Mark’s Reviews > Children of Memory > Status Update

Things wrap up quickly, but it’s quite satisfying. A version of Liff is saved and another type of consciousness is added to the Human-portiid-octopus-corvid culture.

I cannot decide whether it is sadder for the colony to have lived and died and then been re-simulated or for it to have never existed at all.

I was mostly correct, it is an Inner Light situation but with a twist.

Incredibly sad.

I suspect Miranda / the Nod lifeform can absorb the colonists somehow and allow them to live again in some sense, although they are big on consent now and the simulated Imiri cannot really give it.

This is an odd story; the flashback give context and hints, but the main story is going in circles without adding much (beyond Miranda being related to what is happening, somehow). It’s not bad, I assume it’s intentional and I’m enjoying but it’s definitely… odd.

Okay, got a flashback now where Liff is described as the first child born in Imir and Miranda is there.

Hmm, suspect this might be some kind of Star Trek Inner Light situation where the Nodan Miranda is reliving the life and death of the colony?

Maybe.

The critique of authoritarianism and fascism from the point of view of a child is very well done. Uncle Molder can get in the bin.

The birds are fun. Combing them with the spiders, octopuses, humans and Nodans should be a blast.

Standard ark-ship setup.

Now we have some more advanced people spying on the resulting community. Judging by names and inner monologues we have spiders and possibly Nodans at least.

Promising!