In Complex 441, the most feared punishment of all is to be made an Archivist, and be sentenced to read the journals of those who came before-before the Loss, before the holes appeared in people's memories and the cities vanished. But an Archivist doesn't simply read the journals-he re-lives the events written down inside. His own memories are slowly replaced by those of the Recorder, and the Archivist becomes a different person-if he doesn't go insane first. When Michael Driftveil, a petty thief, is sentenced to become an Archivist, he is sure there is some mistake. He's given a harsh 64-year...