Title: 2394: Mirrors of the Past
Author: P. Roscoe
Publisher: iUniverse
ISBN: 978-1-5320-0366-0
Pages: 310
Genre: Science Fiction
Reviewed by: John Murray
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Pacific Book Review
Memory is an imperfect thing. Even the act of remembering taints and alters memories to the point that over time, these treasured memories are drastically different. What would happen if drugs and an apocalypse assault the already fragile memory? “2394: Mirrors of the Past” by author P. Roscoe puts that question to the test with the story of two women delving into their collective past and attempting to shepherd their people into an increasingly uncertain future.
The heart of the story is the interactions between Resha and Swallow. Resha is 168 years old and one of the few survivors from the time known as “Before Time.” Recently the people behind the global crash and apocalypse have vanished leaving behind a race of androids that attempt to care for the remnants of humanity. Only these humans were manipulated and drugged into post-humans without a clear recollection of the past or even the present. As the drugs wear off and the androids struggle to care for these post humans, Resha is thrust into the leadership role of her clan. She sets out to clearly define the past. Resha accomplishes this by exploring beyond the approved areas and researching. More importantly she undergoes the most human of actions, telling stories. Swallow eagerly devours her stories and joins Resha on her journey. The two women grow closer as they provide for their clan, journey ever farther away, and set down humanity’s past in writing for future generations.
“2394: Mirrors of the Past” is an interesting novel indeed, yet with some flaws and inconsistencies. The concept is incredibly intriguing, however it struggles in execution at times with the narration and POV being occasionally inconsistent. There is an omniscient narrator that narrates Resha’s own narration, even as she recalls memories thus causing Resha’s reliability to be called into question repeatedly. During the centuries of manipulation and drugging, humanity was basically a docile livestock unless a person was lucky enough to be one of the “elite.” Resha herself declares that there was little communication as humanity was shuffled along under the guidance of the androids. However, Resha recalls her past vividly, especially her childhood and this allows her more clear recollections of her life than those around her as the humans all struggle against the mind numbing effects of the drugs. This strains credibility and goes counter to what the story attempts to be building. Additionally, a new language created after the drugs wear off randomly uses words that the society would never have heard. However, this book does appear to be the first in a potential series.
Perhaps these questions will be addressed in future books. As a standalone novel, “2394: Mirrors of the Past” brings up more questions than it answers and is challenged to hold bullet-proof credibility under the weight of uneven world building. In a way it reminded me of the pilot films for a new series, which eventually will smooth out to encompass characters which are more important than the futuristic technology and epic changes to the world we live in. With the forgiving appetite of die-hard sci-fi fans, Roscoe offers a new twist of the future which will capture the imagination of her readers into possibly forming a group of followers yearning for more.
