Book Review: Republic of Memory by Mahmud El Sayed


4.5/5 stars. I have read three debut novels so far this year, and Republic of Memory is far away the best of the three. Sayed’s writing is crisp and flows very nicely. There are multiple points of view, and I enjoyed reading all of them. There was never a moment where I was bored with one of the POVs and anxious to get back to another.


I was invested in every part of this story about a revolution on a generation ship that has left a dying Earth, headed to a new planet 400 years from Earth. I like the way Sayed set up the story with a large group of individuals asleep in cryostasis and an even larger group of their family’s descendants making up the crew. It was interesting to see the interactions of the various groups, all defined by the language that they speak. The author also presents a realistic view of the jealousy among the crew members regarding the people in stasis. The belief among some of the crew that the ‘ancestors’ have gotten free travel while the crew has slaved and died in their service for 200 years, with 200 more years to go. A key point of the civil unrest that leads to revolution. 


Sayed tells his story from an Arabfuturist point of view, with religious references that feel perfect for the story and include multiple religious perspectives. This story tells the story of humanity – the good and the bad. Sayed is definitely a writer to keep an eye on.


Highly recommended!!

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