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The Republic of Memory
- Author
- Mahmud El Sayed
- Narrator
- various
- Publisher
- Orion
- Publish Date
- 14 May 2026
- Run Time
- 15 hours 17 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
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What to expect
'A breathtaking, textured, wildly imaginative tapestry ... I loved every moment of it' ALIETTE DE BODARD
* * * * *
The Safina is a city ship, two hundred years into its voyage from the ruins of Earth towards a new habitable world. Its crew maintain the ship, generation after generation, while protecting their 'ancestors' - the final remnants of Earth's doomed Network Empire - by keeping them alive in cryostasis.
But a lot can change in two hundred years, and people are starting to ask questions. Why should the crew continue to toil for people none of them remember? What exactly gives Administration its authority over everyone else?
And when the blackouts start, they set in motion a chain of events that will change life on the Safina forever. A reckoning is coming. The system is only secure so long as those in power maintain the obedience of those beneath them.
And the crew has had enough.
A science fiction odyssey of breathtaking scope, The Republic of Memory is a gripping examination of what divides us, and what brings us together. This is an ambitious work of Arabfuturism, and is perfect for fans of The Expanse, A Memory Called Empire or Children of Time.
* * * * *
'Those who love the depth and wonder of language, and who see it as the seed of revolution, will find this an essential contribution to the canon'
BETHANY JACOBS
'Brilliant, timely, and incisive ... This is science fiction at its finest and not to be missed'
M.H. AYINDE
'A riveting and deeply thoughtful book ... A thrillingly intricate epic - a book to feed the soul'
LORRAINE WILSON
'Science fiction as it's meant to be - big ideas, big politics and amazing characters'
STEWART HOTSTON
'THIS is why we read science fiction'
SAM J. MILLER
'A novel of astounding scale and ambition - an instant classic that deserves to be spoken of in the company of Iain M. Banks' Culture series'
GAUTAM BHATIA
'Utterly original, full of thrilling plot twists, deeply wise and politically nuanced ... I loved this book with my brain and my heart'
ANNALEE NEWITZ
Critics Review
-
This political sci-fi mind-stretcher is destined to be a classic. I was enraptured from the very first page
Nicholas Binge, author of DISSOLUTION
-
A novel of astounding scale and ambition, The Republic of Memory is an instant classic that deserves to be spoken of in the company of Iain M. Banks' Culture Series or Alastair Reynolds' Revelation Space. A brilliant debut about the struggle to save the future of humanity and the eternal clash of generations, set in a tower of babel aboard a generation ship
Guatam Bhatia, author of The Wall
-
In The Republic of Memory, El Sayed creates a world of familiar politics and utterly fresh, engrossing newness. It is a world so full and intricately developed that I felt I could wander through it for years and still find more to live in. Those who love the depth and wonder of language, and who see it as the seed of revolution, will find this an essential contribution to the canon
Bethany Jacobs, author of THESE BURNING STARS
-
A breathtaking, textured, wildly imaginative tapestry... I loved every moment of it
ALIETTE DE BODARD, author of A Fire Born of Exile
See more reviews See fewer reviews
-
Utterly original, full of thrilling plot twists, deeply wise and politically nuanced . . . I loved this book with my brain and my heart
Annalee Newitz, author of AUTOMATIC NOODLE
-
Brilliant, timely, and incisive . . . This is science fiction at its finest and not to be missed
M.H. Ayinde, Sunday Times bestselling author of A SONG OF LEGENDS LOST
-
A riveting and deeply thoughtful book . . . A thrillingly intricate epic - a book to feed the soul
Lorraine Wilson
-
Science fiction as it's meant to be - big ideas, big politics and amazing characters
Stewart Hotston, author of PROJECT HANUMAN
-
THIS is why we read science fiction
Sam J. Miller, author of BLACKFISH CITY
User Reviews
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Details
- Author
- Mahmud El Sayed
- Narrator
- various
- Duration
- 15 hours 17 minutes
- Release Date
- 14 May 2026
- ISBN
- 9781399626378
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Orion
- Genre
- Science fiction: space opera, Narrative theme: displacement, exile, migration, Narrative theme: social issues / social problems
Synopsis
'This political sci-fi mind-stretcher is destined to be a classic' NICHOLAS BINGE'A breathtaking, textured, wildly imaginative tapestry ... I loved every moment of it' ALIETTE DE BODARD* * * * *The Safina is a city ship, two hundred years into its voyage from the ruins of Earth towards a new habitable world. Its crew maintain the ship, generation after generation, while protecting their 'ancestors' - the final remnants of Earth's doomed Network Empire - by keeping them alive in cryostasis.But a lot can change in two hundred years, and people are starting to ask questions. Why should the crew continue to toil for people none of them remember? What exactly gives Administration its authority over everyone else?And when the blackouts start, they set in motion a chain of events that will change life on the Safina forever. A reckoning is coming. The system is only secure so long as those in power maintain the obedience of those beneath them.And the crew has had enough.A science fiction odyssey of breathtaking scope, The Republic of Memory is a gripping examination of what divides us, and what brings us together. This is an ambitious work of Arabfuturism, and is perfect for fans of The Expanse, A Memory Called Empire or Children of Time.* * * * *'Those who love the depth and wonder of language, and who see it as the seed of revolution, will find this an essential contribution to the canon'BETHANY JACOBS'Brilliant, timely, and incisive ... This is science fiction at its finest and not to be missed'M.H. AYINDE'A riveting and deeply thoughtful book ... A thrillingly intricate epic - a book to feed the soul'LORRAINE WILSON'Science fiction as it's meant to be - big ideas, big politics and amazing characters'STEWART HOTSTON'THIS is why we read science fiction'SAM J. MILLER'A novel of astounding scale and ambition - an instant classic that deserves to be spoken of in the company of Iain M. Banks' Culture series'GAUTAM BHATIA'Utterly original, full of thrilling plot twists, deeply wise and politically nuanced ... I loved this book with my brain and my heart'ANNALEE NEWITZ
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