Brad Thor’s Summer 2018 Fiction Pick for THE TODAY SHOW!
“Eerie, dark, and compelling, [The Book of M] will not disappoint lovers of The Passage (2010) and Station Eleven (2014).” –Booklist
WHAT WOULD YOU GIVE UP TO REMEMBER?
Set in a dangerous near future world, The Book of M tells the captivating story of a group of ordinary people caught in an extraordinary catastrophe who risk everything … captivating story of a group of ordinary people caught in an extraordinary catastrophe who risk everything to save the ones they love. It is a sweeping debut that illuminates the power that memories have not only on the heart, but on the world itself.
One afternoon at an outdoor market in India, a man’s shadow disappears—an occurrence science cannot explain. He is only the first. The phenomenon spreads like a plague, and while those afflicted gain a strange new power, it comes at a horrible price: the loss of all their memories.
Ory and his wife Max have escaped the Forgetting so far by hiding in an abandoned hotel deep in the woods. Their new life feels almost normal, until one day Max’s shadow disappears too.
Knowing that the more she forgets, the more dangerous she will become to Ory, Max runs away. But Ory refuses to give up the time they have left together. Desperate to find Max before her memory disappears completely, he follows her trail across a perilous, unrecognizable world, braving the threat of roaming bandits, the call to a new war being waged on the ruins of the capital, and the rise of a sinister cult that worships the shadowless.
As they journey, each searches for answers: for Ory, about love, about survival, about hope; and for Max, about a new force growing in the south that may hold the cure.
Like The Passage and Station Eleven, this haunting, thought-provoking, and beautiful novel explores fundamental questions of memory, connection, and what it means to be human in a world turned upside down.
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It begins slowly. A man’s shadow disappears. Everyone is excited and caught up in the wonder. It seems magical. But then he starts to lose his memories. And then more people’s shadows disappear and more memories are lost. It spreads from continent to continent. No place is spared and everything falls apart because no one remembers how to do things, what anything is and even their own names.
Sounds crazy doesn’t it. I couldn’t wait to see where this author was taking me. Told from several character’s perspectives, you’ll get caught up in their struggles to survive, their fears of looking for their shadow and finding it no longer there and their terror of the forgetting that comes after.
I was in awe of the author’s imagination. I thought this would be a fairly straight forward plot, but it was actually finely executed. Events occurred in a fashion that wouldn’t allow me to stop reading. I was so wrapped up in some of these characters, I couldn’t relax until I knew what happened to them.
And when the author showed me her magical direction, I was stunned. My imagination took off, thinking what if this happened, and how would they stop the catastrophes I could see coming. And the ones I couldn’t. Especially the ending.
Did I enjoy this book? Loved it. Addictive. Would I recommend it? Yes sirree. You don’t have to be a dystopian or apocalypse fan to get caught up in this one. The idea is brilliant and expertly penned.
I finally finished reading Peng Shepherd’s novel The Book of M. I say finally because I began this book years ago and something — I no longer recall what — caused me to set it aside and forget about it. I picked it up again earlier this month and was agog that I’d ever paused in reading it.
The book is, to sum it up in one word, brilliant. Shepherd weaves each of her characters through their own compelling story arcs before binding them together into a greater tapestry. She explores humanity via a fantasy device that is fresh and engaging and poignant. And she keeps the reader engaged and guessing through to the very end.
I really have no excuse for putting this book aside. I should have known better. I had the pleasure of hosting Peng Shepherd at the Galactic Philadelphia salon that I co-curate with Sally Wiener Grotta back in June of 2018. I let nearly two years go by when I could have read this.
Five stars out of five, because I’m not allowed to give it any more. Instead, I give it my strong endorsement so that you too will read it and add another five stars of your own.
Where do our memories house themselves? A page-turner from beginning to end. A very different spin on the dystopian genre. It was original and the author made you care about every one of the characters.
One of the most original books I have ever read. I fell in love with every character.
The “Book of M” is an absolutely new take on the end of the world…because the world itself doesn’t end. Reviewing is difficult without spoilers, but I’ll give it a go.
Shadows are memory…and the shadows are disappearing. All across the world, people are losing their shadows, and as the disease progresses, their memories go with it. But when there is no memory to tell us what’s real and what’s not…the mind is set free to create absolutely anything. Or destroy anything by simply forgetting it exists.
One couple has survived and kept their shadows, but as the world shifts, survival grows more difficult. As they separate for a simple day of foraging, everything shifts, setting one of them on a long journey of discovery and the other on a different journey of remembering.
The book is brilliantly executed, nuanced, and beautifully strung together. The characters are vivid and my heart was genuinely touched at the twist, which was unexpected and bittersweet. If you’re into explorations about humanity at the end of all things, this is a great one to pick up. I read and listened to the audio version, and I have to say, the audio is produced beautifully.
How far do your feeling and love extend to someone who does not remember you? This is the journey of people who are in love, separate and then unite, but with a twist. I can say no more without ruining what makes it so good.
One of the best books I’ve ever read!!
This book kept me guessing — a high-concept futuristic story, similar to The Road or Station Eleven. I was slow to warm up to this, but it proved rewarding by the end.
A beautifully written existential apocalypse, following everyday people on a search for love, memory, and meaning across the richly realized and frighteningly familiar ruins of America.
The Book of M is exciting, imaginative, unique, and beautiful. Shepherd proves herself not just a writer to watch, but a writer to treasure.
I was both disturbed and inspired by Max’s and Ory’s journey through apocalypses large and small. Peng Shepherd has written a prescient, dark fable… a beautiful nightmare.
A very creative dystopian novel
I give The Book of M high points for its creativity. I’ve read many end-of-the-world novels, and most revolve around a pathogen, alien invasion, climate change, nuclear holocaust, or robot domination. Never have I seen one which contains the premise of people losing their shadows, with the subsequent loss of their memories, as the reason for humanity’s downfall. On just this point alone, the book is worth reading.
The writing is clear, and the story flows nicely. I found it enlightening how Ms. Shepherd described in the book the experience of dementia or Alzheimers when people lost their shadows and eventually their memory. I’ll add another kudos for creativity concerning how the dialogue of one of the major characters was in the form of a voice recording, at least for much of the story.
I was disappointed, however, at not finding a reason for the loss of people’s shadows. Another negative was that the story meandered a bit aimlessly during much of the middle as it digressed into fight scenes between the shadowed people and the shadowless. The positives outweigh the negatives.
It’s a storyline that I’ll remember for a long time.
Book of M BLEW ME AWAY. I am now a lifelong fan. Original, terrifying, and incredibly well written.
A stunningly written magical realism version of the apocalypse. I’m still processing how I feel about what was rather a gut punch of an ending, but this is a beautiful and beautifully original story.
Not your average post apocalyptic fiction, it’s premise is far more clever and subtle. To lose one’s shadow is to eventually lose all memory. Without memory we are no longer quite human; we become pure magic.
Dystopian slightly surreal, futuristic but with such good world building there’s no huge leap in your imagination. Top class writing.
I loved this book for the language and the way the author played with POV.
The idea that one can lose one’s shadow and that one’s memories are tied to your shadow makes for a very interesting story.
Great post apocalypse book
Very unique and imaginative.