Customer Reviews

Memento Mori

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Memento Mori pays far more attention to character development and philosophy than most recent work in this genre. It approaches the concepts of aesthetics and value without carrying the baggage of the present. Though her characters clearly owe something to goth culture, Ms Lewitt does not indulge the nihilistic posturing that is so popular today; when her characters are only faking she says so, and when they truly want to express the pointlessness of it all, they shut up and kill themselves. (How nihilism can be popular is beyond me -- you can't conform to a nihilist fashion; that's an oxymoron. Goth isn't something that can be bought at the mall.)

Many other issues are woven into the story: the fine line between pleasure and pain, the addictive power of fantasy, the hubris of science, the difficulties of transitioning into adulthood...

This book provides you with much to think about. Some parts may make you uncomfortable. Others may elate you, or even just scare you. But all of it will draw you in, and keep you expecting the unexpected.

The writing and characters aren't bad, but almost every premise is silly. The major premise is that an artificial intelligence with DNA computing elements will go through puberty. Snails have DNA too - why doesn't the DNA based computer grow a shell? And it doesn't advance the story - Asimov, Binder, Ryan, Heinlein, etc. all managed robot/computer coming-of-age stories without such stupid gimmicks. The movie Toy Story doesn't make the mistake of claiming that Buzz Lightyear's existential crisis comes because he's made of carbon.

The mimor premises are generally bad, too - as an aside, viruses are blamed for a plague, because alien bacteria wouldn't effect people - but that's backwards. Most bacteria can survive without a host - no virus can. etc.

If you're in the mood for a depressing book, you might like this one if you know little of science or technology. Otherwise try something like Blood Music or The Sheep Look Up (they're better written, too).