Fantasy Book Critic: Book review: Sleeping Worlds Have No Memory by Yaroslav Barsukov (by Adam Weller)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Nebula Award, SCKA Award finalist. Member of SFWA. Left one erstwhile empire only to settle in another. Speaks German by day, Russian by night. Writes in English.

Publisher: CAEZIK SF & Fantasy (November 12, 2024) Length: 300 pages Formats: ebook, paperback

“What fragile creations we are, worse than twigs; at least for every broken twig, you’ll find one just like it.”

Yaroslav Barsukov’s Sleeping Worlds Have No Memory is an imaginative, heady clash of fantasy and science-fiction that delivers powerful messages on the nature of duality while tinkering with the boundaries of human perception. It is a duology of novellas, with duality being a common theme throughout the story. The book fooled me into thinking I was going to be left hanging with many unresolved threads, but the shocking finale did an excellent job of addressing the myriad of questions the story presented while leaving some areas open for interpretation.

The story begins with the introduction of Lord Shea Ashcroft, the Minister of Internal Affairs of a country under recent turmoil. His queen orders him to gas an unruly crowd, but he refuses as he does not want to harm innocents. However, this act of insubordination leads to a riot that destroys much of the capital city. Ashcroft is summarily banished to the desolate border of the empire, tasked with overseeing the construction of an unfathomably huge military defense tower. He meets Brielle, the head engineer of the project, which seems doomed to fail. But Ashcroft considers using some artifacts from his past to help further the construction and save their job. Little do they both know what terrors employing such alien artifacts will do…

“Hope is a stupid thing, Sis. Were it rational, it would go broke.”

One of the things I appreciate most about this book is the author’s trust in his audience’s intelligence to piece things together, even if all the pieces don’t quite fit until the end. Even then, the picture that emerges launches even more mysteries, but I still felt the finale was revelatory and quite satisfying.

Barsukov keeps the pace fast, with direct, no-nonsense dialogue, and lean and impactful prose. We jump from scene to scene directly at the start of where we need to be – no fat needs trimming in this story, and this decision kept the pages flying by. I was particularly impressed with how quickly the story built and shattered a love story in so few words and scenes. Raw emotion is well-depicted, with few words wielding great power and impact.

The author also conserves his descriptions of the setting, mostly concentrating on vivid smells and sights, and how sunlight (or lack thereof) plays with the surrounding foliage. The cycle of day and night also strengthens the theme of duality in this story, in addition to several plot points (including Ashcroft’s sister and lover both having the same name, among others both overt and subtle).

"… because isn’t any guilt innately selfish? We hurt someone, and then we take a step back to avoid being hurt ourselves. What makes guilt so grotesque is the fact that it adorns itself with whatever remains of our righteousness."

Sleeping Words Have No Memory is many things: a rousing adventure, a rumination on the human condition, a social class commentary, and a fantastic mystery with an excellent payoff. Barsukov writes with skill and unpredictability, and I look forward to his further releases. If you’re in the mood for something different, something exciting and strange that will make you think, then look no further.