Water Memory

A Novel

By: Tom Strelich

Narrated by: Tom Strelich

It’s the end of the world, and Hertell Daggett has decided to save it. Well not save it so much, as just, remember it. The Earth’s magnetic poles have reversed and civilization has just had its clock reset to the great cosmic flashing 12:00am from almost a million years ago, and humanity, and everybody in it, is pretty much forgetting everything it learned since the last time.

Everybody except Hertell, who remembers pretty much everything because he’d once been shot in the head—the doctors got the bullet out, but missed a few tiny specks of copper that remained, floating inside his brain, connecting him to the things everybody else on earth is slowly forgetting.

Hertell sees an opportunity to start civilization all over again, and maybe even get it right this time. What could possibly go wrong?

©2023 Tom Strelich (P)2023 Tom Strelich

Silly, smart, and slightly concerning

Water Memory is set in a not-too-alternative reality. It asks the question, what is reality when, if perception is reality, everyone's perception is slightly askew.

The book overflows with wonderful characters, perspectives, wit, and sodium.

I highly recommend the book, but openly admit it's not for everyone.

Water Memory: a review

Another wonderfully fun and insightful book by one of my favorite authors and narrators. In his sequel to Dog Logic, Tom Strelich does an excellent job reconnecting you to the beloved characters and unusual circumstances presented in his first novel giving enough information and background to allow Water Memory to stand alone, which is no easy task. So while reading (or listening to) Dog Logic is not a prerequisite, it might prove to be helpful in enriching the experience of Water Memory, and you’re missing out if you don’t.

The characters are all endearing, the plot is intricate and unique and keeps you guessing, the underlying message is profound, and the ending is, well, brilliant. I can’t say enough as to the quality of the narration and audio production of this book which, like Dog Logic, caught my ear and absorbed me within the first few minutes. It is a production inspired by love for the characters, sincerity in its message, and faith in its content.

I would have to say my favorite part of this book, and its predecessor, is the smart, subtle humor and irreverence imbedded in a very thought provoking narrative. There is cursing which, while it doesn’t bother me at all, might some, but it is so innocently and benignly used that it is rendered completely inoffensive.

The commentary this book offers on humanity and the condition of our society is devastatingly well put: it is sobering and profound and honest, it is brilliant.

Hertell Daggett rises again!

A prophetically probable, out-of-wedlock love child, birthed from a debauchery of futuristic origins including Tom Clancy, Idiocracy, Life of Brian, and Challenge! - the quarterly newsletter from the Brain Injury Association of America. The Aqua Velvet timbre of Mr. Strelich’s narration will you in a lasting, post-heavy-petting glow of literary genius.

Great read!! What a romp to begin 2024!

Author Tom Strelich is either an idiot savant or a genius! Or BOTH! What a fun read (actually Audible listen). I am stunned by how a fantasmagorical contemporaneous yarn like Water Memory could be so unbelievable and thought provoking at the same time. If Water Memory were a drug I would be happily addicted. Thank you for crafting such a marvelous adventure story, Tom. I am diving into Dog Logic next.

Better than I remember!

Very much enjoyed this anti-dramatic tale of everyday misunderstangings, miracles if you will, that shape human history.