Shape of Memories

by Kristofor Hellmeister

Alpha Grisham is used to authority. After years of being raised by an overbearing father, Tyler Grisham is now in command of his own vessel, The Mayflower. His life soon spirals out of control, however, when he crash lands on an uninhabited planet--UP-117. It is here Alpha Grisham encounters a being that takes the shape of his most intimate and most powerful memories, including that of his estranged wife, his domineering father, and that of his dead childhood friend. But, there is a memory that he does not want to encounter--a memory that begins to hunt him down.

Genres: Science Fiction

246 pages, Paperback

Published June 27, 2021

About the author

Kristofor Hellmeister is a Canadian born, Georgia bred, New England Patriots loving middle school teacher and author. He lives near Atlanta, Georgia with his wife Kristie and son Maddox. Kristofor enjoys baseball, football, fishing, writing, reading, watching a good movie, and teaching.

Reviews

[thewildreaderwithacat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shape of Memories is a good blend of sci-fi and emotions, well written and somewhat a quick read.

I like reading sci-fi books and was excited to read this one. The story is interesting and the characters are well developed. I liked the concept and the way it was laid out for the readers.

I was a bit put off that it had more emotional aspect to it for my liking from a sci-fi book. But on the contrary, this can be a positive point for readers who are not as much into sci-fi.

I would like to thank the author, Kristofor Hellmeister for the ARC. I enjoyed reading Shape of Memories.

[Fatima · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book : Shape of memories

By: @hellmeisterkristofor
... Review..

The start of the book kind of gave interstellar vibes but as we proceed into book it takes an turn to road full of emotions. The book is narrated by alpha tyler grisham pov. Alpha grisham leaves his wife behind to go on an inhabitant planet up177 where he is separated from Elizabeth and his other crew mates due to the crash landing.
The planet up177 has trees, waters but no sign of living creature . There is one strange thing about the planet : here the memories takes shapes .......
his emotional memories of his father , mother, his dead old friend starts to take shape as if they were real . My favourite shape out of all of them was Marla his wife. Alpha spent a quite good time with her on palnet up177, their dance in the rain has to be my favourite part of the book. I also loved the character of real Elizabeth wished to see more of her 🤎🤎 overall this book was a good read 💕💕

[Emily Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shape of Memories
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Science Fiction
Format: Kindle eBook
Date Published: 6/27/21
Author: Kristofor Hellmeister
Publisher: Self Published
Pages: 246
GR: 3.92

My Thoughts: I do not normally like Sci-Fi books, however, the author introduced me to this book and I enjoyed the story. The sci-fi element was not overpowering and it was full of emotion, my favorite type of read. This was a unique plot and not one I have come across before. Imagine, being able to recreate your relationship, to right any wrongs, and have a different outcome? The story is narrated by Alpha, in his POV. The story is a shorter one, so easily finished in a few readings. My favorite part was when Alpha’s memories appears as shapes, the one of his wife, Marla, and the journey on Planet up177. Their dance is the rain tugged at my heart and it was just heartwarming. The message of the story is finding your inner peace and standing in your truth, always one of my favorite messages. Sometimes, when life is difficult, we want to hide, however, when we face difficult things, it makes us stronger and better equipped in the future. The characters were well developed and the author’s writing style was thought provoking and beautiful.
🏷
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#whatimreading #booklover #bookworm #bookpic #bookstagram #fiction #booksoninstagram #reviewer #bookfriends #bookrecs #goodreads #bookishgirl #2022bookgoals #bookpost #Book-Reviews #sciencefiction #kristoforhellmeister #shapeofmemories

[ThianeJansen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was gifted this book by the author in exchange for an honest review.

I have never been a fan of anything sci-fi so I was a bit skeptical when I dived into this book- but not only was the sci-fi element not overpowering in this book, it also was radiating with emotions that pulled you in like gravity. 🪐

🚀We rocket with Alpha Tyler Grisham in his vessel, ‘The Mayflower’ 🛸on the search to colonize distant planets.🪐We soon learn that there is a big reason he flees from earth so eagerly, he is in the middle of contemplating divorcing his wife. In the midst of this interstellar and emotional travel, the Mayflower devastatingly crash lands on a desolate planet known as UP-117. In the chaos Tyler is separated from his crew and a black hole of fear and determination enters his chest to get back to his vessel. As he travels in search for it, he is soon accompanied by something bizarre. A shape, a similitude of his old, no longer alive,best friend Miles. He soon realizes this peculiar ‘thing’ can take on any shape of his memories. Whether its his best friend, Mr crocodile Steve, his father or the intimidation of his soon-to-be ex wife, if he can draft up a memory of the person, so the shape moves, and talks and lives before his eyes. 👥

We see the vulnerability of Tyler as he creates the shape of memory of Marla, his wife as he tries to do everything in their relationship over again. Meeting again, falling in love again, bringing back the spark he so desperately knew they lost and shoving all the hate and silence that now lured between them on earth in exchange for laughter and giddiness in this shape of memories on UP-117. But as he finds his vessel destroyed, will he be content with this memory version of Marla and the new way of life they live here,or start missing the Earth and his home? 🌎

The premise kept me reading to finally understand how the shape of memories work and to see how Tyler will handle this life altering decision of either staying or facing the consequences of his actions and past mistakes on Earth. It gets quite suspenseful, emotional and capturing.

It was definitely a unique book and short enough to finish in one sitting!📚 A gripping read.

Thank you again to the author Kristofor Hellmeister for sending me this book.

[Kealyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all I want to thank Kristofor Hellmeister for sharing his beautiful book with me. The best thing about being a book reviewer is accepting a book you normally wouldn't pick up. And getting surprised by it and loving it.

This book is about a man named Tyler Grisham. He is the captain/alpha of the explorer Mayflower. The first chapter starts with him calling his wife and they are not on the same page at all. He wants to divorce her when he comes back to earth. And she wants to save their marriage.
Tyler is also drawn to his beta, Elizabeth. He thinks she can make him happy. His wife Marla, can not.

As soon as he ends the call there is an emergency. They are approaching planet UP117. There is a debris ring surrounding the planet. The debris is about to hit them and Tyler decides to land the vessel. His crew and himself escape with pods.
As soon as he lands and crawls out of the pods. He starts to see shapes. At first he sees his dog, that has long past away since. Then he starts to see his childhood friend Miles.
And Miles explains that he is a shape of his memories. Througout the book the shape changes appearance often. It can turn into his father and mother, his wife Marla, Elizabeth and Miles.

Tyler also falls and gets hurt climbing a rock. The shapes of his memories help him survive. The book contains a beautiful story about all the relationships you have in your life. His fater was harsh and cruel at times. But throughout the book Tyler gets to know his father in the same, but also a different way. He is able to ask his mother why she never divorced him. And she explains to him what love it.
Tyler is also forced to analize his feelings for Elizabeth and Marla. The shape that turns into Marla. He loves her and hates her at the same time. He hates that she is so kind, so understanding, so loving, so open - he hates that she is there for him. And he slowly starts to fall for the shape of Marla.

One of the most powerful scenes for me was when he explains to the shape Marla why his marriage with the real Marla failed. His shows her his pain and speaks with raw honesty. And this Marla immediately says you are everything to me. I want to have you. I am different from the Marla you left behind. And Tyler decides to start a live with this Marla. And he marries her.

Meanwhile he is also trying to find the Mayflower. And once he does, the A.I. system has taken over the vessel. And he does everything in his power to send a distress signal and destroy the A.I. system.

And then his new life starts. But even though he loves that Marla, he still is wondering about the real one. And he cannot let it go, he still is trying to find a way off this planet.

Everything that comes next are HUGE SPOILERS! He finds another vessel. And he finds out that the Marla on this planet is a synth. He is able to contact another ship. That is coming to rescue him. A lot of exciting things happen.

But what broke my heart was the raw pain of the synth. Her telling her story. That she was discarded because they were afraid of her. And that she became human by loving Tyler. And their goodbye, it broke me to pieces. Even though she was a synth. She was real. And what they shared was real.
But the one thing that wasn't real. Was that she wasn't his Marla. She was a shape of his Marla. And he needed to go back to his true wife. After he realized he made just as much mistakes as Marla did.

The ending was really powerful too. Elizabeth was saved too. But he just acknowledged it. He wasn't drawn to her anymore. All Tyler wants, is his wife.
I loved how it ended. I love the not knowing. But I do hope she waited for him. And that they find their happiness again. In my mind they even adopt a child. Because that is what they deserve. After so many years of pain and suffering. And being unable to connect with each other. They deserve a happy ending. So in my mind, they are getting it.

This really is a powerful book. It really made me feel and ache and wonder. I loved the whole sci-fi part of it. And I thought it would be religious, but it wasn't. It does contain a bit of religion, but not much. And in a good and proper way.

Really strong book! 4 well deserved stars from me!

[Sarah Festa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was like Ultron meets The Martian meets Star Trek.

This book has so much to unpack. At first it seems like a futuristic space travel story and it is, but so much more.

Tyler Grisham, our main character, is faced with dealing with his past memories when he encounters a being that can take the form of whomever he thinks of.

He deals with his crumbling marriage, his grief over many things and has to fight to survive and get home.

I really enjoyed this unique story about finding inner peace and realising that sometimes, the thing we cannot face, is the thing that can make us whole.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who doesn’t love a bit of shape shifting? That’s what you're getting here! The story is told from the perspective of Tyler Grisham - who has his own interplanetary vessel that crashes on a random planet where some kind of life form takes the shape of his own memories. The story focuses around him interacting with his own memories involving the people he once knew. It reminded me a little bit of a computer game called ‘to the moon’ (look it up, it’s an awesome game).

This isn’t the kind of thing you would normally catch me reading, Sci-fi is very hit and miss for me but I'm so glad that I read this! I really enjoyed the whole idea of the story, loved the characters and the feeling of suspense throughout the book!

I was gifted a free copy of this book for review purposes, views and opinions are my own and have not been influenced by anyone.

[Anindita Ghosh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tyler Grisham is on his way to discovering lives on unknown planets. On his journey, he and his team gets trapped into the debris field of such a planet, and their vessels explode on that planet. Although there seems to be no life in there, there is something else. Something, that can take the shape of your memories. They can be happy ones, or depressing ones, depending upon the memory.

This one turned out to be unexpectedly good. I enjoyed reading the endless counter with Tyler and his memories. The author captured Tyler's nature vividly. I did not always like Tyler's point of view of life, he seemed extremely dominating in his married life, and easily getting distracted to the sensuality of the females around him, but to the author's credit, the story did not become cringy at any point. The survival game stayed the bigger part of the story.

[Iris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was asked by the author himself to write a honest review about his book.

In the Shape of Memories we follow the main character named Tyler Grisham who is the alpha captain of a vessel named the 'Mayflower'.

The story starts with a conversation between Tyler and his wife Marla. The couple face a difficult period during their marriage and the sparks are nowhere to be seen anymore.Tyler focuses completely on his career to avoid facing his marriage problems.

His live is turned upside down when his vessel get caught in a cataclysmic debris ring. The Mayflower gets smashed down and the vessel shatters in pieces on the gloomy uninhabited planet named UP-117

Challenges appear on Tyler's path when he finds out that the crash separated him from his crew. Dedicated and thrown over by this new adventure that cross his life Tyler goes searching for his crew.

Faced by a bizarre encounter Tyler gets launched in the depths of the shapes of his own memories. The shape can transform into people who played a big role in his life like his wife Marla. Would this Marla be different than the one that he married?

I read a lot of science fiction books but this book was definitely unique in its sort. The ending of the book felt like a open ending to me. I would have liked to figure out more.

The Shape of Memories is a standalone book wich i also enjoyed.

[ZasiaReads · Rating 3 out of 5]

📚 Book Review 📚

First of all thank you the author for gifted me this copy in exchange of an honest review. It was really kind of you to give me this opportunity.

I don’t really read sci-fi so I was really skeptical about reading this book. But when I started reading it I realized even though it had element of space and AI, it was not completely a science fiction. It was more about relationship, exploring oneself, memories, forgiveness, confessions, and getting second chances in life.

Tyler Grisham, the main character of the book is an alpha captain of a discovery class vessel “The Mayflower”, which crash lands in an unidentifiable planet called UP-117. He is on the verge of divorcing his wife while this emergency situation happens. Because of the sudden crash land, he gets separated from his team mates and the main vessel, and wakes up alone in an uninhibited location. There he encounters a being which can take a shape of anything from his memories.Be it be his mom, his father, his wife from the earth, his dead best friend, or be it be any character from superhero movies. Who doesn’t like that kind of experience where you get to see your loved ones one more time?

At first, this would seem like some book with happy stories. But boy, I was wrong to think that. There was some unexplainable danger that Tyler didn’t see coming in his way. He had to make so many decisions with different choices that would secure his chance in being alive. His chance of getting out of this inhabited dangerous planet and be with his people on Earth. But was he able to do it?

To get the answer of this I had to keep going forward with the story. The ending wasn’t exactly the way I imagined it to be. But I was happy with it. I would give this book ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

My favorite quote from the book is “You don’t apologize or give forgiveness because a person deserves it, son. You do it for yourself. If you hold onto all that hate and bitterness, it will turn you ugly on the inside. And you don’t heal”

[Julie Furlong · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would like to thank Kristofer @hellmeisterkristofor for giving me the opportunity to read this beautifully written book! This was a book that is out of my usual horror genre and I am glad that I agreed to read it and expand my horizons! I don’t usually like to make comparison to books or movies, but Kristofor told me that it is like The Notebook and The Thing combined. Since I’ve never read either of those, I thought, why not?
I didn’t think that I was going to have so many feels for this book! I was rooting for Tyler to get back home to earth, but then I was also wanting to slap him and tell him to wake up and be a man. I suppose the memory of his father did that enough throughout the book tho. The writing in this sci-fi/romance/suspense read was so good! If you want cry a little while biting your nails, this is the book for you! Check this book or ebook ou

[Bozena · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first book by this author and the only thing that I knew about this book was, that it's a sci-fi story.
I haven't read the blurb or any reviews and I'll recommend to read it this way, because this book is not just a sci-fi book, it's so much more.
The sci-fi is just a background of this unique and fascinating story.

The main topic in this book is self-discovery and reflecting on the past.
Yes, it's a action-packed and fascinating sci-fi book, but what happens with the main character in his isolation from the civilization, is a very unique perspective of the memories of his loved ones.

I don't want to give too much away, so I'll just leave it at that, but I was pleasantly surprised by this book.

It definitely won't be the last book I read by this author.

[Bookscoffeeandchaos | Sasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

amazing!

A refreshing sci-fi thriller with fantastic depth. The writing, the character development, the storyline, everything in this book completely rocked me to the core. Read it you won’t regret it!

[Haley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite the lack of support from his father, Tyler Grisham has come to control his own vessel, The Mayflower. However, life isn't all sunshine and roses. His marriage is failing, he thinks he might be falling in love with his second in command, and worst of all... his vessel is hurtling towards a planet that threatens to wipe him and his crew out of the universe.

Absolutely nothing is going right and Tyler Grisham doesn't expect to survive the encounter, but he does everything he can to keep his crew alive. He initiates crash landing protocols and hopes for the best.

Somehow the best is being ejected and landing somewhere on a seemingly uninhabited planet. But at least he's alive. That's all that matters, isn't it?

Well... being alive and retaining all of his memories. Because Tyler isn't as alone as he thinks. There's something on the planet with him... something that wants to keep him close. And it's going to take all of his willpower to escape.

Personally, I found Tyler Grisham to be a pretty unlikeable character from the beginning. He's paranoid about technology and most of the story is told through a first-person narrated inner monologue. Within the first few pages, he tells us that he's going to ask his wife for a divorce, that he doesn't have feelings for her anymore. And then we're told that he wants to pursue his second in command. Which, for me, is extremely cringeworthy. I wasn't a fan of this idea that he wanted to trade his wife in for a newer model because he didn't want to work on the problems they were having. It leads you to believe that if he has trouble with his next partner, it will just be a kind of rinse and repeat.

Thankfully, this is only present for the first little bit of the book. Once Tyler is launched onto the surface of the planet, things kind of get turned on their head.

I was really intrigued about the title from the beginning. The title is, honestly, what drew me immediately to the book. I wanted to know why it was called Shape of Memories. Once Tyler is on the surface of this planet, the narrative wastes no time in explaining this. And it's one of the coolest things I've seen in a Sci-Fi book recently.

There's a creature on the planet that takes on the shape of whatever the person they're interacting with is remembering. At least, that's the gist I got of it. It isn't explained extremely well how this works, but I think that's mostly because the narrator has no idea how this thing does what it does.

From the introduction of this creature, the narrative picks up. We find Tyler trying to sort through his own childhood trauma, his marriage, his interest in his second in command, and a number of other things through the use of this creature. He begins to rely on it for everything. And it's a very interesting relationship to see.

I wanted more about the creature, though. The story was interesting, the characters were so-so, but this creature was absolutely fascinating to me.

Definitely worth the read and I would love to know more about this planet and its inhabitants.

[Bookshelf Bunny · Rating 4 out of 5]

A classic Sci-fi. This was a really interesting read. When Alpha Grisham is stranded on an alien planet he comes across a being that can take the shape of whatever he thinks about. With the Shape's help he learns how to survive while he looks for any survivors of his crew. The Shape helps him in other ways too. But just when he is becoming resigned to his fate he learns the truth of the Shape and everything changes.

This book kept me guessing. One part survival story, one part journey of self discovery, and all sci-fi. Absolutely a worthwhile read!

[Brooke Auckerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I give this book a rating of 5 out of 5 stars! This was such an amazing and well written story! I was instantly obsessed with the story I couldn't put my kindle down. If you're into fiction this is the book for you!

[Sarah (gymrat_reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

✨ARC BOOK REVIEW✨

Shape of Memories by @hellmeisterkristofor

🌟🌟🌟🌟/5

My very first ARC and my very first S c i F i read! And all I have to say, is what a great book to begin both of those with!

Synopsis:

Alpha Grisham is used to authority. After years of being raised by an overbearing father, Tyler Grisham is now in command of his own vessel, The Mayflower. His life soon spirals out of control, however, when he crash lands on an uninhabited planet--UP-117. It is here Alpha Grisham encounters a being that takes the shape of his most intimate and most powerful memories, including that of his estranged wife, his domineering father, and that of his dead childhood friend. But, there is a memory that he does not want to encounter--a memory that begins to hunt him down.

Having never read sci-fi, but being a lover of sci-fi cinema, I was extremely curious about this book from the moment the author sent me the synopsis!

To my pleasant surprise, you really get emotionally attached to the story and its characters. Quite possibly my favorite memory that Tyler (Alpha Grisham) shapes is when his ’tough guy’ and controlling exterior begins to break down and you see him as the person that he truly is as he begins to shape the memory of his soon-to-be ex wife, Marla, and attempts to re-do their relationship to see where things went wrong. But as he finds his vessel destroyed, will he be content with this memory version of Marla and the new way of life they live here, or start missing the Earth and his home?

This book was a quick read, well paced and extremely well written; the end of each chapter will have you saying “oh just one more!” If you’re like me and haven’t read Sci-Fi before, this book is a great place to start! Most definitely looking forward to future @hellmeisterkristofor books!

[theb00kmouse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall I enjoyed this book. I struggled a bit with the first couple of chapters, I felt it started off a little slow. It did pick up after that and I liked the sci-fi elements and the character development. I was somewhat annoyed with the main character Tyler in the beginning, however as you learn more about him, it is easier to understand him and see why he acts the way he does. If you like sci-fi and emotional stories, I feel this book is worth the read.

[Smita · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an avid fan of literature, I find myself drawn to the science fiction genre on occasion.

Recently, I had the pleasure of reading a novel called "Shape of Memories", which I would classify as a romantic science fiction work.

The story is told from the perspective of Tyler Grisham, a man who controls his own interplanetary vessel that unfortunately crash lands on a distant planet. As he tries to survive in this strange world, he finds that a mysterious "being" has taken the form of his own memories, causing him to interact with various people from his past.

Though it takes him some time to realize what is happening, Tyler eventually learns to accept this unusual situation and continue his journey.

What struck me most about this book is how accessible it is for those who are new to science fiction. The author does an excellent job of explaining the important concepts of Tyler's job and the technological aspects of his world without overwhelming the reader.

Additionally, the book provides interesting insights into Tyler's character through his introspective monologues. Despite his high position and strict upbringing, Tyler is surprisingly vulnerable and honest, which I found refreshing. The way he reflects on his love for Marla, his estranged wife, is particularly noteworthy, as it offers a rare glimpse into the mind of a male protagonist in a romance novel.

The blending of science fiction and romance in "Shape of Memories" is truly unique and impressive.

Another surprising element of the book is its exploration of religion. While it does not dominate the narrative, there are intriguing references to beliefs about forgiveness, help, and strength that are woven into the story.

Overall, the novel features a delightful cast of characters, each with their own distinct personality. I highly recommend "Shape of Memories" to anyone looking to delve into science fiction with a touch of romance.

It's a thrilling and suspenseful read that is sure to captivate readers.

[Madison · Rating 2 out of 5]

Uhm okay firstly, I haven’t read a book of this genre since I was in middle school so it’s been a while. I’ve definitely moved on from this genre, it’s just not my favorite. I think the premise of this book is really intriguing. Colonization of space? Crash landing on a strange planet with dangerous discoveries? Sound s pretty interesting. I do think that the focus of the book tended to veer in too many different directions. Going into the book I was expecting more of a sci-fi space adventure but it was more about a man coming to terms with the awful mistakes he’s made in his life and trying to heal and move forward. To be completely honest, I hated the main character Tyler for most of this book. Some of his comments on women were quite gross and often offensive, but based on his history with his wife Marla and his past experiences grieving his friend and facing his father’s harsh torment, I feel like I understand how his attitudes and behaviors came about. I feel like Tyler’s thoughts and actions towards women are filled with this notion of toxic masculinity that stems from his relationship with his father and growing up with an outlook on his parents imperfect marriage. He always felt the need to prove himself through strength and through little emotion, like his father. So, while the comments and actions toward women in this novel from Tyler were quite awful, I feel as though it makes sense with Tyler’s character. That doesn’t make the comments or actions okay obviously. I really enjoyed the chapter from Elizabeth’s point of view and frankly I wish there was more of that. All we saw was one chapter and then she came back at the end. I think this book could’ve been better if it were more a dual pov book. With perspectives from Tyler and Elizabeth going through their own experiences on the planet. I think that could’ve been really interesting. Overall, not my favorite read but then again I’m not a big fan of this genre in general. If you are super into sci-fi then you might be interested in this book. If Goodreads offered half stars then I would give this 2.5 stars

[Sarah Brousseau · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book 94/75: Shape of Memories by Kristofor Hellmeister. I was sent a copy of this book from the author for an honest review! A few typos and/or missing words within some sentences, all in all an enjoyable read though! Although this is the third book this month I've been seeing the metaphor "dancing like an Indian" or "sitting like an Indian" and I'm getting really frustrated that authors think it's ok to say things like that. So authors, stop comparing a situation, especially in the wilderness, to something "indian"-like. It's not culturally appropriate and docks points in my own rating almost instantly. I know what sitting cross-legged means... adding like an Indian is moot. But that's my opinion. The concept of the story was fascinating, being stranded on a planet that the companion you're stuck with is a reflection of your memories, quite fascinating! With a hint of suspense of not knowing what kind of living creature are among the inhabitants, truly different and I appreciated that. I don't know how intentional it was, but when the shape of Miles realized he was finally being called only Miles, the comment referred to "the form/shape of Miles" but for a few chapters, it was only "the Miles" so it made the consistency bizarre or perhaps where I felt words were missing. I noticed a lot of the story writing went along the lines of the "Subject Verb *as this happened at the same time*" formula quite often, one three sentence paragraph had this style three times... so to the point that I noticed it and I normally don't notice patterns in writing style. That could be because I've read enough stories to notice it finally. A character that had died somewhere in the book didn't feel like she had died, so it was odd when all of a sudden, there was a shift. But all's well that ended well here. Interesting read.

[Bookish.Caterpillar · Rating 4 out of 5]

🚀 In my life, there's been heartache and pain
I don't know if I can face it again
Can't stop now, I've traveled so far
To change this lonely life

I wanna know what love is
I want you to show me
I wanna feel what love is
I know you can show me
(Lyrics of song by Foreigner)

🚀 The story follows Tyler Grisham who works for MASS, an organisation working to map out and colonise distant planets.🪐 His vessel “The Mayflower” crash lands on a strange planet UP-117. The planet depicts no sign of life. Soon he encounters a creature that can take shape of his memories. Whether it’s his intimidating father or his dead childhood friend or his wife whom he wants to divorce, the creature can take any shape.

🚀 When the creature takes the shape of his wife Marla, Tyler looks at it as an opportunity to amend his mistakes which he made in the past, so he can start a new life with her with no regrets from the past. But with his vessel destroyed and no means of going back to Earth, will Tyler be satisfied with the new life he is building with his wife or will he start missing his real wife and his life back on Earth?

🚀 The book starts with total sci-fi vibes. Personally I am not a fan of sci-fi but I wasn’t expecting that it will turn out to be something totally different. I loved the concept of this book memories taking actual shapes which seems quite funny at times specially when the creature takes the shape of crocodile Steve.

🚀 Unexpectedly the book was full of suspense and it kept me guessing what’s gonna happen next. I could not wait to find out the mystery behind the creature taking shape of the memories. This book was quite unique and different from the rest of the books and I actually enjoyed reading it. Thankyou Kristofor Hellmeister for sending me the ebook.

[C.A. Powers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kristofor is a new to me author. I'm not usually big on sci-fi books but thought I'd give it a try. So glad I did!

I really enjoyed the concept of this story. I was pulled in by it not really being a true sci-fi book since there was much more to the storyline. There was a lot of raw emotions in this book.

The storyline and character development was fantastic!

I didn't like Tyler in the beginning, I felt he could've been a little more sensitive to Marla as he mentioned divorce, especially being together
15 yrs. But instead he was so caught up with his infatuation with his 2nd in command Elizabeth to seem to care, but as time progressed my feelings toward him changed.

Fast forward some and at one point their ship crashes, and Tyler gets separated from his ship and crew. Once he was alone his memories started taking shape. I found this concept very interesting!

The memory shape started simple, starting out with his childhood dog, to slowly glide him into what would happen next. His best friend Miles. Obviously Tyler believes he's hallucinating from the crash.

How can Miles be in front of him talking to him, when something horrible happened to him as a child. Something that sticks in Tyler's memory that causes him guilt. So obviously he was hallucinating or was he?

During this story Tyler went through so many memories and emotions. The shape taking on many people from his memories. Some good and some full of anguish.

Tyler spent time reliving the past with the shape of Marla, starting with when they first met and to the now, trying to get back what they once had. The dancing in the rain really got to me.

Tyler now has the decision to make whether to stay with the shape of Marla or to go back to Earth and hope the real Marla will take him back.

Grab a copy to check out this wonderful and brilliant story, and see what Tyler decides to do.

[Kate Lockley-Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you had the opportunity to do things over, what event would you relive? Which person would you bring back? Most importantly, who are doing it for?

Within in depths of the vast Universe Alpha Tyler Grisham carries the weight protecting and managing his crew and along with his distant marriage-literally and figuratively. As his vessel encounters what appears to be an uncharted planet, it quickly becomes apparent that they are in the imminent danger.

After Alpha Grisham deploys his crew to safety, he goes down with "the ship", named The Mayflower. When the Alpha awakes, surprised he survived, he starts on his journey to find the vessel. Unknowingly to Grisham, a sinister being has already made it's way to the crash site. The crew find themselves under attack. The Alpha's sacrifice now debatable.

During his trek, Grisham is also approached by an unknown being. Panic turns to awe as it's later explained that 'The Shape' takes on the form of his memories. Using this to his advantage, The Shape and Grisham continue onward as The Shape takes on forms of his father, mother and deceased childhood friend. Throughout the journey, Grisham decides to relive his relationship with Marla. A test run to see if he can make his real failed relationship work when he returns to earth.

When Grisham discovers a possible way to escape the planet he is dealt with a dilemma. Will he stay and live the remainder of his life with his fantasy wife? Or make the attempt to rebuild his marriage with the true Marla?

This novel with have you questioning your own decisions throughout your life and whether you would change them. In the end it's only you that can change and trying to change someone else will only leave you with their shell.

[E.A. Robins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deep in uncharted space, the captain of an exploratory starship finds himself marooned on an isolated planet. The new world offers an abundance of flora, its mountainsides thick with vegetation. Rivers crisscross the countryside. Regrettably, according to bioscans, there is a noted lack of sentient life to be found across this lush terrain.

However, as the intrepid captain begins his efforts to contact and recover his crew, the thick foliage quivers. Something unseen darts through the shadows. He is not alone.

A study in the man vs. himself conflict, Hellmeister introduces a protagonist made unique by his unapologetically disagreeable nature.

Raw humanity sans romanticism perforates every interaction and thought offered by the MC. The character causes distress and outrage in the reader, not because he is imperfect, but in the realization that this is someone we all know. This is human nature undressed. This is a mirror held to common faults and flaws, and a spotlight that won’t be turned off. This story is not for the feint-hearted.

That being said, there is something grotesquely alluring about the trials of an unpleasant, struggling “hero”. Psychologically, all readers look for themselves in the MC. It is what endears us to their plights. What is found in Shape of Memories is less a window into a fictional character and more a mirror, revealing our own imperfections to ourselves.

Hellmeister’s sci-fi novel is intriguing and distinct.

And, if the man vs. himself doesn’t do it for you, worry not.
There is a healthy dose of the ever enjoyable, action-packed man vs. alien conflict to be found within these pages.

[Lalaine R · Rating 4 out of 5]

🌸🌸Non-Spoiler review 🌸🌸

*ebook for honest review- Thank you Kristofor!”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶️/5

What its about:
Tyler, Alpha of the Mayflower Vessel, crash lands into planet UP-117. There he meets a mysterious shapeshifting being who challenges Tyler’s most intimate and powerful memories. Will he ever find his way back home?

My Thoughts
My first ever Scifi ‘romance’ book and it was definitely an interesting and emotional rollercoaster!

Tropes:
*Sci-fi Romance
*Second Chance

Quote:
“For all those memories Ive become, I am trapped by what you remmeber”

📖 (Plot)
I dove into this book knowing that this is not my typical romance genre. The plot was well paced and had an unexpected horror/thriller theme in the first half. But the more the story progressed, the more intrigued and emotionally invested I was to Tyler and his relationships. There were a few times the story got a little boring due to too much dialogue but the story concept and characters themselves were really well thought out and kept me going until the end.

👤 (Characters)
Tyler: This guy just needs a hug. I was hugely irritated at him in the beginning from a romance reader POV. But the more the story progressed, the more damaged I saw him and how his past really shaped him to be the man he became. This book started as a space adventure but then turned to ones journey to self forgiveness, self discovery and ultimately self acceptance.

🌶️ (Romance)
No spice guys! But thats ok because you get definitely get an emotional rollercoaster. The relationship between Tyler and Marla was… unique (no spoilers)… mainly because of the storyline itself. I loved all the happy memories ☺️

[Gabrielle (belle.bookcorner) · Rating 4 out of 5]

"You don't apologize or give forgiveness because a person deserves it, son. You do it for yourself. If you hold onto all that hate and bitterness, it'll turn you ugly on the inside and you don't heal."

I really like the concept of the plot and it was very interesting, where your memories can take shape. This book was full of emotions and valuable messages throughout the story.

Although I have to admit, there's not a lot of science fiction element in here except that this story takes place happened in space, there's AI and the mysterious strange entity on the unknown planet. This story is more like a story of self-introspection for the main character, Tyler.

It's such a page turner because I can't seem to put down this book. I'm very curious to find out what decision Tyler will made in the end after going through his memories and getting stuck trying to survive in an unknown planet alone.
Will he go back to Earth or will he stay and run away from his mistakes ?

I feel satisfied with how it ends, the ending made me tear up for both Tyler and the mysterious entity.
However, I would've like to know more about the mysterious entity since the readers only got to know about a small part about it near the ending and I'd love to see a short epilogue due to the open ending.

Overall, this book is a very quick and gripping book that will brings out a lot of emotions while you read it.

***Book kindly provided by the author in exchange for an honest review. ***

[Ellah · Rating 4 out of 5]

First I want to thank the author for giving me a free copy of this book. It was such an honor for me to give reviews to authors, esp those who just published new books.
This book had me ok the edge of my seat for a lot of times. It was a fresh read for me because it has been a long time since I last read a scifi. I also loved the twists at the middle of the story as well as at the end. I liked the concept of an outerspace adventure and the unknown creatures/enemies that could be lurking around. The mystery of the unknown thrilled me. There was a scene where I was genuinely terrified for the MC and of the "monster". It was such a tense escape scene.

What made me give this book 1 star less than a perfect rating was the MC himself. Though I saw the character development before the story ended, I felt like it was stuffed mostly at the end part. I didn't really like him for the most part of the story, he was self-centered and kind of heartless. Also, the other characters for me were a bit hard to like, I felt like I connected with them but not much. One thing also is that some descriptions were a hit hard for me to understand, English is not my first language so I had some difficulties in grasping and imagining the scene better, I felt like I missed some good scenes there.

But all in all it was a great read and I would recommend this esp if you're into scifi or you just want to explore into a genre that you wouldn't normally pick up.

[Bookish Dragon NMY18 · Rating 4 out of 5]

We embark on a journey to populate distant planets with Alpha Tyler Grisham in his spaceship, 'The Mayflower.' We quickly find that he is contemplating divorcing and leaving his wife, which is a major factor for his eagerness to depart Earth. The Mayflower crashes into a desolate planet known as UP-117 in the middle of this interplanetary and emotional journey. Tyler gets separated from his crew amid the turmoil, and a black pit of terror and resolve fills his chest as he fights to return to his ship. He is soon accompanied by something strange as he searches for it.

I love how the story was well put together and how everything was clear and well laid out for the readers to read and enjoy, the characters are complex and well developed and I am so grateful for this part. Because good books always must have good and relatable book characters, or else how can you enjoy the book? And it was unlike all the other sci-fi books I have read, because there are so many emotional parts of the story which at first, I find hard to wrap my head around.

But as the book progressed, I loved the very idea of it, and was hoping that I could read more of this kind in the future. The book was an easy read for me, I finished it in a day because the story was so eventful, and I really enjoyed it so much.

Thank you to the author for giving me the opportunity to read and write a review of your book. It means a lot to me; I wish you well on your writing journey! Kudos.

[Krupa Joshi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Would you want to have a chance to meet your dear ones from heaven? Would you want a second chance to make your marriage right? Would you want a second chance to understand yourself better?
Book Review:
The name of the book shape of memories is so perfect. It is a SciFi read and has all elements of good read like Drama, Emotion, Relationships, Conflict, Care and Creativity. A story about a boy who loves to be in his scifi world. He had shelled and trained himself to control what he feels and expresses. But reality hit him when he reached UP 117 a planet where he meets his shape of memories. Without spoiling fun of reading I would like to recommend this book to reader who like to read SciFi with emotions. We all have baggage of relationships and we want another chance to make it right. We have doubts about decision we take and we want to know what life would be if we took other routes.
Reading this book will take you on tour to your own memories. It will make you emotional remembering your loved ones. It will make you think will you ever have a second chance to meet your loved ones again.
A well written book which oozes creativity and imagination of the author. Once you start and have read 10 pages of this book it will take you some efforts to stop reading. It does give you book hangover( you are absorbed by thoughts of your own). Strongly recommend this as a good read.