The Weight of Memories

by Liu Cixin, Ken Liu (Translator)

From the author of The Three-Body Problem, The Dark Forest, and Death's End comes a story about unborn memories.

With The Three-Body Problem, English-speaking listeners got their first chance to experience the multiple-award-winning and bestselling Three-Body Trilogy by China's most beloved science fiction author, Cixin Liu.

The Weight of Memories is a Tor.com Original story.

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Genres: Short Stories, Science Fiction, Fiction, Speculative Fiction, Fantasy, China, Asia

17 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Science Fiction fan and writer.

Author also writes under Cixin Liu

Reviews

[karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fetus: She asked you, “If you could be born again, where would you rather be born?”

Mother: I answered, “Here, of course! I want to be born in a big city and live a city dweller’s life.”

Fetus: Dr. Ying stared at you for some time and smiled. It was a smile that you didn’t fully understand. Then she said, “If you’re brave, I can make your dream come true.”

review to come.

read it for yourself here:

http://www.tor.com/2016/08/17/the-wei...

[Jokoloyo · Rating 3 out of 5]

A free story on tor.com https://www.tor.com/2016/08/17/the-we...

The idea is great. For science fiction fans that seeking novel ideas in stories, this is an easy 4 star. It is the execution that has problem with dry dialogues after a strong start.

[Efka · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very short story with a very unexpected twist towards the ending. In this short story, Liu Cixin explores memories, instincts and gives his own answer to a question why babies are born without any of them. Though sometimes a bit naive, sentimental and superficial, this short story still provides some interesting facts about memories and their nature and how selective memories helps people to remain sane.

[Jenny Baker · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was weird, touching, and twisty all at the same time. It really gets your brain thinking about bigger stuff.

This story is mostly a conversation between a doctor, mother, and fetus. I love the concept that instincts are inherited memories and evolution shut off the activation of it. I love geeky science stuff. Intriguing. I wasn't expecting the twist towards the end. I won't spoil the twist for anyone, but the twist reminds me of the arguments that I used to get into with people when I was kid and they accused me of being ungrateful. My answer was something similar to the theme of that twist. I hope that didn't give anything away for anyone.

If you want to read this free short story on Tor.com, you can read it here.

[Igrowastreesgrow · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting story that lets your mind wonder about life and science. I enjoyed this very much. However, I did not enjoy how it was written.

[Claudia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good thing we do not get to inherit the memories of our predecessors...
A terrifying and touching but amazingly weaved story about the relationship between mother and child and the power of recollection.

It can be read here: http://www.tor.com/2016/08/17/the-wei...

[César Bustíos · Rating 4 out of 5]

"He was completely unprepared for the long, winding road of life ahead of him, and thus ready for anything."

Beautiful. A really good short story exploring the concept of inherited memories. It made me think of the Atreides twins and their genetic memory in Herbert's work "The children of Dune", which I'm currently reading.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a free story from Tor that can be found here. Thanks to Rose for turning me on to it.

"I wish I knew then what I know now." How many times have we all thought this? It's a common wish. Cixin explores the possibility in a wonderful way. He shows us just how selective our memories are & the cost of bearing them.

[Philip · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5ish stars

[Alina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short story was amazing and terrifying at the same time. Couldn't help but notice some recurrent questions about memories in both Cixin's and Ken Liu's works (see Reborn).

[Matt Quann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liu Cixin, of Remembrance of Earth's Past fame, delivers a humanistic sci-fi tale with a great concept. Most of the story takes the form of a mother conversing with her unborn fetus, imparting her memories to her unborn child via experimental technology. There's a lot to ponder in the wake of this short story, which is not surprising given Liu's tendency for dense writing. This isn't a fun story, but its one I enjoyed and one that fans looking to dip their toes into Liu's work would do well to check out.

[Kristīne · Rating 4 out of 5]

"A person’s memories are like a book, and different readers will experience different feelings. "

[Yasmine Aouissi]

At first it was disturbing but than It got to explain itself, I honestly don't know how I should react to this, it's deep yet really mysterious. I think I have to re-read it to give a fall review and a fair rating.

[Maggie Gordon · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is one of those stories with a fantastic premise, but the narrative itself failed to enthrall me. The idea of inherited memories is fantastic! But the dialogue and the characters felt flat.

[Nivedita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant brilliant book brilliantly written.

Pure brilliance!

[Alec Lyons · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thought provoking and abrupt.

Alhough through inorganic conversation left little emotional attachment to any of the characters.

[Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting story that can be found here for free

A scientist has found a way to un-suppress memory inheritance in humans. You know how dogs instinctively know to bury bones without being shown to do so, or fish knowing they have to swim back to the place they were born to spawn...memory inheritance. Humans aren't born with the knowledge of their ancestors passed down until a scientist figures out how to change this.

It doesn't turn out how you think it will, at least it didn't head in a direction I was expecting. I have some issues about the memories themselves which leads to this unexpected conclusion. If the baby was able to remember everything his mother experienced, I don't understand why he was so scared of being born. Mom had to have some good memories, some reason to get out of bed in the morning, or she probably would have ended her own life years ago.

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love how short stories can introduce and tackle deep ideas in a thorough way. The Weight of Memories is no different. Meaningful and impactful, this story is thought provoking, touching and moving. I was intrigued by the thought of an unborn child with memories, but was taken by surprise with the direction the story took. I highly recommend this very short story.

[Vivian · Rating 1 out of 5]

Interesting premise but executed in such a way that I did not enjoy it at all. Dialogue felt very clunky and the three characters felt like they had the same voice. The ending was unsatisfying. The author clearly has a point of view but it simply failed to feel impactful.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

I saw this author being discussed on my Goodreads update feed and instantly became curious, since I'm always on the lookout for Asian sci-fi translated into English. The brevity of the story (it's about a 5-minute read) works against it in my opinion, but I was impressed by how much story Liu Cixin managed to cram into it. The premise is ripe with possibilities, and the ending, while rather predictable, is worth pondering over.

[Burak · Rating 4 out of 5]

Türkçe çevirisini okumak için: https://kayiprihtim.com/dosya/hatiral...

Fena bir öykü değil. Fikir oldukça ilgi çekici ancak anlatımın tamamı diyaloglardan oluşunca insan çok daha iyi yazılmış diyaloglar okumayı bekliyor. Yine de okuması ve çevirmesi keyifli bir öyküydü.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liu Cixin
The Weight of Memories
Tor Books
17 pages
7.5

Sometimes my imagination works hardest before I go to sleep. My most favorite imagination is actually going back to 15 years ago when I was a child, while still retaining my memories and knowledge. I would've thought that my life will be much more easier, with this infinite possibility of futures are ahead of me. I still hold on to that dream, but Liu's The Weight of Memories grounds me down.

The story can be read legally and freely here.

[freddie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting premise, but the execution fell short for me.

[Irma Agsari · Rating 4 out of 5]

"A self is composed of many things besides memories, things that cannot be replicated. A person’s memories are like a book, and different readers will experience different feelings. It’s a terrible thing to allow an unborn child to read such a heavy, bleak book."

An interesting short story.

[Nadine in NY Jones · Rating 2 out of 5]

Day 4 in my 24 Days of Shorts

The world was a blooming flower, a beautiful, gigantic toy. He was completely unprepared for the long, winding road of life ahead of him, and thus ready for anything.

I absolutely loved the fairy tales in Death’s End, and I was looking for more of that type of short story, a fresh new take on a familiar tale. This was disappointing. It feels kind of “meh,” there’s no magic or suspense or surprise here.

read it for yourself here:
https://www.tor.com/2016/08/17/the-we...



My 24 Days of Shorts
1. File N°002 by Sylvain Neuvel
2. File N°247 by Sylvain Neuvel
3. Skinner Box by Carole Johnstone
4. The Weight of Memories by Liu Cixin
5. A Fist of Permutations in Lightning and Wildflowers by Alyssa Wong
6. If at First You Don't Succeed, Try, Try Again by Zen Cho
7. Meat And Salt And Sparks by Rich Larson
8. Seven Birthdays by Ken Liu
9. Where Would You Be Now? by Carrie Vaughn
10. Old Media by Annalee Newitz
11. The Cybernetic Tea Shop by Meredith Katz
12. Sweetlings by Lucy Taylor
13. An Unexpected Honor by Ursula Vernon
14. Hell is the Absence of God by Ted Chiang
15. A Love Story by Samantha Hunt
16. The Lake by Tananarive Due
17. Ghost Hedgehog by Nina Kiriki Hoffman
18. Finnegan's Field by Angela Slatter
19. Among the Thorns by Veronica Schanoes
20. Rag and Bone by Priya Sharma
21. The Mothers of Voorhisville by Mary Rickert
22. As Good as New by Charlie Jane Anders
23. Twixt Firelight and Water by Juliet Marillier
24. The Christmas Show by Pat Cadigan

[Unai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Y así en un momentito y en pocas paginas, Cixin Liu te folla la mente y la tira a una zanja. Que pasaría si se encontrara la manera de activar la memoria hereditaria en un feto y este no solo recordara toda la vida de su madre, sino que desde el interior de ella pudiéramos conversar con el, como si de un adulto se tratara.

[Guguk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can be read for free here --> http://www.tor.com/2016/08/17/the-weight-of-memories/ \(^o^)

Brief and quite enticing, this story reminded me that...

(⌒―⌒*))) Well said, Dr. Malcolm~

[Hestia Istiviani · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read in English but this review is written in Bahasa Indonesia

We made terrible mistake in thinking that replicating memories was sufficient to replicate a person. A self is composed of many things besides memories, things that cannot be replicated. A person's memories are like a book, and different readers will experience different feelings.

Nama Cixin Liu untukku pribadi tidak asing. Gramedia Pustaka Utama telah menerjemahkan salah satu tulisannya, The Three-Body Problem, yang mendapat banyak pujian saking bagusnya. Begitu pula untuk adaptasi novelnya, Wandering Earth yang didistribusikan melalui Netflix. Banyak yang mengatakan, Cixin Liu seperti Ted Chiang. Mereka berdua sebenarnya penulis fiksi sains brilian namun tidak banyak terekspos.

The Weight of Memories sebenarnya adalah cerita pendek. Kalau masuk ke dalam perangkat e-book reader kira-kira hanya 17 halaman saja. Benar-benar bisa dibaca sembari menunggu antrean atau bahkan sebelum tidur. Akan tetapi tujuh belas halaman tersebut meninggalkan kesan yang cukup mengena.

Berkisah tentang percakapan antara janin dengan ibunya melalui sebuah teknologi. Percakapan tersebut sepertinya adalah sesuatu yang sudah dikenal oleh sang ibu. Itulah kenangan. Sebenarnya ia muncul tetapi seperti diselubungi sesuatu sehingga sulit untuk "dibuka" kembali.

Melalui The Weight of Memories, kita setidaknya diajak berpikir bahwa yang membentuk manusia salah satunya adalah kenangan. Ketika kenangan perlahan saling tumpang tindih dan mengganti satu sama lain, apakah manusia akan menggunakan teknologi untuk dapat merestorasi kenanangan? Apakah semuanya akan sepadan?

Mengintip sedikit bagaimana Cixin Liu menulis melalui The Weight of Memories bisa membawa pembaca untuk menyelami lebih dalam karyanya. Jangan-jangan, jadi makin penasaran dengan Wandering Earth atau karyanya yang lain.

I now understand why evolution shut off the activation of inherited memories in humans. As our minds grew ever more sensitive, the ignorance that accompanied our birth was like warm hut that protected us from the harsh realities of the world.

[Kes · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first part is a conversation between a doctor, a mother, and a fetus. They discuss memory - basically, the fetus has the mother's memories. The idea is that memory gets inherited. The fetus grows increasingly concerned - she remembers the horror in the mother's memories - for example, the press of people in the supermarket. she doesn't acknowledge the possibilities inherent in the memory. Eventually, she rips her umbilical cord out, resulting in her death.

It's an interesting story exploring the downside of inherited memories - though I fail to be convinced by the story. What if the mother had had happier memories? Was the fetus just remembering the most negative of her mother's memories? Did the mother just not have any happy memories? Or was the fetus just cherry picking to remain unconvinced by the happiness available in the world?

I feel this idea could have done with more development. It's an interesting idea, but I don't think it's been executed as well as it could have been.

[Paul Perry · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm as ambivalent about this brief story as I was about Liu's novel The Three-Body Problem, perhaps more so. While I thought it used the form well - focused, evocative, even poetic - it didn't really work for me as a tale. Perhaps it's because there were a couple of bits which annoyed me - in addition to the central premise of inherited memory, the use of the "majority of the brain" being unused is a trope that makes me roll my eyes ( I've still not been able to overcome this to watch Luc Besson's Lucy ). However, I am also annoyed at myself for being annoyed by these things; they are not used a "straight SF" way, but as pure metaphor, but this didn't stop my reaction. Perhaps there is just something in the style that doesn't work for me, possibly that it does not sit comfortably within SF, fantasy, or whatever, although that isn't usually something that bothers me if the writing is good enough.