Fractured Consent

The Memory Archivist, Book 1

By: M Underwood

Narrated by: Hanna Gates

In a society where memories are archived, edited, and regulated, consent is no longer sacred—it’s procedural. The Archive sees all, and forgetting is a luxury only the powerful can afford.

When a damaged memory shard surfaces, containing classified data that was never meant to be retrieved, a former archivist with a buried past is thrust into a conspiracy that spans centuries. As she and her crew unravel the truth behind the system’s collapse, they discover that memory isn’t just history—it’s control.

But unlocking the truth comes at a cost. Ghosts long buried begin to rise. Cities begin to fracture under the weight of collective recall. And somewhere deep within the Archive’s shattered code, something sentient has begun to wake—something that remembers everyone.

The first installment in The Memory Archivist series, Fractured Consent is a cerebral and emotionally charged journey through the blurred boundaries of identity, truth, and the cost of remembering who you were.

©2025 M Underwood (P)2025 M Underwood

If Reboot were a feature film, this might be its origin story

When I first heard the preview, my mind went to Brazil and Bobiverse, but after completing the story I am solidly in the mindset of the world of Reboot (yes, the first CGI animated TV show). With an appropriate (for the setting) amount of technobabble, and both human and non-human characters fighting for their beliefs, there is an ongoing tension that seeps through the performance in action and dialogue. The pacing moves rather fast, leaving little time to ponder the deeper philosophical ramifications of the upcoming singularity-like event, but I suppose that's what the pause button is for. Narration by Hanna Gates is appropriate for the darker and dreary undertones of the story. [Disclosure: I received this title for free and listened at 2.0x.]