The Memory Index - by Julian Ray Vaca (Hardcover)

About the Book

In a gripping and stunning science fiction novel, Julian R. Vaca reimagines a 1987 world where memories are as valuable as gold.

Book Synopsis

In this electric speculative YA sci/fi novel, the world treats memories like currency, so dreams can be a complicated business. Perfect for fans of Neal Stephenson and Philip K. Dick.

In an alternative 1987, a disease ravages human memories. There is no cure, only artificial recall. The lucky ones--the recollectors--need the treatment only once a day.

Freya Izquierdo isn't lucky. The high school senior is a "degen" who needs artificial recall several times a day. Plagued by blinding half-memories that take her to her knees, she's desperate to remember everything that will help her investigate her father's violent death. When her sleuthing almost lands her in jail, a shadowy school dean selects her to attend his Foxtail Academy, where five hundred students will trial a new tech said to make artificial recall obsolete.

She's the only degen on campus. Why was she chosen? Freya is nothing like the other students, not even her new friends Ollie, Chase, and the alluring Fletcher Cohen. Definitely not at all like the students who start to vanish, one by one. And nothing like the mysterious Dean Mendelsohn, who has a bunker deep in the woods behind the school.

Nothing can prepare Freya and her friends for the truth of what that bunker holds. And what kind of memories she'll have to access to survive it.

"Vaca's debut is a thrilling and often unsettling examination of the elusive nature of memory and truth. The Memory Index will leave you breathlessly turning pages until its satisfying conclusion." --Jonathan Evison, New York Times bestselling author of Small World

Get hooked on The Memory Index Duology:

• Book 1: The Memory Index
• Book 2: The Recall Paradox (coming Spring 2023)

Review Quotes

**One of Book Riot's Books to Add to Your TBR - August 2022**--BookRiot

**One of Bustle's Most Anticipated Books of August 2022**--Bustle

**One of SCRIBD's Best Books of August 2022**--SCRIBD

A clever and empathetic work of speculative fiction that examines the power and fragility of memory, recommended for general purchase. Cinematic writing, teen sleuthing, and a nostalgic setting make this book a great recommendation to fans of Stranger Things.--School Library Journal

An exciting sci-fi premise with loads of opportunity for world-bending consequences that speak to the loss of privacy and proliferation of data mining that dog us today . . . Vaca capitalizes on opportunities to surprise us. He also creates a rich atmosphere that's dotted with cultural touchstones . . . a heady sci-fi tale with heart.--Nashville Scene

This speculative YA story is heavy on '80s nostalgia, making it an atmospheric read with elements of adventure and mystery.--SCRIBD

Vaca . . . tackles real-world issues of racism, capitalism, politics, and the exploitation of youth by those in power . . . The Memory Index actively examines its own reality . . . Vaca's storytelling is immersive, opening with a high-speed car chase reminiscent of something out of a Fast and amp; Furious or Mission Impossible movie.--Chapter 16

Vaca's mind-bending, 1987-set debut centers a quartet of teens attempting to uncover the secrets behind Memory Killer, a disease afflicting humankind that renders people unable to retain a large portion of their memories without artificial aid . . . Via expansive worldbuilding and complex characters, Vaca adeptly combines a mysterious disease, corporate malfeasance, a sprinkling of romance, and good old-fashioned teen sleuthing to deliver an absorbing adventure.--Publishers Weekly