Erin Anderson

If you would have told me that in 2023, one of my favourite books was going to be a sci-fi thriller, I would have told you that you are 500% insane. Regardless, Memoir of a Mad Scientist by Erin Anderson is perhaps one of my favourite 2023 reads (sure, it's early in the year... but I have my reasons!).

Dr. Jarian Voss is a scientist for The Coalition, a government agency ruling over the planet he lives on. He makes lasers which he totally doesn't want to believe will be weapons for the government, but we all know how that goes. He's a happy, smart dude who just wants to keep working on his job, but then he's pulled into a new project to make cybernetic prosthetics for a poor teenaged kid who got his arms blown off in an unfortunate accident. "Unfortunate accident" .... Because, you know, the government... In space.

Dr. Voss works hard with the kid, but while he's working with him he starts to smell something fishy. Things just aren't right, with rebels attacking the Coalition, his victim friend, Milosh, bringing up The Reconstruction Zone, and people just keep saying things that make him question his reality... Turns out, there is a lot of dark stuff going on. The Reconstruction Zone might not be the friendly area the government says they send the over flow of population too. The rebels might actually have a good reason for what they are doing. And why is his boss just so darn pushy?

Jarian gets himself into the mix, having to make a decision on whether to stay loyal to the government that paid for his school and gave him a job, or help the rebellion fight against them. When he gets tangled in, he's likely going to bring everyone else down around him...

This book was so thrilling and kept me hooked! I binged the first 70% straight through (with wee breaks for tea and snacks, of course). I had to leave the book (sadly) to go out, but I dreamt about it the entire time... And when I got home, I curled up with a warm blanket and the book and finished it all. A 400 page book in one day? No problem!

Erin Anderson crafted one compelling story. I don't always get drawn into sci-fi books that easily, but this book was the perfect mix of sci-fi, thrills, intrigue, and action to keep me drawn in. The Memoir aspect was also super interesting too, because you see at the beginning what the end is, so you just wonder how you're going to get there. Is Jarian really a mad scientist? Really? Well, you'll find out.

I cannot emphasize enough how much I truly recommend this book. It's a great read and I need every other book Erin writes from here on out. It's mandatory. Authors who write like Erin and books who pull me in like this are rare, so I'm gonna keep this one close to my chest but also scream to the hills about it. Read this book! It's worth every penny!

Five out of five stars! Feel free to take a sixth if you'd like.

I received this book for free from the author, Erin Anderson, in exchange for an honest review.… (altro)