Telling The Bees By Emma K Leadley
I would like to thank the author for an advance copy of this novella in exchange for a fair and honest review
Publisher – NewCon Press
Published – Out Now
Price – £9.32 paperback £3.29 Kindle eBook
In the near-future, two strangers interrupt Sarah's idyllic rural existence, confronting her with knowledge of a life she has entirely forgotten, insisting she's a missing part of their hivemind. Their appearance leads her to an abandoned beehive and the strange, transparent cube that lies within. The cube contains memories, that much is certain, but are they her memories?
When corporate soldiers invade her home, Sarah is forced to accept that something is going on and that these two strangers - Brea and Blake - know far more about it than she does. Her only option is to decode the cube, reclaim her memories, and rediscover a life she has tried so hard to avoid. But where exactly will that leave her, and why did she run from it in the first place?
I do love stories that make the reader have to work a little. Plunge me into the deep end and let me try to work out what is going on is always for me more fun than the info-dumping monologue. In thrillers that is often the fun in resolving the mystery driving the plot. Add science fiction and what can be created gets even more ambitious. In Emma K Leadley’s gripping SF thriller Telling The Bees we get a fast paced SF novella that delivers a fascinating mystery that I found I could not stop reading until the end.
Its 2035 and Sarah is having another day on the farm working through the daily chores when a strange woman named Brea appears claiming to know Sarah as Becca and being their girlfriend. She then meets her other alleged partner, Blake. Both say they’ve been searching for her for years and she is in danger. Then Sarah’s hi tech alarm systems reveal further surveillance is now this time trained on her. Sarah finds herself quickly plunged into danger that questions who she really is and why people appear to want her dead.
This is a really impressive Science fiction thriller. Leadley takes the classic idea o the potential amnesiac and gives us an intriguing mix of fast paced and some exploration of what Technology could achieve with the power of memory. Leadley makes us see the tale alongside Sarah and so as both of us are int eh dark we are a fast-paced learning curve getting to understand the world and Sarah plus the enigmatic Becca some claim her to be. We are nt immediately sure everyone is telling the truth and that gives the story some pleasing ambivalence.
You really like Sarah as a sensible but at the same time understandably frustrated person finding their quiet life soon shattered. The potential throuple of Blake and Brea is handled very well too as we have three people in a very well balanced and caring relationship. Leadley knows when to have emotional scenes and then quickly splice in a surprising attack line or escape and all of that makes the story know when a breather is needed. The pacing is very well handled indeed!
As we move forwards the more science fictional elements enter the stage more fully. Its an age of surveillance, body-technology and at the heart exploring the science behind memory. Can you remove them, edit and replace? What consequences could that have for the world.? The world feels solid and tangible which in novellas is sometimes hard to grasp. Leadley then dangles some tantalising hints for future stories in the same world – I would not say no to them!
Telling The Bees is a hugely enjoyable read that delivers a fascinating story, interesting characters and a pleasing mix of well-paced action and some speculation on where memory technology could take us in the future. Very impressive and I hope we see more of Leadley’s work in the future. Highly recommended!
