Welcome to Forever
Published on 12. March 2024
Book
Paperback/Softback
432 pages
978-1-80336-040-9 (ISBN)
Description
Fox is a memory editor - one of the best - gifted with the skill to create real life in the digital world. When he wakes up in Field of Reeds Centre for Memory Reconstruction with no idea how he got there, the therapists tell him he was a victim in a terrorist bombing by Khadija Banks, the pioneer of memory editing technology turned revolutionary. A bombing which shredded the memory archives of all its victims, including his husband Gabe.
Thrust into reconstructions of his memories exploded from the fragments that survived the blast, Fox tries to rebuild his life, his marriage and himself. But he quickly realises his world is changing, unreliable, and echoing around itself over and over.
As he unearths endless cycles of meeting Gabe, falling in love and breaking up, Fox digs deep into his past, his time in the refugee nation of Aaru, and the exact nature of his relationship with Khadija. Because, in a world tearing itself apart to forget all its sadness, saving the man he loves might be the key to saving us all.
Thrust into reconstructions of his memories exploded from the fragments that survived the blast, Fox tries to rebuild his life, his marriage and himself. But he quickly realises his world is changing, unreliable, and echoing around itself over and over.
As he unearths endless cycles of meeting Gabe, falling in love and breaking up, Fox digs deep into his past, his time in the refugee nation of Aaru, and the exact nature of his relationship with Khadija. Because, in a world tearing itself apart to forget all its sadness, saving the man he loves might be the key to saving us all.
Reviews / Votes
PRAISE FOR NATHAN TAVARES "A very beautiful, tender portrait of a romance, its unremarkable mundanity made precious against the backdrop of so many iterations...It's a delightful, spiraling, idiosyncratic book that uses the language and techniques of filmmaking to structure a more interesting reading experience." - The New York Times "A powerful and touching love story."The Times "Populated by some of the best sci-fi has to offer ... The multiverse trope offers and easy and entertaining vehicle for very deep philosophical lessons about what it takes to grow up at any age."
The New Scientist "A delightfully narrated tale of love at any cost, A FRACTURED INFINITY is as fun as it is heartfelt." - Megan O'Keefe, author of Velocity Weapon and more "With a narrative voice full of charm and punch, gripping from page one, the story unpeels layers of Hayes's life while painting a hopeful near-future Earth. The cozy pace ramps to a dazzling finale exploring the resilience of entangled time and the malleability of morality when love is on the line and power free at hand. A wonderful debut perfect for fans of ARRIVAL and THE SPACE BETWEEN WORLDS." - Essa Hansen, Nophek Gloss, Orbit 2020 "A cinematic rollercoaster ride ... but the real beating heart of the novel is the compelling gay love story that I will remember for a long time: brilliant, flawed, multi-layered and beautifully human."
Emmi Itaranta, author of The Moonday Letters "Both poignant and thrilling ... it's a multifaceted jewel, with humanity's flaws at its heart."
Stark Holborn, author of Ten Low and Hel's Eight "Razor sharp prose, this complex, intelligent novel is ultimately empowering."
Kaaron Warren, author of Slights and more "A Fractured Infinity is a heartfelt and haunting journey through the multiverse, with a clever, compelling narrative voice and a love story that shatters the boundaries between realities."
Ren Hutchings, author of Under Fortunate Stars
"Unboxing a puzzle-box crush in an alternate universe ... an idiosyncratic take on the ever-expanding multiverse genre."
Nikhil Singh, author of Club Ded 'Tavares hits the gas, sending the plot rocketing through dozens of fascinating possible Earths. The epic love story forms an intense emotional core and Hayes's conversational narration charms. Anyone looking for queer sci-fi should check this out.'-Publishers Weekly "Tavares's prose is dense, chewy, packed with one idea after another as he deftly builds not just one possible future world but dozens, all without ever losing sight of the most important thread: Hayes's love for Yusuf."
SFX "It's this juxtaposition of real-life relationships and ground-breaking technology that makes the novel shine."-GeekDad "This is a compelling, unconventional debut that is too freaking awesome to be a debut; a book that's easy to read, but hard to recover from."
Every Book a Doorway "An engaging and enthralling story filled with interesting characters and ideas that was hard to put down."
Set the Tape "Fast-paced and thrilling."
Tea Leaf Reads "A multiversal love-story, a genre savvy sci-fi with a strong emotional core."
Writings of a Doomscribe "Nathan Tavares is interested chiefly in weaving a powerful and touching love story between two very different, flawed, engaging men. He succeeds handsomely."
The Times "Tavares's prose is dense, chewy, packed with one idea after another as he deftly builds not just one possible future world but dozens, all without ever losing sight of the most important thread: Hayes's love for Yusuf."
SFX
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Dimensions
Height: 193 mm
Width: 127 mm
Thickness: 34 mm
Weight
312 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-80336-040-9 (9781803360409)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Person
Nathan Tavares is a writer from Boston, Massachusetts. He grew up in the Portuguese-American community of southeastern Massachusetts and developed a love for fantastical stories at an early age, from superheroes to mythology. He studied English in college and received his MFA in creative writing from Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. His editorial work celebrates queer culture and historically excluded communities, with pieces appearing in GQ, Out, and elsewhere.