SAC: The Lost Memory

Extending the hit TV series, "Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex," the first volume of the SAC novel gives fans more of what they love best. "The Lost Memory" focuses on a young terrorist group known as the "Good Morning Terrorists." The mystery behind the crimes committed by the Good Morning Terrorists have yet to be solved and it's up to Kusanagi and gang to reveal the truth behind their flamboyant expedition.

"The Lost Memory" is fast-paced filled with the characters we all love like Major Kusanagi and Batou, for example. References to the TV show, such as the Laughing Man, are strategically placed in the novel. It keeps you hooked to the very end. Despite being set in the not-so-distant-future, the balance between future technology and the roots of human thought and action is nicely even, emphasizing the already known fact. The fact being that GiTS is on a higher caliber. Anyone can pick up this book: if you're new to the series or have yet to watch SAC, this novel gives you a nice taste of what you've been missing. If you're a veteran of the series, "The Lost Memory" is done gracefully keeping the integrity of the original plot. You will be in for a treat. And anyways, who wouldn't want more SAC?

Japanese to English translations are always risky, but must be done if we are ever able to get a chance to read these wonderful stories. Some translations have been really bad, but there is a good number of successes. "The Lost Memory" is somewhere in the middle. The translation wasn't flawless, but luckily the plot is so deeply intriguing and integrated that it does not jeopardize the story. The best translation I have encountered thus far are with the "Vampire Hunter D" novels. Nevertheless, this novel is worth picking up.

Volumes 2 and 3, "Revenge of the Cold Machines" and "'White Maze," are now available in stores.