the best way possible – just like this book! The story’s vision was incredible, and K.J. Parker made it work very well. This one gets my recommendation.
I know I can be quite picky when it comes to short stories and novellas, and in fact there was a time in my life where I simply avoided them all together. I’m big on the immersive reading experience which is something longer novels are in a better position to provide, not to mention characters are also very important to me but it’s less likely I can connect to them when the story is over in a blink of an eye.
But every once in a while, along will come a novella that is so bizarre, so offbeat and so unlike anything I have ever read before, that somehow, against all the odds, it just…works.
The Last Witness by K. J. Parker is such a novella. Its protagonist and narrator is a man with a very special talent. He would be quick to tell you that it is not like mind-reading, not really. What he does is something much more fiddly and delicate. What he can do is enter your mind and take away your memories. A single one or all of them, it doesn’t matter; they would be transferred to his own mind, and it would be like you never had them.
That makes it sound a lot more clear-cut than it is, though. The reality is that things can get a little messy in our narrator’s mind, because all the memories he has ever taken, he retains along with his own. He’s holding so many that he’s not always sure which ones were taken from others and which one are actually his. As you can imagine, that has a profound effect on the narrative.
Also, what would you do if you had an ability like that? Would you use it for good or evil? Our protagonist, who appears to have a dark and mischievous side to him, has decided to let money decide that for him, selling his services to whoever might require them. His clients range from criminals who don’t want anyone to remember their crimes, to traumatized victims who want their bad memories wiped away. Either way, the point is nobody ever asks to get rid of their happy memories. So it’s always the violent, nasty, embarrassing, painful, shameful ones that he has to take away and into himself. And if you’re already someone who’s slightly unhinged, what do think adding that extra load to your psyche does to a person?
The result is a non-linear account of events told through the eyes of a protagonist whom you can’t really count on him to provide a credible narrative. You get also get a sense that he’s not altogether there, or that he’s a twisted guy deep down and all the memories he’s absorbed has only made him even more so. There are moments of clarity in the story, but most of the time you’re also kept guessing – are we still in the character’s present headspace, or are we in a memory? If we are in a memory, is it his or someone else’s? Is it a true memory, or just another “truth” he has created? Because that’s the thing: in addition to his ability to take a memory away, he can also plant seeds of doubt in someone’s mind. If you know someone has been in your head, would you trust what they saw in it? Even if you only half-believed, an innocent comment in passing can sprout into something bigger and change someone’s whole perspective. One of my favorite movies ever, Inception, plays upon this very idea. And our protagonist in The Last Witness, being somewhat of an ass, likes to screw with people the same way, having little to no respect for truths:
“Truth is like love; it’s universally lauded and admired, and most of the time it just causes pain and makes trouble for people.”
Who can blame him, though? To someone who can erase memory and knowledge and history so easily, no wonder truth feels overrated. When you read this, it’s best to brace yourself for a nice little romp through some wild and tangled territory.
I also want to mention that this is the first book I’ve ever read by this author under the name K.J. Parker, even though earlier this year I read a book by Tom Holt, the author behind the pseudonym. After reading The Last Witness, I can really believe the two are one and the same. Though it is completely different from his satirical work, there’s definitely the telltale thread of Holt’s sly and wicked sense of humor lurking beneath the surface. It is a nice, sweet treat.
By all rights I should have found The Last Witness unfulfilling, given the story’s disorganized structure and how impossible it was connect with the character and his haphazard perspective, but it ended up really resonating with me. It’s strange, but in the best way possible – just like this book! The story’s vision was incredible, and K.J. Parker made it work very well. This one gets my recommendation.
May 8, 2017
I love KJ Parker's short stories.
They are beautifully written, fast paced and just the perfect length.
This one in particular had characters I really did not like, so spending a full novel with them may have been quite honestly torture, but this short, to the point story and powerful message was just about right.
They are beautifully written, fast paced and just the perfect length.
This one in particular had characters I really did not like, so spending a full novel with them may have been quite honestly torture, but this short, to the point story and powerful message was just about right.
February 8, 2016
What if someone had the ability to erase your unwanted memories? The collateral would be that that person would take on your memories as his own, absorbing them in such a way as to make them indistinguishable from his own past.
What kind of person would you have to be in order to agree to do such a thing? What kind of person would the agglomeration of these memories make you?
If you answered, "not a very nice person," you would most likely be correct, says K.J. Parker.
The marketing of this novella makes it look like a traditional fantasy story, but it's actually a much more ambitious, philosophical work - part thought experiment, part character study. I thought it was quite successful - if not necessarily very pleasant.
I think it would be enjoyed by people who liked Patrick Rothfuss' 'The Slow Regard of Silent Things,' but I thought that this novella was actually more interesting.
What kind of person would you have to be in order to agree to do such a thing? What kind of person would the agglomeration of these memories make you?
If you answered, "not a very nice person," you would most likely be correct, says K.J. Parker.
The marketing of this novella makes it look like a traditional fantasy story, but it's actually a much more ambitious, philosophical work - part thought experiment, part character study. I thought it was quite successful - if not necessarily very pleasant.
I think it would be enjoyed by people who liked Patrick Rothfuss' 'The Slow Regard of Silent Things,' but I thought that this novella was actually more interesting.
February 10, 2025
Actual rating: 2.5 stars
A premise full of promise + a very clever final twist - not a single likable character in sight - a 100-page novella that feels like reading the same paragraph over and over again = I'm beginning to think K.J. Parker's novellas aren't for me (👋 waves at Pulling the Wings Off Angels 👋). Which really really sucks because I really really love the books he writes under his real name, Tom Holt. Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City better be good, otherwise I fear might have to give up on you, Mr. Parker.
A premise full of promise + a very clever final twist - not a single likable character in sight - a 100-page novella that feels like reading the same paragraph over and over again = I'm beginning to think K.J. Parker's novellas aren't for me (👋 waves at Pulling the Wings Off Angels 👋). Which really really sucks because I really really love the books he writes under his real name, Tom Holt. Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City better be good, otherwise I fear might have to give up on you, Mr. Parker.
February 28, 2022
Actual rating: 3.5 stars
This is the second novella I've read from this author, and I enjoyed it much more than the first. K.J. Parker excels at writing morally gray characters that are well fleshed out. This is particularly impressive since the page count is significantly lower in a novella. The story didn't have much of a plot, but the protagonist keeps you intrigued throughout.
This is the second novella I've read from this author, and I enjoyed it much more than the first. K.J. Parker excels at writing morally gray characters that are well fleshed out. This is particularly impressive since the page count is significantly lower in a novella. The story didn't have much of a plot, but the protagonist keeps you intrigued throughout.
October 18, 2018
PERFECTION!
A person who can erase memories, see your past and learn stuff from it? SIGN ME IN!
Psychic powers, I love books about them. However, combine them with realism and horror and my brain melts with pleasure! God, the way this is written is just brilliant! You will ask yourself - is this happening now, or is the protagonist experiencing a memory of someone else? Does the character know this person, or is it a familiar face from someone else's past. Which reminds me- You can't trust the narrator! So much of this book is not what it seems and you can sense it! It's intense, it's disturbing, but in a good way, a way that leaves you speechless at the end.
A person who can erase memories, see your past and learn stuff from it? SIGN ME IN!
Psychic powers, I love books about them. However, combine them with realism and horror and my brain melts with pleasure! God, the way this is written is just brilliant! You will ask yourself - is this happening now, or is the protagonist experiencing a memory of someone else? Does the character know this person, or is it a familiar face from someone else's past. Which reminds me- You can't trust the narrator! So much of this book is not what it seems and you can sense it! It's intense, it's disturbing, but in a good way, a way that leaves you speechless at the end.
June 7, 2023
An interesting story
October 3, 2015
Originally reviewed at Tenacious Reader
The Last Witness by K. J. Parker is dark and deceitful, yet addictive novella. These two aspects are spun together for a truly fascinating story and one hell of a protagonist that you might not like, but you can’t help but want to know more about. It’s a book that doesn’t shy away from the darker side of humanity, it actually relishes in it. I’ve only read one other book by Parker, but I feel this story was every bit as intriguing as The Folding Knife and has reinforced my need to read more by the author.
While I loved The Folding Knife, I have been a bit embarrassed that I have not read another book by Parker. When I read this description, and then saw the cover, it jumped to my Must Read list. I mean really, in that cover, you can’t help but wonder if she is going to kiss the guy, or if she is going to stab him, or maybe both? And with limited exposure I have had to Parker, it wouldn’t surprise me if it were both. Regardless, I had to read it to find out.
The narrator has the unique ability to enter someone’s mind and remove their memories. This can be to relieve a person of unbearable memories, or perhaps to clear a witness of potentially damaging knowledge. The catch here though, is that these memories then become his own. Since it is usually not happy, loving memories that people have removed, he is left with countless disturbing, graphic memories that can be haunting. And while the narrator never forgets a detail, he can sometimes lose track of which memories are his own versus which are memories he has taken from others. This provides an interesting perspective for the reader, as the distinction between his memories and someone else’s is quite important. This said, if the narrator has trouble keeping things straight, obviously so can the reader.
He has put his service up for hire, and as you can imagine, the types of people who look to alter memories are not usually the most upstanding citizens. It also makes for some interesting dynamics in that clearing a witness of the memories of a crime essentially makes him a witness. There are individuals some who may hire him not for nefarious reasons, but rather to release their life of painful memories. But even those people still leave him with memories of horrific things, things that they felt their life would be better never knowing or seeing, he now has to face regularly.
History and memory are funny things. If no one remembers something, it can be the same as if that forgotten event never happened. The ties between history and memory are explored in The Last Witness, showing how a change in one can impact the other. I love the whole theme of memory and history being tied and altering one to essentially alter the other. History is just the story told after, it is not necessarily the truth, or particularly the whole truth. Perspective plays a critical role in how history is written and having the ability to alter someone’e recollection of events can greatly impact things. And I don’t even necessarily mean large changes, but personal history and experience shapes who a person is, modifying that can impact a person’s life.
The narrator is, well, maybe a bit less than reliable. Actually, I think he may be about the most unreliable narrator I’ve encountered. But I think this makes him fascinating. This is a novella that will stick with me long after reading (much like The Folding Knife). Also, like The Folding Knife, this is not a fast paced story, but it is one that captivated me from start to end. This is a story that grabs you with the concept and the characters, a novella that shows no mercy, and while feeling entirely complete, also leaves me wanting to read more. Highly recommend.
The Last Witness by K. J. Parker is dark and deceitful, yet addictive novella. These two aspects are spun together for a truly fascinating story and one hell of a protagonist that you might not like, but you can’t help but want to know more about. It’s a book that doesn’t shy away from the darker side of humanity, it actually relishes in it. I’ve only read one other book by Parker, but I feel this story was every bit as intriguing as The Folding Knife and has reinforced my need to read more by the author.
While I loved The Folding Knife, I have been a bit embarrassed that I have not read another book by Parker. When I read this description, and then saw the cover, it jumped to my Must Read list. I mean really, in that cover, you can’t help but wonder if she is going to kiss the guy, or if she is going to stab him, or maybe both? And with limited exposure I have had to Parker, it wouldn’t surprise me if it were both. Regardless, I had to read it to find out.
The narrator has the unique ability to enter someone’s mind and remove their memories. This can be to relieve a person of unbearable memories, or perhaps to clear a witness of potentially damaging knowledge. The catch here though, is that these memories then become his own. Since it is usually not happy, loving memories that people have removed, he is left with countless disturbing, graphic memories that can be haunting. And while the narrator never forgets a detail, he can sometimes lose track of which memories are his own versus which are memories he has taken from others. This provides an interesting perspective for the reader, as the distinction between his memories and someone else’s is quite important. This said, if the narrator has trouble keeping things straight, obviously so can the reader.
He has put his service up for hire, and as you can imagine, the types of people who look to alter memories are not usually the most upstanding citizens. It also makes for some interesting dynamics in that clearing a witness of the memories of a crime essentially makes him a witness. There are individuals some who may hire him not for nefarious reasons, but rather to release their life of painful memories. But even those people still leave him with memories of horrific things, things that they felt their life would be better never knowing or seeing, he now has to face regularly.
History and memory are funny things. If no one remembers something, it can be the same as if that forgotten event never happened. The ties between history and memory are explored in The Last Witness, showing how a change in one can impact the other. I love the whole theme of memory and history being tied and altering one to essentially alter the other. History is just the story told after, it is not necessarily the truth, or particularly the whole truth. Perspective plays a critical role in how history is written and having the ability to alter someone’e recollection of events can greatly impact things. And I don’t even necessarily mean large changes, but personal history and experience shapes who a person is, modifying that can impact a person’s life.
The narrator is, well, maybe a bit less than reliable. Actually, I think he may be about the most unreliable narrator I’ve encountered. But I think this makes him fascinating. This is a novella that will stick with me long after reading (much like The Folding Knife). Also, like The Folding Knife, this is not a fast paced story, but it is one that captivated me from start to end. This is a story that grabs you with the concept and the characters, a novella that shows no mercy, and while feeling entirely complete, also leaves me wanting to read more. Highly recommend.
November 4, 2015
I wasn't enjoying it, and then I was. The story features a thoroughly unlikable amoral main character who is deeply flawed, partly because of the ability that makes him so powerful.
The unnamed main character has the ability to take memories out of people's heads and place them in his own. He uses this ability to his advantage and profit. But he also has total recall, and many of the memories he gains this way are deeply traumatic. Murders, rapes and torture on both sides of the coin. He earns large amounts of money, but his flaws almost guarantee he doesn't hang onto any of it. The story really takes off when he tries to break away from the pattern of his life, but his sins follow him.
The MC is unpleasant, and feels stupid in some ways, particularly with his gambling habit and his seeming compulsion to get hustled. However, there's movement over the length of the story and I was very surprised that I actually had some affection towards him by the end of it. Very telling on the skill of the writer that he can bring the reader around like that.
Worth a read.
The unnamed main character has the ability to take memories out of people's heads and place them in his own. He uses this ability to his advantage and profit. But he also has total recall, and many of the memories he gains this way are deeply traumatic. Murders, rapes and torture on both sides of the coin. He earns large amounts of money, but his flaws almost guarantee he doesn't hang onto any of it. The story really takes off when he tries to break away from the pattern of his life, but his sins follow him.
The MC is unpleasant, and feels stupid in some ways, particularly with his gambling habit and his seeming compulsion to get hustled. However, there's movement over the length of the story and I was very surprised that I actually had some affection towards him by the end of it. Very telling on the skill of the writer that he can bring the reader around like that.
Worth a read.
October 9, 2015
like most of KJ Parker's first person short fiction (Blue and Gold, Maps, Bird, Room etc), an unreliable, fairly unlikable to start with, though always amusing narrator who is a multiple malefactor and a story-line where obviously one of his multiple past misdeeds will eventually catch with him (but which one?); however while his murders, thefts and other (mis)deeds are many, the deeds of the powerful in his society with whom he entangles are worse anyway...
overall well done and with the final brutal twist(s) which are the trademark of the author delivering and making the final few pages of the novella seeming quite packed, though even in this subcategory I think I prefer more the Bird and the Maps novellas as the conceits there are more interesting imho, this one being more like Blue and Gold (while the more epic oriented stuff like two of swords is even better)
overall well done and with the final brutal twist(s) which are the trademark of the author delivering and making the final few pages of the novella seeming quite packed, though even in this subcategory I think I prefer more the Bird and the Maps novellas as the conceits there are more interesting imho, this one being more like Blue and Gold (while the more epic oriented stuff like two of swords is even better)
September 12, 2017
3.5 stars. This is my first Parker, even if I have several novels of his in my TBR. As a lover of dark fantasy I wonder why I never tried him before, but here I am, on the last afternoon of the year, reading this beautiful and unsettling novella about the "broad rainbow spectrum of human maladjustment".
The narrative style is peculiar, since the whole story is the presentation of the protagonist’s reminiscences which also incorporate the memories of several other people and as such, not only it’s not linear but the same character relates the scenes from different viewpoints and sometimes the memories overlap.
Anyway it was fascinating because I rarely lost the connection with the tale and I liked the way the narrator, with his endemic unreliability, jumps back and forth from one memory to another; considering that some are his own, some are acquired by vocational hazard, he’s often unable to make a clear distinction between them. And memories are scenes, but also feelings, flaws and skills, I can’t begin to imagine how I would be if my life were the sum of multiple persons experiences, or the conflict that would inevitably ensue.
The end result is -surprisingly- a cohesive picture of the protagonist’s adventures and his ironic recount offers a lot of food for thought about truth and morality, suffering and comeuppance.
This novella looks set in an established universe, because the worldbuilding is precise and the author avoids info dumps but I didn't check. Parker’s characters are hard and ambiguous and his writing is very effective, I know where to look for my next grimdark fix.
If there are no witnesses, did it really ever happen? You know, of course. Even after the last witness has died, you still remember what you did.
The narrative style is peculiar, since the whole story is the presentation of the protagonist’s reminiscences which also incorporate the memories of several other people and as such, not only it’s not linear but the same character relates the scenes from different viewpoints and sometimes the memories overlap.
Anyway it was fascinating because I rarely lost the connection with the tale and I liked the way the narrator, with his endemic unreliability, jumps back and forth from one memory to another; considering that some are his own, some are acquired by vocational hazard, he’s often unable to make a clear distinction between them. And memories are scenes, but also feelings, flaws and skills, I can’t begin to imagine how I would be if my life were the sum of multiple persons experiences, or the conflict that would inevitably ensue.
The end result is -surprisingly- a cohesive picture of the protagonist’s adventures and his ironic recount offers a lot of food for thought about truth and morality, suffering and comeuppance.
This novella looks set in an established universe, because the worldbuilding is precise and the author avoids info dumps but I didn't check. Parker’s characters are hard and ambiguous and his writing is very effective, I know where to look for my next grimdark fix.
If there are no witnesses, did it really ever happen? You know, of course. Even after the last witness has died, you still remember what you did.
November 9, 2015
I love the way this novella takes the idea — that someone could perhaps look into your mind and take away your memories, at the cost of having to keep them themselves if there was anything distressing in them — and then develops it, runs with it, deals with what a character who could do that would be like, what they would be willing to do, what they’d feel about it. How they could profit from it, and what that might cost them.
The narrator is, of course, unreliable. He’s unreliable even to himself, because he doesn’t know which memories are his, and which memories might be missing. Truth is a malleable thing in this world, because it depends on what you believe, and he can change that. (It never really addresses what happens when someone has some kind of record of what he’s going to wipe.) Identity is malleable too — and his changes all the time as he takes on the memories of murderers and victims. It’s definitely a fertile ground for a story, and K.J. Parker makes great use of it.
This novella has convinced me I really need to get round to reading more of K.J. Parker’s work. He does an amazing job here of creating a character and a complex story from a simple seed — without it ever getting too tortuous.
Originally posted here.
The narrator is, of course, unreliable. He’s unreliable even to himself, because he doesn’t know which memories are his, and which memories might be missing. Truth is a malleable thing in this world, because it depends on what you believe, and he can change that. (It never really addresses what happens when someone has some kind of record of what he’s going to wipe.) Identity is malleable too — and his changes all the time as he takes on the memories of murderers and victims. It’s definitely a fertile ground for a story, and K.J. Parker makes great use of it.
This novella has convinced me I really need to get round to reading more of K.J. Parker’s work. He does an amazing job here of creating a character and a complex story from a simple seed — without it ever getting too tortuous.
Originally posted here.
November 4, 2015
An interesting little story that had lots of promise but didn’t quite do it for me.
We heard all about you, the old man said, the stuff you can do. Is it true? Depends what you’ve heard, I told him. Most of what people say about me is garbage.
I don’t know how I do it, I told them, and neither does anyone else. None of the professors at the Studium could explain it. According to them, it’s not possible. All I know is, I can see my way into someone’s head—literally, I stare at him hard, and the wall of his skull seems to melt away, and then it seems to me that I’m standing in a library. On three sides of me there are shelves, floor to ceiling, spaced about nine inches apart; on the shelves are thousands and thousands of scrolls of parchment, like in the Old Library at Marshand. Each scroll is in a brass cylinder, with a number and the first line of the text embossed on the cap. Don’t ask me how, but I know what’s in each one. I reach out my hand—I actually have to lift my arm and reach out physically—and it seems to me that I pull down the scroll I want from the shelf and unscrew the cap; then I walk over to the window (there’s always a window) because the light’s better there, and there’s a chair. I sit down and unroll the scroll and look at it, at which point the memory becomes mine, just exactly as though it had happened to me. Then I roll up the scroll and put it under my arm; the moment I’ve done that, the whole illusion fades, I’m back where I started, and no time has passed. The memory stays in my head, but the client or the victim will have forgotten it completely and forever; won’t even remember that he ever had that memory to begin with, if you see what I mean. Anyway, I said, that’s what I do. That’s all I can do. But I’m the only man alive who can do it, and as far as I know, nobody’s ever been able to do it before.
We heard all about you, the old man said, the stuff you can do. Is it true? Depends what you’ve heard, I told him. Most of what people say about me is garbage.
I don’t know how I do it, I told them, and neither does anyone else. None of the professors at the Studium could explain it. According to them, it’s not possible. All I know is, I can see my way into someone’s head—literally, I stare at him hard, and the wall of his skull seems to melt away, and then it seems to me that I’m standing in a library. On three sides of me there are shelves, floor to ceiling, spaced about nine inches apart; on the shelves are thousands and thousands of scrolls of parchment, like in the Old Library at Marshand. Each scroll is in a brass cylinder, with a number and the first line of the text embossed on the cap. Don’t ask me how, but I know what’s in each one. I reach out my hand—I actually have to lift my arm and reach out physically—and it seems to me that I pull down the scroll I want from the shelf and unscrew the cap; then I walk over to the window (there’s always a window) because the light’s better there, and there’s a chair. I sit down and unroll the scroll and look at it, at which point the memory becomes mine, just exactly as though it had happened to me. Then I roll up the scroll and put it under my arm; the moment I’ve done that, the whole illusion fades, I’m back where I started, and no time has passed. The memory stays in my head, but the client or the victim will have forgotten it completely and forever; won’t even remember that he ever had that memory to begin with, if you see what I mean. Anyway, I said, that’s what I do. That’s all I can do. But I’m the only man alive who can do it, and as far as I know, nobody’s ever been able to do it before.
November 29, 2020
Due to my previous reading experience of a K J Parker's (KJP) work, I forgot that this author's works usually have strong ending. The Last Witness (LW) is one of the stories with good ending. I mentioned it first because LW has a bit dry opening and tedious middle part compared to (in my opinion) his best works, so I wish you a bit patience when reading this story, the end is worth the reading effort.
As you can read on other sources, the premise of the story is about memory migration. The impact of this magic is the main course of the story, especially on the climax. And with so many interwoven memories, the voice of unreliable narrator is the second strength of the story. The third strong point is the main character is maybe one of the strongest characterization for KJP's novella stories. There is only one con of this story for me: not as funny as author's other novellas that I had read.
As you can read on other sources, the premise of the story is about memory migration. The impact of this magic is the main course of the story, especially on the climax. And with so many interwoven memories, the voice of unreliable narrator is the second strength of the story. The third strong point is the main character is maybe one of the strongest characterization for KJP's novella stories. There is only one con of this story for me: not as funny as author's other novellas that I had read.
December 11, 2018
4-½ stars
I'm not sure what I can say about this book without spoilers!
The narrator has a unique ability: he can go into someone else's head and take a memory out of it. He's made this his profession, so generally he's taking a memory someone has chosen to have removed. But not always.
The taken memories become part of him. And as time goes on and he collects more and more other people's memories, it’s not easy to remember what memories really belong to him, and which don’t.
And what if his ability isn't unique? What if someone else can go into the narrator's head and take his memories? How would he even know? No one else can tell what happened to them.
K. J. Parker takes these ideas and weaves them into a gripping, intense, suspenseful story about identity, and sneakiness, and double-crossing. It’s one of the tightest novels I’ve read in quite a while: very short, with not a wasted word or sentence in it, and packing a hard punch in its surgical austerity. It’s also a perfect example of unreliable narration. The whole story twisted my brain into knots, in the best way.
I have to thank Gergana’s review for introducing me to this author. I’ve been familiar with Tom Holt (must read more of his books!), and now there’s a treasure trove of novels by his alter ego to discover, too. I hope they’re all this purely brilliant and unusual.
I'm not sure what I can say about this book without spoilers!
The narrator has a unique ability: he can go into someone else's head and take a memory out of it. He's made this his profession, so generally he's taking a memory someone has chosen to have removed. But not always.
The taken memories become part of him. And as time goes on and he collects more and more other people's memories, it’s not easy to remember what memories really belong to him, and which don’t.
And what if his ability isn't unique? What if someone else can go into the narrator's head and take his memories? How would he even know? No one else can tell what happened to them.
K. J. Parker takes these ideas and weaves them into a gripping, intense, suspenseful story about identity, and sneakiness, and double-crossing. It’s one of the tightest novels I’ve read in quite a while: very short, with not a wasted word or sentence in it, and packing a hard punch in its surgical austerity. It’s also a perfect example of unreliable narration. The whole story twisted my brain into knots, in the best way.
I have to thank Gergana’s review for introducing me to this author. I’ve been familiar with Tom Holt (must read more of his books!), and now there’s a treasure trove of novels by his alter ego to discover, too. I hope they’re all this purely brilliant and unusual.
September 24, 2019
Mi sto appassionando alle storie di Parker. Un'incredibile varietà tematica, con qualche vago riferimento a far capire che tutto si svolga in un'unica ambientazione, e con la sua ironia di fondo a permeare i testi.
In questa storia, narrata in prima persona, il protagonista\narratore è una persona dotata di un incredibile e unico potere: con uno sguardo può entrare nella testa delle persone e prendersi dei ricordi, che spariranno dalla testa di quell'individuo per trasferirsi nella sua.
Visto che di questo potere farà il suo lavoro e fonte di guadagno, e visto che i principali utilizzi possibili sono o la cancellazione di ricordi dolorosi, o la cancellazione di ricordi di terze persone invischiate in affari loschi, lui stesso si definisce "l'ultimo testimone".
Viene usato per "eliminare" in maniera pulita i testimoni di qualche crimine, ma a quel punto diventa lui stesso l'ultimo testimone. Si protegge ammantandosi di una rigida etica professionale che non gli fa mai tradire i segreti dei clienti, e giocando con le loro menti se necessario.
Non è una bella persona, e ce lo ripete lui stesso più volte: non sono un angelo.
Il che ci viene confermato non tanto dagli affari che porta avanti adesso, ma dalle sue memorie del passato, dai ricordi di quando ha cominciato, di quanto fatto, dai suoi scheletri nell'armadio.
Una narrazione quasi psichedelica, dove la trama nel presente si alterna a ricordi che a volte riguardano lui, a volte riguardano altre persone e sono stati da lui rubati, altre volte sembrano addirittura in contraddizione tra loro finché non ne capiamo il motivo.
Psichedelica e quasi confusionaria, a ogni pennellata il protagonista ci risulta più antipatico e meschino, ma al contempo vediamo che la gente intorno a lui non è migliore e speriamo riesca a trovare la pace che cerca, lontano da soldi facili da sperperare al tavolo da gioco, da criminali da soddisfare e da fughe rocambolesche dal proprio passato.
Fino alle pagine finali, che sconvolgono gran parte di quanto letto, che ci fanno rivalutare tutto ciò che sappiamo (e tendenzialmente non in positivo).
E il bello è che, per quanto possa apparere confusionaria, questa storia rende benissimo proprio in quanto costruita così, rende il caos interno che il protagonista avrà, sommerso da memorie sue e rubate ad altri, rende la sua ingannevolezza e l'ingannevolezza dei ricordi.
In questa storia, narrata in prima persona, il protagonista\narratore è una persona dotata di un incredibile e unico potere: con uno sguardo può entrare nella testa delle persone e prendersi dei ricordi, che spariranno dalla testa di quell'individuo per trasferirsi nella sua.
Visto che di questo potere farà il suo lavoro e fonte di guadagno, e visto che i principali utilizzi possibili sono o la cancellazione di ricordi dolorosi, o la cancellazione di ricordi di terze persone invischiate in affari loschi, lui stesso si definisce "l'ultimo testimone".
Viene usato per "eliminare" in maniera pulita i testimoni di qualche crimine, ma a quel punto diventa lui stesso l'ultimo testimone. Si protegge ammantandosi di una rigida etica professionale che non gli fa mai tradire i segreti dei clienti, e giocando con le loro menti se necessario.
Non è una bella persona, e ce lo ripete lui stesso più volte: non sono un angelo.
Il che ci viene confermato non tanto dagli affari che porta avanti adesso, ma dalle sue memorie del passato, dai ricordi di quando ha cominciato, di quanto fatto, dai suoi scheletri nell'armadio.
Una narrazione quasi psichedelica, dove la trama nel presente si alterna a ricordi che a volte riguardano lui, a volte riguardano altre persone e sono stati da lui rubati, altre volte sembrano addirittura in contraddizione tra loro finché non ne capiamo il motivo.
Psichedelica e quasi confusionaria, a ogni pennellata il protagonista ci risulta più antipatico e meschino, ma al contempo vediamo che la gente intorno a lui non è migliore e speriamo riesca a trovare la pace che cerca, lontano da soldi facili da sperperare al tavolo da gioco, da criminali da soddisfare e da fughe rocambolesche dal proprio passato.
Fino alle pagine finali, che sconvolgono gran parte di quanto letto, che ci fanno rivalutare tutto ciò che sappiamo (e tendenzialmente non in positivo).
E il bello è che, per quanto possa apparere confusionaria, questa storia rende benissimo proprio in quanto costruita così, rende il caos interno che il protagonista avrà, sommerso da memorie sue e rubate ad altri, rende la sua ingannevolezza e l'ingannevolezza dei ricordi.
February 24, 2017
Great premise, last few pages were juicy and dramatic but the overall experience was so meh.
April 4, 2020
My third KJ Parker book, only 140 pages long and another standalone book, but the darkest and deepest so far. And stunning too.
A first person narration by an individual who has a strange ability - to be able to enter a person’s memory and extract components, small or large, from that memory as though they were scrolls in a library. After discovering this ‘gift’ he tries to make a living from it, extracting memories from people who willingly want to forget, and sometimes unwillingly from others. It’s not pleasant as those memories become part of his memories too. There are reflections about the truism that we are our memories, and how screwed up that becomes for this character with a mish-mash of his own and others memories. The narrator isn’t a sympathetic character, being ruthless in the application of his powers when he needs to be, and when he’s paid to be.
It seems like there isn’t much of a plot initially other than the narrator detailing his life, and a range of encounters where he uses his ability. Eventually a storyline appears, as the book progresses, after the narrator meets a skinny girl who may have an ability similar to his. This eventually leads to a rather poignant ending to the book.
The world is only lightly sketched out, and of secondary importance to the story, being some sort of pre-industrial society, with no magic system (other than the narrator’s ability). Much darker than the other Parker books I’ve read. But very original, thought provoking, well told, and it’s brought me fully into this author’s fan club.
A minor complaint about the Kindle version I read. I rarely find cause for complaint with modern Kindle editions, with spelling, etc., but this one had bizarre formatting issues (new lines) after every use of Italic text, which was often used. Didn’t spoil my read but just a pointer for those reading this as an ebook........
A reread because it was part of a compendium of short stories and novellas I’m reading. I didn’t skip it but read it again. Originally one of my first reads by this author and the reread seemed even better. As well as the clever exploration of memory and what makes us who we are he raises at the end his regular love-hate relationship - with Love!
“To try and rationalise all this in terms of right, wrong, good, evil, is just naïve; the very worst things we do, after all, we do for love, and the very worst pain we feel comes from love. She was right about that. In my opinion, love is the greatest and most enduring enemy, because love gives rise to the memories that kill us, slowly, every day. I think a man who never encounters love might quite possibly live forever. He’d have to, because if he died, who the hell would ever remember him?”
A first person narration by an individual who has a strange ability - to be able to enter a person’s memory and extract components, small or large, from that memory as though they were scrolls in a library. After discovering this ‘gift’ he tries to make a living from it, extracting memories from people who willingly want to forget, and sometimes unwillingly from others. It’s not pleasant as those memories become part of his memories too. There are reflections about the truism that we are our memories, and how screwed up that becomes for this character with a mish-mash of his own and others memories. The narrator isn’t a sympathetic character, being ruthless in the application of his powers when he needs to be, and when he’s paid to be.
It seems like there isn’t much of a plot initially other than the narrator detailing his life, and a range of encounters where he uses his ability. Eventually a storyline appears, as the book progresses, after the narrator meets a skinny girl who may have an ability similar to his. This eventually leads to a rather poignant ending to the book.
The world is only lightly sketched out, and of secondary importance to the story, being some sort of pre-industrial society, with no magic system (other than the narrator’s ability). Much darker than the other Parker books I’ve read. But very original, thought provoking, well told, and it’s brought me fully into this author’s fan club.
A minor complaint about the Kindle version I read. I rarely find cause for complaint with modern Kindle editions, with spelling, etc., but this one had bizarre formatting issues (new lines) after every use of Italic text, which was often used. Didn’t spoil my read but just a pointer for those reading this as an ebook........
A reread because it was part of a compendium of short stories and novellas I’m reading. I didn’t skip it but read it again. Originally one of my first reads by this author and the reread seemed even better. As well as the clever exploration of memory and what makes us who we are he raises at the end his regular love-hate relationship - with Love!
“To try and rationalise all this in terms of right, wrong, good, evil, is just naïve; the very worst things we do, after all, we do for love, and the very worst pain we feel comes from love. She was right about that. In my opinion, love is the greatest and most enduring enemy, because love gives rise to the memories that kill us, slowly, every day. I think a man who never encounters love might quite possibly live forever. He’d have to, because if he died, who the hell would ever remember him?”
September 1, 2019
3.5/5
I admire Parker's writing style and his intellectual and philosophical escapades. That being said, The Last Witness didn't awe me.
The nameless narrator has a gift (or a curse) to remove and assimilate people’s memories. Because of the eidetic memory he possesses, he’s doomed to live with all the memories he takes away from others (including several awful crimes, rape, trauma).
As expected from Parker, the unreliable narrator uses his ability to hide his disgraceful past from both himself and the reader. While the final twist isn't unexpected, it's perfectly placed.
Final thoughts? I liked it but didn't love it.
I admire Parker's writing style and his intellectual and philosophical escapades. That being said, The Last Witness didn't awe me.
The nameless narrator has a gift (or a curse) to remove and assimilate people’s memories. Because of the eidetic memory he possesses, he’s doomed to live with all the memories he takes away from others (including several awful crimes, rape, trauma).
As expected from Parker, the unreliable narrator uses his ability to hide his disgraceful past from both himself and the reader. While the final twist isn't unexpected, it's perfectly placed.
Final thoughts? I liked it but didn't love it.
November 15, 2015
A rather disturbing tale of memory & truth. An unlikeable main character narrates a twisting story of his life and his work as a professional memory remover. Tiny bit reminiscent of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
May 6, 2016
FULL REVIEW ON MY BLOG, TOTAL INABILITY TO CONNECT
This is a fantastic and interesting little tale, which packs a LOT into it's relatively short format, while somehow not feeling rushed or crowded. The prose in this one is smooth, more in a full-novel format than many novellas, which makes it a fairly easy read, and the pages just fly by.
The premise is very interesting - the last witness has the power to enter someone's mind, and remove memories; unwanted in most cases, but this power is vast, and he can do it without the people desiring the memories be taken. This is, of course, a very useful, powerful, and lucrative talent to have. However, as you would imagine, there are quite a few risks associated with this, and possessing knowledge of many things is not always a safe place to be. In this line of work, our narrator comes across unsavory characters looking to cover illegal activities, which they are often paranoid about covering.
Additionally, and perhaps more importantly, as the last witness 'absorbs' that persons memories into his own, it begins difficult for him to differentiate which memories are his own, versus those of other people, and this distinction becomes more and more difficult as time goes on. As you can imagine, this leads to an unreliable narrator, one struggling with memories and visions, and having minor identity crisis.
I found The Last Witness to be a great piece - easily the best of Tom Holt KJ Parker's works that I've read. The difficult narration of the story is handled brilliantly, the prose is entertaining, yet cuts to the point with a terrific level of skill. It stays entertaining throughout, and is absolutely a rapid page turner throughout it's (relatively limited) duration. And, speaking on the duration - it was just right for a novella, in my opinion. It did not drag out, yet did not skimp on details or writing, and stuck around long enough to do what it needed to, and not overstaying it's welcome.
A lot of fun, and very enjoyable.
Rating: 4.5 / 5
This is a fantastic and interesting little tale, which packs a LOT into it's relatively short format, while somehow not feeling rushed or crowded. The prose in this one is smooth, more in a full-novel format than many novellas, which makes it a fairly easy read, and the pages just fly by.
The premise is very interesting - the last witness has the power to enter someone's mind, and remove memories; unwanted in most cases, but this power is vast, and he can do it without the people desiring the memories be taken. This is, of course, a very useful, powerful, and lucrative talent to have. However, as you would imagine, there are quite a few risks associated with this, and possessing knowledge of many things is not always a safe place to be. In this line of work, our narrator comes across unsavory characters looking to cover illegal activities, which they are often paranoid about covering.
Additionally, and perhaps more importantly, as the last witness 'absorbs' that persons memories into his own, it begins difficult for him to differentiate which memories are his own, versus those of other people, and this distinction becomes more and more difficult as time goes on. As you can imagine, this leads to an unreliable narrator, one struggling with memories and visions, and having minor identity crisis.
I found The Last Witness to be a great piece - easily the best of Tom Holt KJ Parker's works that I've read. The difficult narration of the story is handled brilliantly, the prose is entertaining, yet cuts to the point with a terrific level of skill. It stays entertaining throughout, and is absolutely a rapid page turner throughout it's (relatively limited) duration. And, speaking on the duration - it was just right for a novella, in my opinion. It did not drag out, yet did not skimp on details or writing, and stuck around long enough to do what it needed to, and not overstaying it's welcome.
A lot of fun, and very enjoyable.
Rating: 4.5 / 5
July 1, 2016
In a world that is recognizably not our 18th or early 19th century, the teller of this tale is a man with an interesting talent. He can take memories from your mind so neatly that you'll never know the stolen memory is gone. He's made a nice business of this. Some people will always have memories that are too painful and they wish to be free of. Others will have memories that it would make their lives easier to have someone else forget. Unfortunately, once he's removed a memory from your mind, he has it in his--forever.
And some of the people he does business with are dangerous men, who might want to eliminate the last "last witness." Eventually, he outwits the gambling compulsion he picked up somewhere along the line, and manages to retire in relative comfort, with little need to associate with other people at all.
That's when he discovers there's someone else in the world who has his talent, and even fewer ethical standards. It's someone to whom he has a connection that painfully close.
What follows is a battle of wits, political intrigue, and painful choices for our storyteller, who freely admits he's "no angel." He is no angel, but this time he's determined to retire. And he'll use all the skills he's acquired from memories stolen over the years to do so with no harm to himself, and minimum harm to innocent bystanders.
It's a complicated story, and our narrator would be the last one to claim that he's in any way a reliable narrator. He remembers everything, but often can't keep track of which memories are his own and which originally belonged to someone else. He also won't hesitate to lie. At first I though this was going to be a mildly interesting but not compelling story. In the end, I found that somewhere along the line, I'd been completely drawn in and cared deeply what happened to this character and his, ah, the other person.
Recommended.
I listened to this in the Tor.com Collection: Season 1, which I bought.
And some of the people he does business with are dangerous men, who might want to eliminate the last "last witness." Eventually, he outwits the gambling compulsion he picked up somewhere along the line, and manages to retire in relative comfort, with little need to associate with other people at all.
That's when he discovers there's someone else in the world who has his talent, and even fewer ethical standards. It's someone to whom he has a connection that painfully close.
What follows is a battle of wits, political intrigue, and painful choices for our storyteller, who freely admits he's "no angel." He is no angel, but this time he's determined to retire. And he'll use all the skills he's acquired from memories stolen over the years to do so with no harm to himself, and minimum harm to innocent bystanders.
It's a complicated story, and our narrator would be the last one to claim that he's in any way a reliable narrator. He remembers everything, but often can't keep track of which memories are his own and which originally belonged to someone else. He also won't hesitate to lie. At first I though this was going to be a mildly interesting but not compelling story. In the end, I found that somewhere along the line, I'd been completely drawn in and cared deeply what happened to this character and his, ah, the other person.
Recommended.
I listened to this in the Tor.com Collection: Season 1, which I bought.
August 18, 2015
If there is one thing you can be sure of when it comes to a KJ Parker novella, it's that it will stab you in the gut and twist the knife. They probably lose their effectiveness after a while but I don't think I have read enough of them yet. This one is built on a particularly strong conceit that allows for a perfectly logical and fair presentation of last-minute twists.
Also: still can't believe this guy is pun-lover Tom Holt.
Also: still can't believe this guy is pun-lover Tom Holt.
December 20, 2016
Devoured this today. Awesome novella, with an awesome power that leaves you thinking. Some good philosophical bits as well.
Don't really have much else to say about it... or maybe I already forgot it, if you get what I'm saying.
Don't really have much else to say about it... or maybe I already forgot it, if you get what I'm saying.
November 25, 2023
Quite dark but a fascinating thought experiment.
August 27, 2016
The summary tells you all you need to know before reading this short book, but some good reviews give more thoughts to consider after reading.
Thoroughly enjoyed this unusual, intriguing story. Although not listed yet on GR I listened to an audible version read very well indeed by P J Ochran. He became exactly how I imagined the chilling first person narrator would be and I believe in this instance the audible version is better than reading the book.
It has been suggested the main character was unreliable but, truly, how can we be sure? Left me with much to think about, what memories would I choose to forget and how would it affect my life? Glad to recommend.
Thoroughly enjoyed this unusual, intriguing story. Although not listed yet on GR I listened to an audible version read very well indeed by P J Ochran. He became exactly how I imagined the chilling first person narrator would be and I believe in this instance the audible version is better than reading the book.
It has been suggested the main character was unreliable but, truly, how can we be sure? Left me with much to think about, what memories would I choose to forget and how would it affect my life? Glad to recommend.
March 5, 2022
I liked the concept a lot, but the main character wasn't very likable. The story overall was a bit sad and depressing. I also found my mind wandering throughout the story for some reason, and I would have to backtrack to see what I had missed. So, a bit of a disappointment for me, but I did like the narrator for the audio.
Review also posted at Writings of a Reader.
Review also posted at Writings of a Reader.
November 25, 2015
I received an egalley of this novella from the publisher for review. Thank you to Tor.com Publishing! This review is my honest opinion.
The Last Witness is probably an excellent litmus test for whether you can enjoy a story even if the main character is an incredibly amoral, unlikable asshole. In my case, the answer is yes... I absolutely can enjoy that type of story, when done well!
A man discovers he can see into other people's heads, pluck memories from their mental library shelves, and "steal" them. When he takes a memory, the other person forgets it, but he will never be able to forget it. In fact, he has an eidetic memory and doesn't forget anything. He's paid to erase all sorts of suffering - grief, abuse, rape, crimes - as well as those memories that make others the only witnesses to crimes. And then he becomes the last witness.
He can charge a fortune for this. He does charge a fortune for this. And as he says repeatedly, he's no angel. Even before discovering his ability, he does awful things. He goes on to use his ability for reprehensible ends, at the slightest provocations. The only good thing you could say about him is that he doesn't give away his clients' secrets. The world revolves around him, and saving his skin. He's like a con artist sliding from one job to another, insinuating himself, running a little further to escape the men on his heels. It's kind of horrible to see how quickly and easily he picks himself up after each problem and slithers away.
But is he the only one who can violate people's memories like this? Can he use his power on himself to forget? How would he ever know if he's erased his own memory, or if he's met someone else who did it to him? Is he even sane with all these horrible memories and lifetimes in his head from other people?
Parker wrote this character's personality and voice so successfully on a thin line between "terrible sociopath" and "snarky charming rogue". This man is incredibly matter-of-fact about what he's done, what he'll continue doing, and he admits this to you, the reader. I didn't detect any real regret, or even any real happiness when things are going well for him, which made me think I really was in the head of a sociopath! And you know what? It was fascinating. This is a story about horrible people doing horrible things to each other, and you have to ask yourself whether something else made them like that or if they did it to themselves and each other first.
Overall, this was a strongly written novella that managed to immediately suck me into the story - despite initially thinking I wouldn't care about the story if I hated the character! There are some excellently done twists with the plot that defied my predictions even when I thought I knew quite well where the story was going.
April 29, 2018
Complexity is a detailed thing. It's difficult enough to write a many-layered story with the benefit of four or five hundred pages; Parker gives us a full-scale book, complete with twists and surprises, in under 150.
The Last Witness is the journal-style narrative of a man whose only natural skill is memory-thieving: he can look inside your head, take a memory from you and keep it for himself, remembering it as though it were his own. This practice serves to muddle an already-delicate psychology, and makes his narration fascinatingly unreliable (he begins many passages with "I remember...", though whether the memory is his own, a client's, or a victim's is sometimes unclear).
Novellas are generally too short to sate me, but this would have quenched my book-thirst even if I'd been dehydrated.
The Last Witness is the journal-style narrative of a man whose only natural skill is memory-thieving: he can look inside your head, take a memory from you and keep it for himself, remembering it as though it were his own. This practice serves to muddle an already-delicate psychology, and makes his narration fascinatingly unreliable (he begins many passages with "I remember...", though whether the memory is his own, a client's, or a victim's is sometimes unclear).
Novellas are generally too short to sate me, but this would have quenched my book-thirst even if I'd been dehydrated.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 199 reviews