Unforgettable (1)

SPOILER FREE

Whilst the plot of Eric James Stone’s UNFORGETTABLE (2016) might sound like a cliché one is liable to find in any old espionage novel with a gimmicky hook to reel the reader in, it works, and it works wonderfully. The conceit, that a man is completely forgettable due to a quirk of quantum mechanics functioning at a macro-scale, is actually quite unique. Neither people nor computers, or even surveillance equipment, can keep any record of him in their memory after sixty seconds have passed. The record simply vanishes. With a talent (or curse) like this, one would imagine a smorgasbord of opportunities to put this ability to good use. After an initial fling with petty larceny, Nat Morgan chooses to work for the Central Intelligence Agency. The opening of the novel finds him in the middle of a Company job involving corporate espionage which introduces both some of the advantages and limitations of Morgan’s ability.

UNFORGETTABLE is fun and effortlessly readable. It moves at a sizzling pace with just the right amount of droll humour conveyed through its casual tone. All the while through the novel, Stone seems to manage a good balance between an affectionate parody of the spy genre and delivering a rollicking good adventure that takes Morgan from western Europe, Russia, to the Middle East and back again. And yet, he also speculates on the more serious, human ramifications of Morgan’s strange affliction. The most affecting such section being Stone’s brief, matter-of-fact examination of the protagonist’s childhood; a predicament tainted by un-remembrance on the part of others.

Despite the strange, quite fantastic element that is the quantum quirk affecting Morgan, the narrative doesn’t initially bestow a patently science fictional air. However, as the plot progresses and he’s on the trail of a business tycoon attempting to build the most powerful quantum supercomputer the world has ever seen (cue evil laugh and steepled fingers), you’re presented with lay explanations that impart an intuitive understanding of quantum entanglement. As the novel approaches its climax, it moves firmly into science fictional territory with a depiction of the potential consequences of an artificially engendered singularity event. It even tackles themes such as the nature of free will as viewed through a quantum lens.

With the ironically titled UNFORGETTABLE, Stone has begun a lively series with a fun premise that holds strong promise. The novel reads lightly, but it still manages to stimulate through the soft exploration of its quantum themes. And although development for the ancillary characters is a little on the lighter side (the story is suitably plot-centric), the work more than makes up for this deficiency with its pace, adventure sequences and almost whimsical tone. Luckily, Stone restrains himself from taking this tale down a darker, grimmer path than it could have gone, which makes the novel agreeably friendly for a younger readership. While it isn’t a ‘young-adult’ novel per se, it certainly exudes an ambiance associated with that category without devolving into its conventions. It’s also one of those rare instances where a cliffhanger ending actually works. For sheer entertainment value and easy readability, UNFORGETTABLE gets top marks. It’s great science fiction candy.

It's been a couple years since I discovered Eric James Stone's short stories. They are clever, witty, and seeded by unique stories that meld science and the human experience. Whether its a story about the religious proselytization of a whale-like species of alien that dwells within fiery heat at the heart of stars or a tale that involves a tyrannosaurus rex, teleportation, and Buddism, or one about man's first discovery of sentient life on another planet, Stone's stories are part science fiction, part humanity and always mind-popping.

Unforgettable retains Stone's clever touch, though at novel length. Nat Morgan is an scientific anomaly, a man who cannot be remembered by anyone. As soon as he is out of sight, he is, within a minute, lost from memory. Even electronic records fail to retain memory of him. He is a fluke of quantum mechanics, leaving almost no trace behind. Only things written out about him are retained, and it is this one form of record that allows Morgan to find himself one of the few honest jobs that might be available to him--as a spy.

When a simple mission to steal a piece of technology goes wrong, Morgan finds himself bound to a beautiful Russian thief. Strangely, and for the first time for him, she doesn't forget him as others do. Together they will take on a dangerous villain with a quantum chip that dominate the world and end humanities ability to choose.

It's an intriguing set of concepts that Stone has combined. Written like a thriller, Unforgettable is every bit a slice of science fiction that takes place the day after tomorrow, but with all the page turning capacity of a spy novel. And yet, in a turn from many spy/thriller genre tropes, Morgan's story takes on questions that transcend superficial spy versus spy games. It's enjoyable, fun, and satisfying.

And yet, Stone dodges questions about Morgan's life that merit deeper inspection and treatment. From birth, Nat Morgan is completely forgettable, and it is only through sheer will that his mother stays with him as long as she does, while a father who cannot recall where baby Nat has come from leaves Nat and his mother confused. Perhaps this is the wrong book--or the wrong genre--to address the myriad of issues that a man who cannot be remembered would face: he cannot be loved or even known, cannot develop relationships, know responsibility or duty...who will he become? How will he be socialized when society does not know or recognize him? And how does he respond--having no experience with any relationships of any kind--when someone, a woman, suddenly recognizes and remembers him?

Again, perhaps this is the wrong genre. Stone has set up the novel like a thriller, and pacing requires a certain amount of action and movement. But still, it's hard to read even an enjoyable and fun book like this and not wonder how this man must be different from every other man, let alone how he is sane.

Stone's Unforgettable comes to a close addressing other interesting questions, especially about agency and freedom and security, and it is how Stone ties these questions into his fast paced and well-plotted tale that makes Unforgettable, well...unforgettable. I look forward to reading the sequels and following Nat Morgan's further adventures. There's more to this story to tell, and Stone has shown that he has the capacity to spin a story that will keep readers glued.

Clever. Well written. Fast paced. FUN! I have read this book 3 or 4 times, and loved it every time. My 11-year-old grandson also votes it a great read.

This book rocks. I love the humor in it. Plus, it's a bonus with the SF writer is way smarter than me in the physics department. The concept of unforgettableness is awesome! My favorite thing is how sympathetic I am to Nat. I'm not sure if you judge a main character based on whether or not you'd date them, but it is a metric and I would. :)

All the years of reading Eric James Stone and this is up there with my favorites!

By an unexplained fluke of quantum mechanics, Nat Morgan can't be remembered if he isn't seen or heard for one minute. He disappears from computer systems. He doesn't appear on film or taped records. He's the CIA's perfect thief, though he has to keep convincing them he works for them. He's Schrödinger's cat burglar.

That's how this starts. Then it gets WEIRD.

Eric Stone builds this plot around quantum theory to explain Nat's existence, then pulls unexpected but perfectly logical extrapolations from the basic idea. The story works, beautifully.

Nat is sent to stop to stop an Iranian billionaire from getting his hands on technology that will make possible a super-computer that can predict the future. He ends up meeting the only person in the world who can remember his existence, and finding out the job is much, MUCH more important than he thought, as well as more difficult and dangerous. Because the computer will not only be able to predict the future, but control it.

And in order to do save, he has to simultaneously help Russian ex-spy Yelena Semyonova and Iranian physicist Parham Rezaei with their own problems, problems entangled with his. I can't say much about this without creating spoilers, but I can say that I never felt Stone cheated to move the story along. Read this, I think you'll like it.

I had fun following the author's string-of-consequences tied to the unique premise. Great story-telling. I look forward to a sequel!

exactly what i wanted and was promised, quickly delivered.

Fascinating read

I took a chance on an author I knew nothing about and I hit gold! A plot line that was fresh and intriguing, characters that were well drawn, and a pleasing amount of science to flavor the fiction. My only disappointment was to discover that this is the only novel the author has written. He is on my list of authors to follow. I hope his next novel is close to release.

I liked the book and finished it very quickly but I really wanted to use this review to mention something I just saw while browsing through Amazon's book suggestions for me. "The Sudden Appearance of Hope" by Claire North has pretty much the exact same premise. The protagonist is an utterly forgettable person through some quirk of nature and uses his/her "talent" to steal. Beyond that the stories naturally diverge but I found it very curious that the premises were so similar. According to the Amazon page, Unforgettable was published 5 months before Hope.