The Fist of Memory
Will be published approx. on 29. October 2026
Book
Hardback
416 pages
978-1-3996-1570-9 (ISBN)
Description
A hard science-fiction novel featuring an assassin-for-hire, a witchdoctor, and an astronomer, this fast-paced thriller is perfect for fans of Arrival.
When a non-communicative alien spacecraft suddenly appears in the sky, global powers are thrown into turmoil.
But for Tope, a principled Nigerian assassin with a talent for lethality in the employ of the mysterious witchdoctor known as "Baba," it's all just business as usual. At least until a job goes wrong, and Tope is caught in the scramble - a high stakes game of power and politics for the future that is to come. Joined by Itumeleng, a South African astronomer plagued by mysterious dreams, they must find a way to survive, navigate their complicated pasts, and come to understand how they, and all of humanity, are connected to the alien craft before it lands and the world changes forever. But it won't be easy. There are sinister forces marshalled against them, including a strange assassin obsessed with a single memory.
The Fist Of Memory is a first contact thriller unlike any other; a meditation on the nature of reality, memory and connectedness.
When a non-communicative alien spacecraft suddenly appears in the sky, global powers are thrown into turmoil.
But for Tope, a principled Nigerian assassin with a talent for lethality in the employ of the mysterious witchdoctor known as "Baba," it's all just business as usual. At least until a job goes wrong, and Tope is caught in the scramble - a high stakes game of power and politics for the future that is to come. Joined by Itumeleng, a South African astronomer plagued by mysterious dreams, they must find a way to survive, navigate their complicated pasts, and come to understand how they, and all of humanity, are connected to the alien craft before it lands and the world changes forever. But it won't be easy. There are sinister forces marshalled against them, including a strange assassin obsessed with a single memory.
The Fist Of Memory is a first contact thriller unlike any other; a meditation on the nature of reality, memory and connectedness.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Orion Publishing Co
Product notice
Trade binding
Dimensions
Height: 240 mm
Width: 156 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-3996-1570-9 (9781399615709)
Copyright in bibliographic data is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or its licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Person
WOLE TALABI is an engineer, writer, and editor from Nigeria. Author of the critically acclaimed Shigidi And The Brass Head Of Obalufon which was named one of the best books of 2023 by The Washington Post. He has hopped around the planet quite a bit but right now lives in Australia. He has been a finalist for the Hugo, Nebula and Locus awards, the Caine Prize, and has won the Sidewise award for alternate history. Talabi's work has also been translated into 7 languages. His fiction has appeared in Asimov's, F&SF, Clarkesworld, and is collected in the books Incomplete Solutions (2019, Luna Press) and Convergence Problems (2024, DAW Books).