
Genre:
Anthology / Short Story
Themes:
Adventure / Survival
Against All Odds
Amnesia
Danger / In Peril / On the Run
Dystopian
Forced Proximity / Stranded Together
Kidnapping / Disappearance
Married or Established Couple
Mature Lead 40+
New Adult / Young Adult
Rich Girl / Poor Girl
Taboo / Forbidden Relationship
Time Travel
Heat Level:
Medium (sex scenes are included and may use mildly graphic description)
Archetypes:
Adventurer / Explorer / World Traveler
Geographic Location:
Fantasy or Fictional Setting
Setting:
War Zone / Battlefield
Wilderness / Outback
Sexual / Gender Identity:
Bi or Pansexual
Lesbian
Nonbinary / Gender Fluid
Transgender
Protagonist Identity:
Black / African American
The Memory Librarian
And Other Stories of Dirty Computer
By Janelle Monae
Whoever controls our memories controls the future.
Janelle Monáe and an incredible array of talented collaborators have crafted a collection of tales comprising the bold vision and powerful themes that have made Monáe such a compelling and celebrated storyteller. Dirty Computer introduced a world in which thoughts—as a means of self-conception—could be controlled or erased by a select few. And whether you were human, AI, or other, your life and sentience were dictated by those who’d convinced themselves they had the right to decide your fate.
That was until Jane 57821 decided to remember and break free.
Expanding from that mythos, these stories fully explore what it’s like to live in such a totalitarian society . . . and what it takes to get out of it. Building off the tradition of speculative fiction writers such as Octavia E. Butler, Ted Chiang, Becky Chambers, and Nnedi Okorafor—and filled with powerful themes and Monáe’s emblematic artistic vision—The Memory Librarian serves to readers tales that dissect the human trials of identity expression, technology, and love, reaching through to the worlds of memory and time, and the stakes and power that pulse there.