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One of us
First published 1998 · 368 pages
A tense, mind-bending descent into a paranoid nightmare where your own memories might be your greatest threat.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like stepping into a shadowy Los Angeles where the mind itself is a commodity. It delivers a propulsive, deeply paranoid experience, wrapping the reader in a gritty atmosphere of suspense and psychological dread. The narrative moves with the urgent, frantic energy of a thriller, pulling you through a mind-bending exploration of memory, identity, and the terrifying consequences of blurring the lines between someone else's nightmares and your own reality. The prose is sharp and tightly wound, perfectly mirroring a spiraling descent into psychological chaos. It is a dark, gripping read that will thoroughly delight fans of high-stakes science fiction who crave stories about the fragile, easily manipulated nature of human consciousness.
- Mood
- paranoid
- nightmarish
- mind-bending
- shadowy
- Tone
- tense
- gritty
- suspenseful
- urgent
- Pace
- propulsive
- Themes
- memory manipulation · psychological unraveling · blurred reality · commodification of the mind · unintended consequences
- The writing
- Sharp, suspenseful, and tightly wound to reflect the protagonist's fracturing grip on reality.
- The arc
- Moves from the cynical satisfaction of a lucrative hustle into a spiraling, desperate fight for psychological survival.
- Who it's for
- Fans of dark, high-stakes science fiction thrillers who love exploring the fragile nature of memory and identity.
Content notes
- psychological distress
- anxiety
- memory manipulation
About the book
A mesmerising SF thriller from a master of the genre. Hap Thompson is a REMtemp, working the night hours, having people's anxiety dreams for them. For the first time in his life, Hap's making big money – and that should have been enough...Hap Thompson has finally found something he can do better than anyone else. And it's legal. Almost. Hap's a REMtemp, working the night hours, having people's anxiety dreams for them. For the first time in his life, Hap's making big money – and that should have been enough. But then Hap is made an offer he just can't refuse: proxying memories instead of dreams. This is not almost illegal – this is illegal in bold with flashing lights. The last thing the cops want are criminals who can pass lie detector tests and Hap knows it, but he's relying on the promise that he won't have to carry anything that relates to a criminal offence. Big mistake. Before he knows what's happening, Hap is locked in a vicious nightmare that threatens to tear his mind and his life apart...And, as in all Michael Marshall Smith novels, that is just the start.
Description from Open Library.
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