Review: Remember Us by E.T. Gunnarsson

A post-apocalyptic road novel with a strong pair of protagonists in a richly described dystopia, Remember Us by E.T. Gunnarsson adds a fascinating new layer to his Odemark series.

Two years into his time on new-world Earth, Simon is ready to brave the wasteland, leap into frontier life, and see what beauty the recovering planet still holds. However, when a starship falls out of the sky, just as Simon dreamed that it would, he convinces Anna to join him on a quest to find the craft, and their relationship is entertaining from the start; Anna’s vague annoyance at his naïveté balances well with Simon’s unearned confidence and oddly charming optimism.

From beast-slaying missions and first-time hangovers to joining pioneer caravans, bandit attacks, and herding scab boars, the Outworlder certainly gets the adventure he has been seeking. However, a deranged cult leader is seeking the same fallen ship – the closest thing Simon has to a home – and as their paths intertwine, the Father’s more sinister intentions become clear. Simon’s newfound powers may not be enough to thwart a monstrous manipulator who seeks to control those he claims to protect.

In a shattered world where gas mask filters are used for currency and mutated monsters prowl the plains, this book is still filled with the timeless conflicts of human drama – the struggle between religious and secular leadership, the rise of cults and clever charlatans in the wake of chaos, and the tendency to “other” that which remains misunderstood, even monstrous lumps that live in the back of a bus. There are legitimate philosophical and existential themes interspersed with deep world-building and exposition on the bizarre state of a mutated planet. Questions of identity and morality in a splintered society run into questions of partnership, loyalty, and procreation for the good of the species.

Gunnarsson keeps getting better as this series moves forward, creating a dark prophecy that will stick with readers long after the final page. Interestingly, this particular post-apocalyptic world offers more hope than many other series; life has begun to return to the blasted environments of Earth, and cities like New Uruk are striving to create a better society than the greed-driven empires of the past. As Simon and Anna progress on their journey, they experience both the best and worst of humanity on the road, reinforcing ideas of trust, community, mutual aid, and shared purpose. Ahari adds mysterious elements of spirituality and faith, particularly in Anna, which juxtaposes neatly with Simon’s logic-driven mind and perpetual skepticism.

On a technical level, the prose is neatly edited and reads quickly, though it occasionally rushes through moments of character development, as though eager to get to the next action sequence. There are scattered errors in punctuation, but the writing has clearly been polished and shaped into a smooth-flowing narrative. From start to finish, this novel moves along with intention and creativity, immersing readers further into a story of one potential future that is masterfully dark, grim, and addictive.