Imagine for a minute that people forgot you if they didn't
see or speak to you for a minute. That's what Nat Morgan
contends with in Eric James Stone's debut novel
UNFORGETTABLE. Not only is life difficult for Nat but also
for those around him. His mother had to have journal
entries and notes to remind her she had a son. Finding a
job seems an unsurmountable feat until he worms his way
into the CIA where his talent proves at least somewhat of a
benefit...even if he has to remind his boss of his
existence
every time he checks in to report.
Nat's ability to vanish from the mind comes in handy when
he needs to steal information from computers as electronics
don't remember him either. No computer tracks. No credit
card bills. And if you thought you had a hard time finding
a Valentine, think if no one remembered you. And then
someone does.
Nat runs into Yelena while they're both trying to steal a
prototype for a quantum chip, more on that later, and the
next time they meet, she remembers him. A former Russian
spy, she has other professional advice for him, too, and
her
own troubles, but they team up to try to save the world
from a maniac who is trying to build a computer to take
over the world.
Sounds unrealistic, and perhaps it is, but if you don't
know the world is being taken over and you think it
isn't...
Needless to say, one learns about quantum theory in
UNFORGETTABLE, but Stone
manages to mix his lessons in with action
and dialog, so it's interesting and not forced and too
overwhelming. His exploration of free will definitely is
worth pondering as well.
Sure, there are a few areas where he could have fleshed
things out more, likely due to his prowess as a short story
writer, and writing a novel is a different animal. For
example, why does this guy pick a quantum computer to
change the future?
UNFORGETTABLE moves from London to Russia to Iran, but heck
if
you're not paying for your own plane fare, why not? Many of
these places could have used some more detail as well.
Overall, Stone takes an intriguing concept and creates a
fun, fast-paced thriller.
Out of sight, out of mind. Due to a fluke of quantum
mechanics, no one can remember Nat Morgan for more than one
minute—not even his boss at the CIA.
Out of sight, out of mind.
In the near future, a fluke of quantum mechanics renders Nat
Morgan utterly forgettable. No one can remember he exists
for more than a minute after he's gone. It's a useful
ability for his career as a CIA agent, even if he has to
keep reminding his boss that he exists.
Nat's attempt to steal a quantum chip prototype is thwarted
when a former FSB agent, Yelena Semyonova, attempts to steal
the same technology for the Russion mob.
Along with a brilliant Iranian physicist who wants to
defect, Nat and Yelena must work together to stop a ruthless
billionaire from finishing a quantum supercomputer that will
literally control the fate of the world.
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