James Nicoll Reviews

Janelle Monáe’s 2023 The Memory Librarian And Other Stories of Dirty Computer is a dystopic cyberpunk work. The Memory Librarian is set in the same world as Monáe’s film Dirty Computer (which I have not yet seen), and Monáe’s album Dirty Computer (to which I have not yet listened).

I realize that there are lacunae in ISFDB.

ISFDB focuses on prose works¹, which is fine as long as people consulting ISFDB bear that in mind. Someone new to Monáe whose only source is the ISFDB will get the impression that Monáe only recently began writing speculative fiction. In fact, Monáe has been active in the speculative fiction world for over twenty years. It’s just that much of Monáe’s spec-fic is in the form of music², which the ISFDB does not track, and in visual media, which ISFDB also does not track.

I am torn between calling this work a collection or an anthology. Let me explain. Collections are assemblies of short works by a single author or at least consistent pairings of authors such as Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore. Anthologies collect short works by a diverse assortment of authors. All of the stories in this work are by Monáe, but they are also collaborations, each with a different partner³.

The Memory Librarian is skillfully executed cyberpunk, with occasional hints of either fantasy or super science. I suspect that tracking down the album and the film would provide useful context. However, neither is necessary to enjoy the work.

The Memory Librarian is available here (Publisher), here (Barnes & Noble), here (Bookshop US), here (Bookshop UK), here (Chapters-Indigo), and here (Words Worth Books)

Details:

Breaking Dawn • (2022) • essay by Janelle Monáe

Welcome to the (or perhaps a) future! Under the New Dawn⁴, conformity is encouraged and rewarded. Willful deviance — the wrong ethnicity, sexual orientation, neurodivergence, political beliefs, personal adornments, and so on and so forth — is discouraged and punished. To better facilitate compliance, the New Dawn mandates memory scrubbing, so that each person has only the memories suitable to their designated role.

This is pretty much a straight-up infodump, presented in much better prose than is usually the case.

The Memory Librarian • (2022) • novella by Alaya Dawn Johnson and Janelle Monáe

Director Librarian Seshet watches over the community of Little Delta. Her work is a key element in the New Dawn’s compliance apparatus in Little Delta. Seshet embodies some of the deviations New Dawn frowns on: she is Black, a woman with authority, and gay. While exceptions are made for senior officials, her position is far more precarious than that of, say, a straight white man.

Someone is playing games with the memory repositories. Is it a known criminal, returned to Little Delta? Some new player? And will Seshet’s sudden infatuation with Alethia blind Seshet to what is in front of her?

Nevermind • (2022) • novella by Danny Lore and Janelle Monáe

New Dawn may claim total control of its territories. In practice, their resources are finite. Here and there are little pockets outside surveillance and enforcement. Pynk Hotel is one such, offering refuge to those would otherwise be detained and brain-scrubbed.

Jane works hard on behalf of her new community. Pynk’s freedom does not come by default. Perpetual diligence is required to keep the New Dawn from locating and descending on Pynk in force. Thus far, Jane and her allies have kept Pynk safe… but can they protect it from the enemy within?

Timebox • (2022) • novelette by Eve L. Ewing and Janelle Monáe

Ms. Cornelia is a diligent caretaker, taking a close interest in all of the apartments and occupants in her building. No sooner do problems present themselves than Ms. Cornelia sets to repairing them… but tenants Raven and Akilah may beyond even Ms. Cornelia’s impressive skills.

“Save Changes” • (2022) • short story by Yohanca Delgado and Janelle Monáe

New Dawn bore Diana Melo away, returning her to her children cleansed and purified, with the minor side effect that Diana’s shattered mind could no longer manage even simple tasks. It may only be a matter of time before Diana’s daughters Amber and Larry suffer similar fates.

A family heirloom can reverse time… but only once for each owner, with consequences unpredictable⁵. Amber and Larry’s father could never bring himself to use it. Can the Melo siblings?

“Timebox Altar(ed)” • (2022) • short story by Janelle Monáe and Sheree Renée Thomas

New Dawn believes it is eternal. Bug and Bug’s siblings learn better.

1: ISFDB also adds superfluous question marks to the end of some surnames. Not sure why.

2: Which my local library stocks none of.

3: Various ancillary materials are solely by Janelle Monáe.

4: USA delenda est.

5: For example, if you skip back before a child is conceived, that child may never be conceived.