The Memory of Lost Dreams by Davon M. Custiss is well placed in the dystopian genre. Wanted for treason, Malik has no choice but to flee his homeland, where his only crime had been to challenge the poor leadership the people so blindly followed. A cave seems to offer salvation, the darkness all-consuming until a glimmer of light beckons him. But the light at the end of the tunnel seems to be a beacon to the dead, or a tribute to it. Within the confines of a ruined city lies Requiem, and the start of his nightmares. Trapped in a strange new world, it seems that if Malik wishes to escape then he has no choice but to obey the terrifying request of Jean-Pierre, the figure who claims to be his only salvation from this domain. The world he find himself in is one of oppression. Curfews, brutal enforcement of the law, and severe penalties for even the most minor misconduct. All this oppression was bound to spur a resistance movement, but with two opposing forces, who will Malik align himself with? The one who can save him, or the one who wishes to save them all?

Custis’ descriptive style easily conjures up fantastic and graphic images of the world, some beautifully stunning, others dark and haunting. This style is brilliant for holding the reader’s attention and is also able to create the needed emotional responses of awe, fear, relief, etc. The plot itself reminds me in places of a hybrid combination of Inception and The Matrix, whilst being completely separate and unique to the plots of those well-known films. The Memory of Lost Dreams' focus stays with Malik, thus we gain insight into events through his interactions, be they with objects or people, and as such, our own assumptions as to the events are formed by the things he discovers and learns.

There is certainly enough intrigue to keep the pages turning, and through the plot we come to gain a wider understanding of all that is at stake. I felt this was done in a particularly good manner because the reader is led to make their own decisions with the facts being presented. At one point, I had a number of theories as to the truth behind Malik’s plight. The plot is so involved that it kept my imagination engaged as I considered the various possibilities of all that occurred. David Curtis manages to take something which is a very real threat, the loss of privacy in the name of protection, and show exactly how such a thing can be manipulated and corrupted for the benefit of others. The world he describes could very easily come to pass; perhaps that is one of the most chilling things about this book. If I were to summarise my thoughts on this book in a single sentence, it would have to be: A beautifully written, immersive, dystopian fantasy.