Ark Ship's Last Gamble

The Enkidu, a battered ark ship, limps into orbit around Imir after a catastrophic journey from a dying Earth. Captain Heorest Holt and his Key Crew awaken to a world that is only half-prepared for life, its terraforming incomplete. The ship itself is falling apart, and the cost of arrival is steep: thousands of colonists perish in failed pods, and the survivors must make hard choices about who will be revived to build a future. The hope of a new beginning is shadowed by loss, guilt, and the daunting reality of a barren, alien world. Yet, with determination, the crew prepares to descend, naming the planet Imir and dreaming of a second chance for humanity.

Landfall: Seeds of Hope

On Imir's surface, the first colonists—led by Holt and his companions—face a harsh, unyielding land. They must bootstrap an ecosystem from a handful of engineered species: pigs, rice, conifers, beetles, and fungi. Every tool, every machine, and every mouth is precious. The colony, Landfall, grows slowly, with each generation hoping to improve on the last. Yet, the shadow of the Enkidu and its sleeping thousands haunts them, as does the knowledge that their world is fragile, their technology finite, and their future uncertain. The promise of paradise is replaced by the reality of hard labor, scarcity, and the ever-present need to adapt.

The Witch in the Hills

As Landfall's children grow, stories spread of a Witch living in the hills—a mysterious figure who knows forbidden things and may hold the key to the colony's fate. Liff, a curious and anxious girl, is drawn to these tales, especially after seeing her grandfather Holt vanish into the woods. The Witch becomes a symbol of the unknown: a repository for fears, hopes, and the possibility of magic or disaster. Liff's journey into the forest, her encounter with strange, bird-like beings, and her search for answers set her on a path that blurs the line between myth and reality, childhood and adulthood.

Birds, Beetles, and Ghosts

Unbeknownst to the colonists, a pair of Corvids—Gothi and Gethli—watch from above, cataloguing the world's changes. They are not mere animals but the product of a failed terraforming experiment on another world, Rourke, where birds evolved into paired, problem-solving intelligences. Their mission: to find lost "crewmates" and anomalies within the colony. As they bicker and analyze, they become entangled in Imir's fate, their presence both a scientific curiosity and a catalyst for chaos. Their perspective is alien, their methods inscrutable, and their influence subtle but profound.

The Fractured Colony

Generations pass, and Landfall's fragile ecosystem begins to unravel. Crops fail, beetles multiply, and the once-hopeful colony turns inward, suspicious of outsiders and obsessed with purity. The myth of the Seccers—rival colonists or saboteurs—takes hold, fueling paranoia and violence. The Watchers, a shadowy presence, are invoked as both threat and scapegoat. The colony's leaders, haunted by guilt over those left on the Enkidu, struggle to maintain order as the social fabric frays. Liff, Miranda the teacher, and the outsiders become targets in a community desperate for someone to blame.

The Watchers and the Seccers

As famine and hardship intensify, Landfall's people turn on each other. The militia, led by men like Uncle Molder, enforce harsh justice, hunting for Seccers and traitors. Outsiders—Miranda, Fabian, Portia, Paul—are rounded up, accused of sabotage and witchcraft. Liff, caught between loyalty and fear, is pressured to betray her friends. The colony's rituals—Remembrance, Thanksgiving—become hollow, their true meanings lost. The specter of the Watchers, those left behind in orbit, looms over every decision, a reminder of promises broken and debts unpaid.

The Corvids' Secret

Gothi and Gethli, the Corvids, reveal their true nature: they are not sentient in the human sense but act as a problem-solving engine, cataloguing novelty and seeking patterns. Their presence in Imir is not accidental—they are part of a rescue mission, searching for lost minds (like Miranda's) trapped within a simulation. The Witch, revealed as an instance of Avrana Kern, the ancient terraformer, is also present, trying to gather her "crew" and restore order. The Corvids' analysis exposes the cracks in reality, hinting that Imir itself may not be what it seems.

Simulation's Edge

Miranda, the teacher, begins to sense inconsistencies in her memories and the world around her. Time loops, people change, and events repeat with variations. The Corvids' investigations, combined with Kern's interventions, destabilize the simulation. Liff experiences multiple timelines, sometimes as a child, sometimes as the last survivor. The boundaries between dream, memory, and reality blur. The Witch's power grows, manifesting as storms and golems of mud and bone. The colony's collapse accelerates, and the true nature of Imir is revealed: it is a simulation, a thought experiment run by an ancient alien engine buried beneath the hills.

Collapse and Reckoning

Landfall descends into chaos. The outsiders are lynched, Portia is killed, and Miranda is nearly executed. Liff, traumatized and fractured, becomes the focal point of the simulation's attention. The Witch (Kern) and the Corvids attempt to extract Miranda's mind, but the process is messy and painful. The simulation loops, resets, and tries again, each time with slight variations. The colony's fate is sealed: it was always doomed, a product of impossible odds and flawed beginnings. Yet, within the simulation, the struggle for meaning and connection persists.

The Golem and the Wolf

As the simulation breaks down, monstrous golems—embodiments of lost personalities and failed histories—rise from the earth. The Wolf, a symbol of entropy and the simulation's own emergent awareness, circles the dying town. Liff, guided by the Corvids, confronts the Witch and the engine's purpose. She is offered a choice: to reset, to forget, or to try something new. The simulation, through Liff and Miranda, seeks a way to break free from endless repetition and find meaning in change, even if it means letting go of the past.

The Truth Beneath Imir

Outside the simulation, Miranda is recovered by her friends—Portiids, Octopuses, and Kern—who have been studying the alien engine from orbit. They discover that the Enkidu's last shuttle crashed; no human colony ever survived on Imir. The entire history of Landfall, from Holt to Liff, is a product of the engine's simulation, a monument to what might have been. The engine is a relic of a lost civilization, capable of running endless variations on the theme of colonization, memory, and loss. The researchers debate the ethics of intervention, the reality of simulated lives, and the possibility of rescue.

Extraction and Farewell

Miranda, now a composite being, is reintegrated into a new body. Liff, the last child of Landfall, is also extracted from the simulation and given a chance to live in the real world. The two become companions, explorers of the galaxy, carrying with them the memories and lessons of a world that never was. The Corvids, too, are given new bodies, their unique perspective valued by the interstellar community. The simulation continues, a time capsule and a mirror, but its inhabitants are no longer alone.

The Last Child of Landfall

Liff, once the heart of the simulation, is now a citizen of the wider universe. She remembers her many lives, her struggles, and her friendships—especially with Miranda. She is haunted by the knowledge that her world was a dream, but she finds purpose in sharing its story and advocating for the rights of simulated beings. Her journey is one of acceptance, growth, and the search for meaning beyond the boundaries of her origin.

The Mirror's Other Side

Miranda and Liff, both products of simulation and memory, grapple with questions of selfhood, authenticity, and belonging. They encounter other beings—humans, spiders, octopuses, birds—each with their own histories and traumas. The boundaries between real and simulated blur, and the value of experience, empathy, and connection becomes paramount. The engine's dream is both a warning and a promise: that even in failure, there is beauty, and in memory, there is hope.

The Engine's Dream

The alien engine beneath Imir runs on, cycling through endless variations of Landfall's rise and fall. Researchers from across the galaxy study its workings, seeking to understand its creators and its purpose. The Corvids, ever curious, map its patterns and speculate on its emergent consciousness. The simulation becomes a monument to lost possibilities, a source of wisdom and caution for those who would play god with memory and time.

New Voyages, New Selves

Miranda and Liff set out on new adventures, their identities forever shaped by the world they left behind. They are joined by friends old and new, each carrying the legacy of Imir in their hearts. The universe is vast, and there are other engines, other dreams, other stories waiting to be told. The lesson of Landfall endures: that life, real or simulated, is precious, and that the search for meaning is never truly over.

Characters

Heorest Holt

Holt is the captain of the Enkidu and the de facto founder of Landfall. Driven by duty and a deep sense of responsibility, he makes impossible decisions—who to save, who to leave behind, how to build a future from ruin. His relationship with his crew is paternal yet fraught, and his legacy is both celebrated and mourned. Psychologically, Holt is marked by survivor's guilt, the weight of command, and the longing for redemption. In the simulation, he becomes a mythic figure, a symbol of hope and loss, and ultimately a ghost haunting the colony's memory.

Liff

Liff is a bright, anxious girl whose journey from innocence to experience mirrors the arc of Landfall itself. She is both a real person (within the simulation) and a narrative device, the last child of a dying world. Her relationships—with her family, with Miranda, with the Witch—are marked by longing, confusion, and resilience. Liff's psychological complexity lies in her ability to question, to adapt, and to endure trauma. She becomes the focal point of the simulation's emergent consciousness, a bridge between dream and reality, and ultimately a citizen of the wider universe.

Miranda

Miranda is a composite being: part human, part Nodan entity, part simulation. As a teacher in Landfall, she is empathetic, curious, and driven to help, yet she is also haunted by her own alien nature and the knowledge that she does not truly belong. Her relationships—with Liff, with the other outsiders, with Kern—are marked by both genuine care and existential distance. Psychologically, Miranda embodies the struggle for identity, the fear of monstrosity, and the hope for connection. Her journey is one of self-discovery, sacrifice, and the search for meaning in a world of shifting realities.

Avrana Kern (The Witch)

Kern is a legendary figure: once human, now an AI, a ghost, a witch in the hills. She is both creator and destroyer, driven by a need to control, to fix, to gather her "crew." Her relationship to the colony is ambiguous—sometimes protector, sometimes threat. Psychologically, Kern is marked by arrogance, loneliness, and a deep ambivalence about her own legacy. She is both a symbol of the past's hubris and a catalyst for change, her interventions both necessary and disastrous.

Gothi & Gethli (The Corvids)

Gothi and Gethli are uplifted Corvids from Rourke, functioning as a paired intelligence: one catalogues, the other analyzes. Their role is to observe, to interfere, and to serve as a rescue mechanism for lost minds within the simulation. Their relationship is symbiotic, their dialogue recursive and often comic. Psychologically, they are both less and more than sentient, embodying the limits of understanding and the power of pattern recognition. They are both tools and characters, their presence a commentary on the nature of intelligence and agency.

Fabian

Fabian is one of the outsiders, skilled in technology and repair. He is both valued and resented by the locals, his abilities marking him as different. His relationship with Portia (his "sister") and Miranda is one of camaraderie and shared purpose. Psychologically, Fabian is pragmatic, adaptable, and quietly loyal. He serves as a stabilizing force within the group, yet his outsider status makes him a target in times of crisis.

Portia

Portia is another outsider, physically strong and fiercely independent. She is both admired and feared by the locals, her skills in hunting and survival setting her apart. Her relationship with Fabian and Miranda is close, marked by mutual respect and occasional conflict. Psychologically, Portia is driven by a need for action, a disdain for complacency, and a deep-seated loyalty to her chosen family. Her fate in the simulation is tragic, yet she endures as a symbol of resistance.

Paul

Paul is a mysterious outsider, mute but expressive through art and his "children," who are extensions of his mind. His presence is both comforting and unsettling, his difference both obvious and inscrutable. Psychologically, Paul represents the limits of communication, the power of creativity, and the possibility of alternative forms of consciousness. His suffering at the hands of the mob is a turning point in the colony's collapse.

Uncle Molder

Molder is Liff's uncle, a minor patriarch who rises to power as the colony fractures. He embodies the darker aspects of human nature: suspicion, opportunism, and the willingness to sacrifice others for personal gain. His relationship with Liff is abusive, his leadership marked by violence and paranoia. Psychologically, Molder is driven by fear, resentment, and a desperate need for control.

The Wolf

The Wolf is not a character in the traditional sense but a recurring symbol: the embodiment of the simulation's own awareness, the force of decay and repetition. It haunts Liff's dreams, circles the dying town, and represents the limits of control and the inevitability of change. Psychologically, the Wolf is the shadow, the unspoken fear, and the possibility of something greater than the sum of its parts.

Plot Devices

Simulation as Reality

The central plot device is the revelation that Imir, Landfall, and all its inhabitants are the product of a simulation run by an ancient alien engine. This device allows for recursive storytelling, time loops, and the blurring of memory, dream, and reality. It enables the exploration of identity, agency, and the ethics of intervention. The simulation is both a prison and a lifeboat, a monument to lost possibilities and a mirror for the characters' own struggles. Foreshadowing is achieved through inconsistencies, déjà vu, and the presence of outsiders who do not fit. The narrative structure is fractal, with stories nested within stories, and the ultimate resolution is both an extraction (rescue) and a farewell (letting go).

Alien Observers and Interference

The presence of the Corvids and Kern introduces an external perspective, both scientific and mythic. Their interventions destabilize the simulation, expose its cracks, and force the characters to confront uncomfortable truths. The Corvids' problem-solving dyad serves as both comic relief and a meta-commentary on the nature of intelligence and agency. Kern's role as Witch, god, and AI blurs the line between creator and destroyer, her actions both necessary and catastrophic. These devices allow for the exploration of free will, determinism, and the possibility of escape.

Memory, Myth, and Recursion

The use of legends (the Witch, the Wolf, the Watchers), children's books, and recurring dreams creates a recursive narrative structure. Characters experience multiple timelines, conflicting memories, and the sense of living in a story. This device allows for the exploration of trauma, resilience, and the search for meaning. The simulation itself becomes a storyteller, running endless variations on the theme of survival and loss. The extraction of Miranda and Liff is both a literal and metaphorical breaking of the cycle, a chance to write a new story.

Extraction and Rebirth

The process of extracting minds from the simulation and giving them new bodies in the real world is both a plot device and a metaphor for growth, healing, and the acceptance of loss. It allows for the continuation of relationships (Miranda and Liff) and the possibility of new adventures. The ethical debates surrounding this process—who is real, who deserves rescue, what is owed to the simulated—add depth and complexity to the narrative.

Analysis

Children of Memory is a profound meditation on memory, identity, and the nature of reality, using the framework of science fiction to interrogate what it means to be alive, to belong, and to matter. By situating its narrative within a simulation run by an ancient alien engine, the novel blurs the boundaries between real and imagined, past and present, self and other. The struggles of Landfall's colonists—building, failing, blaming, and hoping—mirror humanity's own cycles of creation and destruction. The presence of alien observers (the Corvids, Kern) and the extraction of simulated minds (Miranda, Liff) force readers to confront uncomfortable questions: Are simulated lives less real? What do we owe to our creations, our memories, our stories? The novel's recursive structure, its use of myth and dream, and its ultimate embrace of empathy and connection suggest that meaning is found not in certainty but in the search, not in permanence but in the willingness to change. In a world where even reality may be a story, Children of Memory argues for the value of every story, every life, and the hope that, even in failure, something new and beautiful can emerge.

Last updated: November 1, 2025