|
|
After a brief hiatus, we're back, and this month Strange New Words dived into the wild world of "We Can Remember It For You Wholesale" by Philip K. Dick. You might know it better as the story that inspired the 1990 Arnie action hit "Total Recall."
If you’re just joining our sci-fi readers club, you can still read "We Can Remember It For You Wholesale" below and see the discussion questions we have pondered.
In our newsletter, you'll also find:
![🌌]() A short video roundtable with Ian, Brett, and Ant, where we compare the story to the classic movie, question whether we'd want to implant fake memories, and discuss that ending.
![🗳️]() A poll to help choose next month’s story (be sure to get your vote in before June 1)
![📚]() A few bonus sci-fi book recommendations
![🧠]() Plus: quizzes and our latest sci-fi coverage
Be sure to let us know your thoughts on this story on our website and social media channels: @spacedotcom!
As a reminder, ‘Strange New Words’ usually lands in your inbox on the first and last Wednesdays of each month (we've been a bit out of sorts this month; normal service will resume). Add spacestrangenewwords@smartbrief.com to your contacts so our transmission doesn’t get zapped by your laser guns (aka spam folder).
Thanks for joining us, and we'll see you out there!
— Ian Stokes (Entertainment Editor)
P.s. I mispoke in the video discussion; it's "The Star" by Arthur C Clarke in this month's vote, "Poetry Cloud" by Cixin Liu will be part of July's vote.
|
|
|
| "We Can Remember It for You Wholesale" by Philip K Dick |
A thrilling tale about the power of memories — both real and fake.
First published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction in April 1966, it's a fascinating dive into the concept of memory alteration. How can you discern truth from fiction when you can't trust your own memories?
Your memories and experiences are what make you, you. They're the cornerstone of your identity, so what happens when you can't trust them?
|
|
|
|
Questions to think on while reading about Mars
|
Reading is only half the fun — we're here to talk about the stories too, and we did just that in this month's video discussion. You can find the questions we pondered below, and the video itself on our Strange New Words roundup page.
- If you could get a fake memory implanted, would you?
- If so, what fake memory would you get?
- Likewise, if you get a memory removed, would you?
- Does the twist ending work?
- How did the story compare to the 1990 movie?
See our full video discussion here.
|
|
|
| Vote For Next Month's Story |
|
| Here are the story options for June |
Be sure to vote before the end of the month!
|
|
|
|
Before 'Project Hail Mary,' Weir wrote the quintessential space saga now being given a stunning makeover
|
|
|
|
|
'For the atmosphere and world of 'Voidverse' to work, I needed the characters and the prose to meld with the setting.'
|
|
|
|
| Space.com Staff Speak Sci-Fi |
|
|
Join Space.com's monthly, virtual reading community where we enjoy science fiction one short story at a time.
|
|
|
| Stay up-to-date on all things space science, news, and entertainment by subscribing to our newsletters. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
When you purchase through links in our content, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Future US LLC © |
| Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY, 10036 |
|
|
|
