A brilliant speculative science fiction novel that I devoured!

Maggie and Stanley have shared a wonderful life together and it breaks Maggie’s heart to see Stanley’s dementia taking him from her, bit by bit.

When Maggie is approached by Hassan, a scientist, who claims that it isn’t dementia taking Stanley’s memories, but the care home he is living in, she agrees to break him out and work with Hassan to bring him back to her.

As Maggie digs into Stanley’s past memories, using them as a platform for time travel, she finds herself embroiled in a deadly game of chess, against a seemingly unbeatable opponent.

Maggie is a great character, and I loved travelling with her through the past and out of toilet block windows! The writing is immersive and the fast paced plot had me hooked. Fabulous!

5 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley , Nicholas Binge and Harper Collins for an ARC in return for an honest review.

This book didn’t just grip me—it tore through me. From the first page, I was hooked, unraveling a story as intricate and fragile as memory itself. This isn’t just sci-fi … it’s a psychological labyrinth, a haunting exploration of identity, love, and the terrifying consequences of losing what makes us us.

“Because our identities are defined by our experiences, and our experiences are just a collection of our memories. In that sense, our memories—both conscious and subconscious—are what make us human. Without memory, we would be blank slates. We would be empty.”

That’s the terrifying heart of Dissolution. What happens when those memories—our very sense of self—are no longer ours?

The atmosphere? Absolutely electric. There’s this constant tension—a creeping, skin-prickling unease that builds with every page. Like Ascension, Binge masterfully blends cosmic horror with something deeply human, making every revelation feel like a punch to the gut. The pacing is relentless, twisting and turning in ways I never saw coming.

And Maggie. She’s unlike any protagonist I’ve read before—an octogenarian fighting for her husband, for her past, for the truth buried deep in his (and hers) fragmented memories. Her strength, her love, her sheer determination wrecked me. She’s the kind of character who lingers, whose pain feels real, whose story matters. Watching her piece together the impossible was exhilarating and heartbreaking all at once.

But what truly broke me was Stanley and Maggie’s relationship. Their love—the kind that endures beyond time, beyond memory—felt like the beating heart of this book. It was almost a love letter to love itself. I couldn’t stop thinking about it, even when I wasn’t reading. It’s rare to find a book that makes your mind reel while also making your heart ache, but Dissolution did both. It brought tears to my eyes and left me feeling utterly hollowed out in the best way.

“Stanley stared at her—this crazy, wonderful, fantastic woman—and could think of only one more question to ask. ‘Is it worth it?’
‘Oh, Stan, there’s never been anything more worth it in the entire world.’” 😭

I’ve always been obsessed with time travel stories, and while this isn’t traditional time travel, it plays with time in ways that felt just as exhilarating. The way memory fractures and shifts, the nonlinear unraveling of truth—it gave me that same thrill I love in time-bending narratives. The past isn’t just something remembered here; it’s something fought for, manipulated, and slipping through grasping fingers. And at the heart of it all, there’s love—enduring, aching, refusing to be erased.

Binge’s writing is razor-sharp, immersive, and deeply unsettling. He doesn’t just craft a story—he burrows into your mind, forcing you to question everything. About memory. About truth. About the terrifying fragility of our own existence.

Dissolution isn’t just a book you read—it’s a book that reads you. Brutal, breathtaking, romantic, and utterly unforgettable.

This book was interesting, creepy, and sentimental all bundled up together to give me the perfect book to have my heart racing. The characters were incredibly well described. The plot was amazing. And I cannot believe a human being is capable of thinking of a novel like this. The only thing that kept me away from giving it a full rating was the long chapters.

An elderly woman, Margaret, wakes up in a bizarre situation. She’s in an abandoned swimming pool, getting interrogated by a menacing yet oddly charismatic guy, Hassan, who’s desperate for her to recount the events of the last few days in perfect detail. Why? Because her husband, Stanley, apparently discovered something that could change the course of human history. And since Stanley now has Alzheimer’s, Hassan needs Margaret to literally enter his memories and retrieve whatever it was. Quickly, too – powerful people are willing to kill for this secret (they might even have engineered Stanley’s memory loss in the first place). If this all sounds overly convoluted on paper, Binge makes it pleasingly easy to fall into.

The best parts, by far, are the chapters that explore Stanley’s perspective – his miserable childhood, his strained friendships, his introduction to the theory and science of memory via an eccentric mentor. Margaret’s sections, though? Trickier. The whole thing is framed as a transcript of everything she tells Hassan, and it takes intense suspension of disbelief to buy into that. There are some MacGuffins to explain Margaret’s improbably perfect and novelistic recall: Hassan gives her a memory-enhancing drug that supposedly ‘encourages verbalisation of your inner monologue’. But, needless to say, one’s inner monologue doesn’t generally involve describing dialogue the same way it’s written in a book.

I kept bouncing between ‘this is way too polished’ and ‘ooh, that was actually a really good twist’. Dissolution is one of the most obvious examples I’ve read recently of something that feels like it’s written with the express aim of being adapted into a film or TV series. Whether or not that’s an issue is a matter of taste. I think it’s fair to say that although I enjoyed the book – because it’s slick and compelling and all those things you’d expect from a story like this – I wished the style had been pared back a bit. I wanted more ambiguity, more restraint, something with a little less of a relentless drive towards the next big action sequence.

This is Binge’s third novel; I’ve read them all, liking each a little less than its predecessor. I think this is because his writing is moving in a more commercial direction, which, fair enough, good for him, that’s its own kind of skill; it’s just not for me. Dissolution might appeal to those who have enjoyed books by the likes of Blake Crouch, Claire North and Stuart Turton. Personally, this action-packed, kinetic style just doesn’t represent what I want to get out of, or find most rewarding about, speculative fiction in general. Nevertheless, it’s undeniably gripping and fun – and look, if that big-budget adaptation does happen, I’ll definitely be watching.

This was an incredible book! I read an eARC of this book on NetGalley so that you to the author and the publisher.

This was such a fascinating and high stakes exploration of memory. I was utterly gripped. We meet our octogenarian MC Maggie when she’s being interviewed in what seems to be an empty swimming pool, feeing completely disoriented and having very little understanding of what’s happening. Maggie will be forced to delve into the memories held by her and her husband to save them from a menacing threat.

I absolutely am loving the recent trend of older female main characters. I’ve read many of these lately and it’s fantastic. The characters have so much life experience and a different perspective, their choices informed by their wisdom. Indeed, this book could never have worked so well with a younger protagonist because it’s the richness of Maggie’s history with her husband that create so many breadcrumbs for her to follow, and so much motivation to rescue him.

This was such a clever book. I loved how it unfurled with the memories timeline and the recollecting timeline intertwining, with things building and making more sense as you uncover how they connect. Throughout all of the story there is a real sense of a race against time and an incredible tension as Maggie learns more about what’s happening, who the players are and how she and her husband fit into what’s at stake.

This was a tense, fascinating, intelligently written book which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Nicholas Binge is an auto buy author for me now. After his first book I had high hopes and was not disappointed. Dissolution is mind bending in the best way, absolutely absorbing and brilliant. I loved that the main character is older and her personality really defined. All the characters are amazing in their own ways but she shone throughout. Definitely a woman to be reckoned with.
The whole sci-fi element is cool and refreshing to read. The way the novel is written creates tension and mystery as we go between interrogation sessions and the past. The plot slowly unravels, going through some twists and turns along the way.
Despite the sci-fi backdrop there is such a human connection and emotion throughout the whole book, this really is a love letter to love and those enduring relationships. Loneliness and grief are also at the forefront, hard emotions to write about with energy but this book had that through its pacing and intrigue.
I basically couldn’t put this down and if anyone likes thrillers/sci-fi then I cannot see them not enjoying this.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC. This is a voluntary review of my own thoughts.

Really very good. I started off doubting I would finish the book but I soon found I couldn't put it down. It's definitely a mind bender - if you change someones memory do you also change reality? A combination of 'genius is next to madness' and 'the end justifies the means'. I would class the story as intelligent sci-fi. It is due to the skill of Binge that he makes it into an enjoyable read. Looking forward to the next one.

I really loved this authors debut book Ascension, but Dissolution absolutely blew my mind.

There’s a lot of excellent well written fast paced tech thrillers out there but Binge just adds so many layers to his stories with depth and emotion. That combination is one of my absolute favourite forms of storytelling and Binge is up there with Blake Crouch and Justin Cronin for me.

This is very much a puzzle box book. You’re thrown in blind and need to slowly figure out the clues along with the characters to try and build up a picture of what’s happening. The journey is the destination and the reading experience is incredibly satisfying.

I absolutely adored Maggie and Stanley. They were every elderly family member I’ve ever loved and lost. Maggie especially was such a refreshing and unique protagonist, I felt such a strong connection to her all the way through.

This story manages to be disturbing, heart wrenching, violent and romantic. Every moment I wasn’t reading I was thinking about it and every time I picked it up I made sure I was paying attention to every word, not wanting to miss a thing.

Cannot wait to see what Binge does next.

This was not a book for me, I really struggled to get me head round it being a technical horror, and get used to the world again after the fantastic Ascension. As a life long Trekkie I thought I would be used to techno-babble but this went over my head and it really took away from my enjoyment of the story

This is an imaginative technical thriller that is bound together by love and loss, with an old school ‘bad quy’ in the mix. It should have been great.

"When a mysterious stranger named Hassan appears at her door, he reveals a shocking truth: Stanley isn’t losing his memories. Someone is actively removing them to hide a long-buried secret from coming to light. If Maggie does what she’s told, she can reverse it. She can get her husband back. Led by Hassan and his technological marvels, Maggie breaks into her husband’s mind, probing the depths of his memories in an effort to save him."

This story has a intriguing premise, and I always enjoy plots that play with time and memory, so this should have been perfect for me. There is technology that allows other people’s memories to be explored, and there are implications for the fabric of reality itself, and there is a ‘bad guy’ and a malevolent force that need to be dealt with - this is exciting stuff! The plot is well paced, and the author does a great job of guiding us skillfully through multiple timelines, often intertwined.

But while the plot was intricate and engaging, I think I was hoping for something more profound. The bad guy is an archetypal old school villain - if he had a moustache, he would have twirled it menacingly. The malevolent force is, well… just malevolent:

“I do not know what its purpose is. Maybe it has no purpose. Maybe it’s just a force of nature. It is, perhaps, beyond our comprehension.”

And the mechanism by which memories of others can be explored is similarly well explained:

“We would run out of time before you even began to understand the science of it”

Well, that’s all very convenient. But not very satisfying.

There is a lovely relationship between the two main characters, Maggie and Stanley, and this does form a solid foundation. But the plot has difficulty providing substance to the jeopardy that they’re in, given the two-dimensional villain and the unknowable malevolent force. So, while I did care what ultimately happened to Maggie and Stanley, I found it somewhat of a trudge to work my way through the muddy shallows of their struggle - and I found myself not always wanting to pick up the book and carry on.

Thank you #NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for the free review copy of Dissolution in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Having had the opportunity to read Nicholas Binge's previous book Ascension, and absolutely loving it, I was so happy to see an e-mail inviting me to read his new release! This time, we are following Maggie who is trying to save her husband from someone who seems to be actively removing his memories to keep a secret, with the help of a certain Hassan.

This was such an interesting concept, and though I did predict who Hassan would turn out to be quite early on, it didn't stop me from enjoying the book. I loved the science behind everything. Another part I also enjoyed was the after-school club which gave me some academia vibes. Even though some parts were predictable, the book still had a lot of twists and turns, and you definitely won't see those coming. I don't usually like stories with older people as main characters, just because I can't relate to them. But this time, it was done extremely well and it felt sort of like a coming of age story, because we were following Stanley and his friends throughout their teens, 20s, and later life. It was so well written, and I believe it will make an amazing movie!

I can't see what Nicholas Binge has in store next, because right now it's 2/2 for me and I'm so excited to read more!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

Dissolution is an absolutely mind-bending, emotionally devastating, and intellectually thrilling novel that left me in awe. Nicholas Binge masterfully blends sci-fi, philosophy, and psychological depth to create a story that is as thought-provoking as it is haunting.

The novel’s premise is gripping from the start, and Binge’s writing is both elegant and immersive. The way he explores existential questions, time, identity, and the nature of reality feels effortless yet deeply profound. The narrative structure keeps you hooked, unraveling its mysteries with perfect pacing and a growing sense of unease.

Beyond the high-concept ideas, the novel also delivers raw, emotional depth. The characters feel real, their struggles and relationships grounding the more abstract, cosmic horror elements in something deeply human. The ending is breathtaking, the kind that leaves you staring at the last page in stunned silence.

Dissolution is a rare novel that challenges the mind while breaking the heart. Fans of literary sci-fi, psychological horror, and philosophical fiction will find this an unforgettable read. Easily 5 stars.

When I got sent a copy of Dissolution to read and review, it brightened a bit of a tough day and as it happened it did the same for the next six days of reading.

As with his previous book Ascension, this is a speculative sci-fi thriller and it happens to tick all the boxes for me. It has a deepness that many books from the genre tend to lack. I guess you could say that it's a love story buried within a sci-fi framework which manages to pull me deeper and deeper into the story. It's also nice that the story doesn't get lost behind all of the science involved within this novel. It's extremely accessable for science lovers or those that have no interest in science at all.
As for the storytelling, it's exemplary. You'll be thinking you've sussed things out and then, bam! The story twists and turns, feeding you little hints here and there, pulling you along with it.

I've purposely not revealed any of the themes within due to not wanting to spoil this for anyone, but if you love a good thriller or science fiction novel then I'd suggest giving this a go.
Exemplary work for Nicholas Binge yet again.

There are a lot of sci-fi books out there with cool ideas but poor writing or one-dimensional characters.

Happily, Dissolution backs up its cool ideas with a very readable story and strong characters.

This is my second Nicholas Binge book, after Ascension, and he's 2 for 2 now for me. This one improves on Ascension by virtue of the main characters, an octogenarian couple whose life together is tenderly drawn. I won't give away any plot points but there's lots of fun sci-fi concepts, set alongside the more mundane settings of old folks homes and after-school clubs for Maths nerds at Uni.

The ending didn't pan out exactly as I might have liked, but such is life!

Highly recommended. I'll look out some other Binge books this coming year.

Interesting idea that drew me to the book.
It's clever, and I wonder if it was too clever for me.
I enjoyed it, but not as much as I'd hoped going on other reviews.
I never really connected with any of the characters ,and the opening part, getting to the point took a while longer than I'd have liked.
It's different though, and for that alone, it's worth picking up.

An aquired taste. I enjoyed Ascension but felt it needed more and whilst Dissolution is a brilliant story, it failed to reach the highs that were expected.