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Volatile Memory
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Expected 22 Jul 25Ex Machina meets This is How You Lose the Time War: Seth Haddon's science fiction debut, Volatile Memory, is a heart-filled, vengeful sapphic sci-fi action adventure novella.
With nothing but a limping ship and an outdated mask to her name, Wylla needs a big pay day. When the call goes out that a lucrative piece of tech is waiting on a nearby planet, she relies on all the swiftness of her prey animal instincts to beat other hunters to it.
What you found wasn’t your ticket out—it was my corpse wearing an AI mask. When you touched the mask, you heard my voice. A consciousness spinning through metal and circuits, a bodiless mind, spun to life in the HAWK’s temporary storage. I crystallized, and I was alive.
Masks aren't supposed to retain memory, much less identity, but the woman inside the MARK I HAWK is real, and she sees Wylla in a way no one ever has. Sees her, and doesn’t find her wanting or unwhole.
Armed with military-grade tech and a lifetime of staying one step ahead of the hunters, Wylla and HAWK set off to get answers from the man who discarded HAWK once her ex-husband.
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
With nothing but a limping ship and an outdated mask to her name, Wylla needs a big pay day. When the call goes out that a lucrative piece of tech is waiting on a nearby planet, she relies on all the swiftness of her prey animal instincts to beat other hunters to it.
What you found wasn’t your ticket out—it was my corpse wearing an AI mask. When you touched the mask, you heard my voice. A consciousness spinning through metal and circuits, a bodiless mind, spun to life in the HAWK’s temporary storage. I crystallized, and I was alive.
Masks aren't supposed to retain memory, much less identity, but the woman inside the MARK I HAWK is real, and she sees Wylla in a way no one ever has. Sees her, and doesn’t find her wanting or unwhole.
Armed with military-grade tech and a lifetime of staying one step ahead of the hunters, Wylla and HAWK set off to get answers from the man who discarded HAWK once her ex-husband.
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
5 pages, Audible Audio
Expected publication July 22, 2025
8 people are currently reading
6,314 people want to read
About the author
Seth Haddon
6books484followersSeth Haddon is a queer Australian writer of fantasy. He is a video game designer and producer, has a degree in Ancient History, and previously worked with cats. Some of his previous adventures include exploring Pompeii with a famous archaeologist and being chased through a train station by a nun.�
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
April 13, 2025
what I thought I was getting when I requested this arc: a cool sci-fi novella with a sleek concept, a gorgeous cover, and queer protagonists.
what I actually got (in under 200 pages, mind you): a blistering, lyrical exploration of feminine rage, queer identity, and the weight—and liberation—of saying no to a world that demands we define ourselves for its comfort. and a sapphic romance powerful enough to rattle constellations.
volatile memory is the kind of book that sneaks up on you. beneath its novella-length shell lies a densely packed, emotionally devastating narrative. the prose is almost poetic in rhythm, and it’s written entirely in second person, which initially threw me for a loop, but once wylla and sable come face to face, the choice becomes very clear, and very smart. both of them are fully-realized, ferociously human characters navigating a world that deems their humanity—especially their autonomy—unacceptable. i could’ve easily devoured 500 pages of just them talking, scheming, being soft and furious in turn, but part of what makes this book work is how it embraces its brevity. no sentence is ever forgettable.
overall this is a beautiful, bold, unapologetically queer story. even if you're not a sci-fi reader, i still think this one could surprise you. it's that good. also, that gideon comp? yess. not because the tone is similar (it’s actually not), but the vibes are all there.
thank you to netgalley and tor publishing for the arc!
what I actually got (in under 200 pages, mind you): a blistering, lyrical exploration of feminine rage, queer identity, and the weight—and liberation—of saying no to a world that demands we define ourselves for its comfort. and a sapphic romance powerful enough to rattle constellations.
volatile memory is the kind of book that sneaks up on you. beneath its novella-length shell lies a densely packed, emotionally devastating narrative. the prose is almost poetic in rhythm, and it’s written entirely in second person, which initially threw me for a loop, but once wylla and sable come face to face, the choice becomes very clear, and very smart. both of them are fully-realized, ferociously human characters navigating a world that deems their humanity—especially their autonomy—unacceptable. i could’ve easily devoured 500 pages of just them talking, scheming, being soft and furious in turn, but part of what makes this book work is how it embraces its brevity. no sentence is ever forgettable.
overall this is a beautiful, bold, unapologetically queer story. even if you're not a sci-fi reader, i still think this one could surprise you. it's that good. also, that gideon comp? yess. not because the tone is similar (it’s actually not), but the vibes are all there.
thank you to netgalley and tor publishing for the arc!
Want to read
February 3, 2025gideon and time war comps???? i am SAT.
April 12, 2025
Volatile Memory by Seth Haddon is a powerful and poignant sci-fi novella that completely drew me in. Set in a gritty, tech-saturated world where people use masks to enhance their abilities, this story was both refreshingly unique and deeply thought-provoking.
At its core, this is a story about identity—about learning to know and accept yourself in a society built on rigid class systems, conformity, and corruption. It explores themes of transphobia and queerness with such care and depth, and the queer romance at the heart of it all was beautifully done.
I’m always here for stories with feminine rage and vengeance, and Volatile Memory delivers that in spades. It’s the kind of book that lingers in your mind long after the final page. I’ll be thinking about this one for a while.
Highly recommend picking this one up when it releases in July! Huge thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing for the gifted ARC.
At its core, this is a story about identity—about learning to know and accept yourself in a society built on rigid class systems, conformity, and corruption. It explores themes of transphobia and queerness with such care and depth, and the queer romance at the heart of it all was beautifully done.
I’m always here for stories with feminine rage and vengeance, and Volatile Memory delivers that in spades. It’s the kind of book that lingers in your mind long after the final page. I’ll be thinking about this one for a while.
Highly recommend picking this one up when it releases in July! Huge thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing for the gifted ARC.
January 30, 2025
(4.5)
thought i was in for some cool scifi concepts, ended up finding the gayest thing i've read in a very long time. everything about this was so weird and introspective and fun and i hope that we get to see more from wylla and sable and the world they're making a mess of. if you love the pain of yearning, this will be there for you when it comes out in july.
thought i was in for some cool scifi concepts, ended up finding the gayest thing i've read in a very long time. everything about this was so weird and introspective and fun and i hope that we get to see more from wylla and sable and the world they're making a mess of. if you love the pain of yearning, this will be there for you when it comes out in july.
April 3, 2024
A beautiful novella about the intersections of humanity, technology and identity, with characters who are different but complementary and make us love them from word one. Formally interesting, thematically deep, and full of cool, unique tech. Highly recommend.
March 13, 2025
This was just stunning. If you like me love Murderbot and the Locked Tomb Series I think this will be right up your alley. Specifically if you loved Harrow the Ninth’s second person POV then I think you’ll like this. The exploration of what it means to be human through this sentient AI character was so interesting. I loved the connection between Hawk and Wylla. Their messy burn the world down attitude just felt raw and resonant. This book just gives you a lot of ideas to chew on; it’s a great addition to Tor’s collection of queer sci-fi stories.
CW: Murder, suicide, transphobia, and torture
Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.
CW: Murder, suicide, transphobia, and torture
Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.
April 22, 2025
this is a very strange, vengeful little book. <3 some of the most unique world building I’ve read in a while. best enjoyed in one sitting.
April 9, 2025
Thank you to Netgalley for the eARC!
Volatile Memory is a a vividly imaginative sci-fi adventure that tackles identity and what it truly means to be human all while seeking out revenge and trying to avoid being hunted- gotta love characters that can multi task. I was immediately enthralled by Wylla and especially Sable (I am in love with our murderous rage filled disembodied queen) and the complex dynamic between them. It was so refreshingly unique and I am a little obsessed with the aesthetic of these animal styled masks that grant the wearer skills based on the creature it embodies. Honestly the entire story was just so gripping and entertaining. There was never a slow moment and it makes me wish that this novella had been a full novel so that we could spend even more time in this world and with these characters because I just so thoroughly enjoyed the brief time I had with them.
Volatile Memory is a a vividly imaginative sci-fi adventure that tackles identity and what it truly means to be human all while seeking out revenge and trying to avoid being hunted- gotta love characters that can multi task. I was immediately enthralled by Wylla and especially Sable (I am in love with our murderous rage filled disembodied queen) and the complex dynamic between them. It was so refreshingly unique and I am a little obsessed with the aesthetic of these animal styled masks that grant the wearer skills based on the creature it embodies. Honestly the entire story was just so gripping and entertaining. There was never a slow moment and it makes me wish that this novella had been a full novel so that we could spend even more time in this world and with these characters because I just so thoroughly enjoyed the brief time I had with them.
March 5, 2025
This was such a surprisingly refreshing novella from an author whose fantasy work I had to DNF not long ago. I grabbed this based on the cover art and all the publishing buzzword comparisons to other SF works I've loved. However, I'm thrilled to report that I didn't think about or compare this to Gideon or Time War even once. This story is very much it's own unhinged and beautiful thing. A story about an AI tech riding around in your mind could've been full but there is so much action and mystery and subversive rage in this tale that feels so relevant to the current zeitgeist. This isn't a hopeful/escapist sci-fi but one that is very believable in how the problems we face today having direct descendants in a spacefaring version of human society. Corporate oligarchy, Othering and dehumanizing of trans people and women, unscrupulous colonization of minds, bodies and worlds...they aren't a thing of the past in this story and very much contributes to what drives Sable and Wylla. I wasn't fully into the romance angle of it, but it didn't bother me too much because it worked just as well as any other reason for these two to go around boiling some truly heinous brains. I imagine this would be an awesome audiobook and I can't wait to check that out upon release.
Thanks to Netgalley and Tor for the free advance copy.
Thanks to Netgalley and Tor for the free advance copy.
October 6, 2024
Propulsive and remarkable - biotech exploration at its finest and most intimate, pressing the seams of form and self and life in a world of suffocating regulation, especially on its women. I was instantly sucked in by Wylla and this unlikely love, with all of its wounds and deliciously righteous rage. This is sapphic revenge with a sharp, raw heart.
For fans of Time War & Gideon with a more classic scifi lean! Tightly packed with so much goodness
For fans of Time War & Gideon with a more classic scifi lean! Tightly packed with so much goodness
April 28, 2025
Wylla is a trans woman trying to make it in a hyper capitalist sci-fi future, where deviation from the norms of gender identity and appearance is viewed as transgressive. She's made her body truly hers, and hacked every online marker and registry to reflect that, and she'll be damned if she backs down. MARK I HAWK, previously grafted to the face of a corpse, is a woman of questionable identity, struggling to remember her past or just how she got into the circuitry of a mask to begin with.
Let's start with the good. Wylla is freaking awesome; HAWK is pretty dang cool too. The world set up by Haddon is interesting and deeply uncomfortable and dystopian and has a lot of promise with regards to depth and nuance. The hyper capitalism is HYPER capitalism, with everything being named after capitalist/corporate structures, and I think that's a neat spin on this variant of the genre.
But unfortunately that leads me to the bad, of which there's a few for me. The first is that the world building wasn't enough! There's so many cool and interesting concepts that I feel just deserved more than what was given. We're given enough to understand that the power structure is similar to that of a corporation, especially with the words used and applied to positions of power, but we don't have the context to know exactly why they're bad and what they've done. For example, the Subsidiaries have arrived, and they're super important, but nothing is fleshed out enough beyond the foundations to tell us exactly WHY or what kind of power they really hold.
Secondly, the writing style is strange and feels like it's trying to be more than it is or should be. It's from the perspective of the woman in the mask, and so at times it feels disjointed, and rightly so for the narrative, but in other ways makes more sense than it should for someone or some thing frequently divested of perspective and tactile information. In that same way, though, it could also be that the writing style itself just doesn't jive well with me, mainly because it feels like someone going through an almost wistful recollection of events tinged with reverence for Wylla rather than a continuous narrative happening in the now.
Absolutely none of that is to say that the writing is bad, not at all. I enjoyed the story despite my above gripes, and I'm interested to see what else Haddon does outside of his comfort zone! My final thoughts however are that I really feel like Volatile Memory needed more pages and more information to ease the reader into the setting, because there's so much there and it's genuinely so COOL and 176 pages just isn't enough!
Thank you NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for the free eARC in exchange for my honest review!
Let's start with the good. Wylla is freaking awesome; HAWK is pretty dang cool too. The world set up by Haddon is interesting and deeply uncomfortable and dystopian and has a lot of promise with regards to depth and nuance. The hyper capitalism is HYPER capitalism, with everything being named after capitalist/corporate structures, and I think that's a neat spin on this variant of the genre.
But unfortunately that leads me to the bad, of which there's a few for me. The first is that the world building wasn't enough! There's so many cool and interesting concepts that I feel just deserved more than what was given. We're given enough to understand that the power structure is similar to that of a corporation, especially with the words used and applied to positions of power, but we don't have the context to know exactly why they're bad and what they've done. For example, the Subsidiaries have arrived, and they're super important, but nothing is fleshed out enough beyond the foundations to tell us exactly WHY or what kind of power they really hold.
Secondly, the writing style is strange and feels like it's trying to be more than it is or should be. It's from the perspective of the woman in the mask, and so at times it feels disjointed, and rightly so for the narrative, but in other ways makes more sense than it should for someone or some thing frequently divested of perspective and tactile information. In that same way, though, it could also be that the writing style itself just doesn't jive well with me, mainly because it feels like someone going through an almost wistful recollection of events tinged with reverence for Wylla rather than a continuous narrative happening in the now.
Absolutely none of that is to say that the writing is bad, not at all. I enjoyed the story despite my above gripes, and I'm interested to see what else Haddon does outside of his comfort zone! My final thoughts however are that I really feel like Volatile Memory needed more pages and more information to ease the reader into the setting, because there's so much there and it's genuinely so COOL and 176 pages just isn't enough!
Thank you NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for the free eARC in exchange for my honest review!
April 10, 2025
MORE THAN THE SUM OF PARTS...
I really had no expectations going into this book, I don't tend to look for specific tropes or types of pairings, and genre is something I flit between rapidly. All of this is to say I was hooked by Volatile Memory and its exploration of convention.
Haddon's sci-fi debut immediately gives you everything stated on the packet, a rip-roaring lesbian romance packed to the brim with yearning and revenge, and then it sinks into you further.
There's a feeling of ceaselessness, oppression, and cruelty to the world Wylla and HAWK exist in. The exposition is well paced with Wylla's navigation of an entire bureaucratic hellscape universe against her. Our reprieve from this lonely and conformist world is the loving and albeit maybe overprotective gaze of HAWK.
I loved seeing through HAWK'S eyes metaphorically and literally. The dynamic these two explore is the shared beating and bleeding heart of this story. Seconds feel like minutes in HAWK'S perspective in the best possible way, every thought and action doubled, and refracted.
Between cerebral, guilt filled gore, and intriguing world building was what floored me. The intimacy between Wylla and HAWK is palpable, and the small moments between the chaos, however heated, really got to me.
Wylla and HAWK are by no means a perfect match in theory, but practice makes perfect, right? Sharing a body, barely holding on to survival, they develop an intense and sincere understanding of each other. In the spaces in between, they discuss identity, self, history, and gender with a frank sincerity that sears through to the centre of the plot.
How do you exist when you're considered less than human? What does it mean to feel comfortable in corporeal form? How do you defy imposed impossibility?
it's not easy to marry fight or flight cognitively, but against odds Wylla and HAWK connect over the course of the story, learn and empathise with eachothers history, and importantly to grow beyond themselves into something more whole and powerful than perceived value of the sum of their parts.
Come for the tropes and conventions of genre, and watch Wylla and HAWK melt them away like a blaster to the brain.
Devastating, high octane, and refreshing, Volatile Memory is going to stick with me longer than expected.
4/5
I really had no expectations going into this book, I don't tend to look for specific tropes or types of pairings, and genre is something I flit between rapidly. All of this is to say I was hooked by Volatile Memory and its exploration of convention.
Haddon's sci-fi debut immediately gives you everything stated on the packet, a rip-roaring lesbian romance packed to the brim with yearning and revenge, and then it sinks into you further.
There's a feeling of ceaselessness, oppression, and cruelty to the world Wylla and HAWK exist in. The exposition is well paced with Wylla's navigation of an entire bureaucratic hellscape universe against her. Our reprieve from this lonely and conformist world is the loving and albeit maybe overprotective gaze of HAWK.
I loved seeing through HAWK'S eyes metaphorically and literally. The dynamic these two explore is the shared beating and bleeding heart of this story. Seconds feel like minutes in HAWK'S perspective in the best possible way, every thought and action doubled, and refracted.
Between cerebral, guilt filled gore, and intriguing world building was what floored me. The intimacy between Wylla and HAWK is palpable, and the small moments between the chaos, however heated, really got to me.
Wylla and HAWK are by no means a perfect match in theory, but practice makes perfect, right? Sharing a body, barely holding on to survival, they develop an intense and sincere understanding of each other. In the spaces in between, they discuss identity, self, history, and gender with a frank sincerity that sears through to the centre of the plot.
How do you exist when you're considered less than human? What does it mean to feel comfortable in corporeal form? How do you defy imposed impossibility?
it's not easy to marry fight or flight cognitively, but against odds Wylla and HAWK connect over the course of the story, learn and empathise with eachothers history, and importantly to grow beyond themselves into something more whole and powerful than perceived value of the sum of their parts.
Come for the tropes and conventions of genre, and watch Wylla and HAWK melt them away like a blaster to the brain.
Devastating, high octane, and refreshing, Volatile Memory is going to stick with me longer than expected.
4/5
March 1, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for a free arc in exchange for an honest review.
Volatile memory is a very refreshing read, full of vengeance, sci-fi tech, and queer themes. I really appreciated the themes of self acceptance and the feeling of alienation from your body. I’ve read some of Haddon’s previous work and thoroughly enjoyed it, though Volatile Memory definitely feels very different from his novels in the world of Reforged. However, I think the approach to worldbuilding is similar. Admittedly, I’m very new to the sci-fi genre, so I can’t confidently compare the worldbuilding in this book to the genre as a whole; however I do think Haddon gives the reader enough information about the world to be interested, without making the world itself the focus of the novel.
Additionally, I think telling this story from Sable’s perspective was a great choice that made the story much more interesting. There’s something about a story told largely in the second person that I just eat up every time.
Volatile memory is a very refreshing read, full of vengeance, sci-fi tech, and queer themes. I really appreciated the themes of self acceptance and the feeling of alienation from your body. I’ve read some of Haddon’s previous work and thoroughly enjoyed it, though Volatile Memory definitely feels very different from his novels in the world of Reforged. However, I think the approach to worldbuilding is similar. Admittedly, I’m very new to the sci-fi genre, so I can’t confidently compare the worldbuilding in this book to the genre as a whole; however I do think Haddon gives the reader enough information about the world to be interested, without making the world itself the focus of the novel.
Additionally, I think telling this story from Sable’s perspective was a great choice that made the story much more interesting. There’s something about a story told largely in the second person that I just eat up every time.
March 11, 2025
CW: Existentialism, Transphobia, Body/Identity Dysmorphia
Haddon’s novella is both thrilling and thought provoking. I loved the set up of a world where people augment themselves with different masks that, in turn, give them different abilities. The world is also dystopian in its imposition of structure based on sex, fertility, gender, and class.
I loved the multi-pronged approach to investigating identity throughout the book. Both Wylla and HAWK have past selves pressed on them by the rigid, hierarchical, and technological system that underpins their world � but they also have built their identities, their bodies, and adjust and adapt to each of their new needs, defying and redefining what is “proper� around their best interests. Even RABBIT, Wylla’s Mask prior to Hawk, plays into that subversion and contributes to the themes. Just really smart, thoughtful, writing.
Wylla and Hawk are also just easy to love and easy to root for, so I wanted to see what they would do next and how they navigated each new development. I would highly recommend this novella.
Haddon’s novella is both thrilling and thought provoking. I loved the set up of a world where people augment themselves with different masks that, in turn, give them different abilities. The world is also dystopian in its imposition of structure based on sex, fertility, gender, and class.
I loved the multi-pronged approach to investigating identity throughout the book. Both Wylla and HAWK have past selves pressed on them by the rigid, hierarchical, and technological system that underpins their world � but they also have built their identities, their bodies, and adjust and adapt to each of their new needs, defying and redefining what is “proper� around their best interests. Even RABBIT, Wylla’s Mask prior to Hawk, plays into that subversion and contributes to the themes. Just really smart, thoughtful, writing.
Wylla and Hawk are also just easy to love and easy to root for, so I wanted to see what they would do next and how they navigated each new development. I would highly recommend this novella.
April 26, 2025
I'm usually not partial to sci-fi, but this book may have changed my tune. Unlike my prior attempts at tackling the genre, this book wasn't too dense and did a great job easing the reader into the world instead of throwing the world at us through dense exposition.
Though I was initially wary of the mix of first- and second-POVs, the unique approach to narration served the story wonderfully. It felt like the reader was HAWK, navigating this new form and learning her new companion through narration that bridged the gap between this mask's mind and everything human we know.
The characters themselves were beautiful, and the exploration of human conscious and sense of self in a future world is still captivating my mind, even as I write this a few days after finishing the novella.
Thank you Seth Haddon for the ARC, I thoroughly enjoyed this read!
Though I was initially wary of the mix of first- and second-POVs, the unique approach to narration served the story wonderfully. It felt like the reader was HAWK, navigating this new form and learning her new companion through narration that bridged the gap between this mask's mind and everything human we know.
The characters themselves were beautiful, and the exploration of human conscious and sense of self in a future world is still captivating my mind, even as I write this a few days after finishing the novella.
Thank you Seth Haddon for the ARC, I thoroughly enjoyed this read!
March 5, 2025
A dead woman who's mind is trapped in the software of a helmet falls in love with a trans space pirate who helps her find and kill her abusive ex husband in an awesome futuristic adventure with wonderful worldbuilding and excellent exploration of various scifi and societal concepts. Thoroughly enjoyed this book. It makes statements on corporate capitalism and how it desecrates individual identity and endangers organic life, and also diligently discusses what makes a person who they are. It touches on the oppression of trans lives and the oppression of women. You will adore not only Sable and Wylla as characters, but also the relationship of endearing closeness they develop.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 13, 2025
4.5 rounded up
I'm *living* for the weird and queer sci-fi novellas lately. I've followed Haddon for awhile but hadn't actually picked up any of his books until now. I'm glad I started with Volatile Memory!
This was a fascinating queer space adventure, filled with sapphic longing and rage and questions of identity and self. The world-building was quite unique - I really enjoyed the animalistic masks that Haddon created for this story. If you're a fan of "This is How You Lose the Time War" and Meg Smitherman's novellas, you'll enjoy this one!
Thank you to Tor and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I'm *living* for the weird and queer sci-fi novellas lately. I've followed Haddon for awhile but hadn't actually picked up any of his books until now. I'm glad I started with Volatile Memory!
This was a fascinating queer space adventure, filled with sapphic longing and rage and questions of identity and self. The world-building was quite unique - I really enjoyed the animalistic masks that Haddon created for this story. If you're a fan of "This is How You Lose the Time War" and Meg Smitherman's novellas, you'll enjoy this one!
Thank you to Tor and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
April 15, 2025
This review is based on an advance copy.
I thoroughly enjoyed this sci-fi novella. The world building is pretty good for something this short. It is also unabashedly queer. My one gripe though is that there is too much saying "I'm trans and people don't accept me" and not enough showing it. Much of this story delves into thoughts and feelings from two points of view so this would have been a great opportunity to show how this lack of acceptance feels and how it looks to someone else. There was only one good but brief scene in the book where Haddon showed instead of told. A missed opportunity.
I thoroughly enjoyed this sci-fi novella. The world building is pretty good for something this short. It is also unabashedly queer. My one gripe though is that there is too much saying "I'm trans and people don't accept me" and not enough showing it. Much of this story delves into thoughts and feelings from two points of view so this would have been a great opportunity to show how this lack of acceptance feels and how it looks to someone else. There was only one good but brief scene in the book where Haddon showed instead of told. A missed opportunity.
April 16, 2025
Volatile Mind definitely makes you think. It took me a minute to get into it but once I did, I was locked in. The story makes you think about humanity and what it means to be a human. The story follows a trans woman who is a scavenger. The world building was interesting and I felt like I wanted more, but of course , with it vainglorious a novella, there’s only so much. I think the author did a good job with the world building by showing and telling.
I feel as if I would get a lot more out of this by analyzing it with others. This would be a great read for a book club.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC
I feel as if I would get a lot more out of this by analyzing it with others. This would be a great read for a book club.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC
January 17, 2025
Give me a story that tackles the metaphysical minefield that is defining identity and I am here for it. I loved the themes here, and the technology was incredibly fun. The writing as well was surprising and fresh—particularly the mix of 1st and 2nd person POV, which is hard to pull off. What was missing for me was� more book? I felt that there was more to explore, but we only got to graze the surface. And because of the length, certain things (no spoilers) came about very quickly, and they could have hit harder if they’d been allowed to marinate. What can I say; I prefer a slower burn.
April 27, 2025
This was a story about the masks we choose.
This was a fascinating reading experience and I'm struggling to review it. I don't enjoy a 2nd person POV narrative, and typically dnf right away if that's the style, but I was so interested in what was happening that I couldn't put it down and read it in one sitting. It's compelling, and definitely inspired me to think about what exactly makes us who we are: is it our memories? If not- what is it? I'll absolutely check out future entries into the same universe.
Thanks so much @tordotcompub and @netgalley for the eArc!
This was a fascinating reading experience and I'm struggling to review it. I don't enjoy a 2nd person POV narrative, and typically dnf right away if that's the style, but I was so interested in what was happening that I couldn't put it down and read it in one sitting. It's compelling, and definitely inspired me to think about what exactly makes us who we are: is it our memories? If not- what is it? I'll absolutely check out future entries into the same universe.
Thanks so much @tordotcompub and @netgalley for the eArc!
February 25, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC
This was so interesting! I love when sci fi gives me something new to chew on. Love the idea of wearing animal “masks� that gives you tech/body interface based on the animal characteristics. Super unique
I can absolutely see how this was likened to This is How You Lose the Time War. Similar vibes
Overall I really enjoyed this - blew through it in one night
This was so interesting! I love when sci fi gives me something new to chew on. Love the idea of wearing animal “masks� that gives you tech/body interface based on the animal characteristics. Super unique
I can absolutely see how this was likened to This is How You Lose the Time War. Similar vibes
Overall I really enjoyed this - blew through it in one night
April 9, 2025
What does it mean to be human? Is it your body, your mind/soul, or something more? Can you BE human without a body? Or are you something else?
I love how this book so quickly explores and challenges the idea of what makes us human and who we are. You are more than the body you have and more than just the mind you have. You are MORE. Hopeful for another book to follow Wylla on the journey.
*book won with ŷ Giveaways
I love how this book so quickly explores and challenges the idea of what makes us human and who we are. You are more than the body you have and more than just the mind you have. You are MORE. Hopeful for another book to follow Wylla on the journey.
*book won with ŷ Giveaways
March 24, 2025
3.5/5
This is my first book by Seth Hadden, and I liked the writing enough that I’d probably read another, but I have a lot of conflicting feelings about this one in particular
It’s well written, to be clear, though in a different style than I expected and it’s just not my favorite.
I liked Wylla, and really enjoyed the commentary on identity and corporation that runs throughout. Sable I liked as well, though I feel like we got less of a personality from her. I also don’t think I truly saw a romance, and not for the lack of instant connection they technically had. It just didn’t feel romantic to me.
The story was interesting, and it was very fast paced. That combined with the length made it an extremely quick read.
I’m not sure I believe there was time for both romance and plot in here, not for the space that either one deserved, and I think this might have been better as something more full length in the end. But it’s interesting and I’ll definitely read something else by this author
This is my first book by Seth Hadden, and I liked the writing enough that I’d probably read another, but I have a lot of conflicting feelings about this one in particular
It’s well written, to be clear, though in a different style than I expected and it’s just not my favorite.
I liked Wylla, and really enjoyed the commentary on identity and corporation that runs throughout. Sable I liked as well, though I feel like we got less of a personality from her. I also don’t think I truly saw a romance, and not for the lack of instant connection they technically had. It just didn’t feel romantic to me.
The story was interesting, and it was very fast paced. That combined with the length made it an extremely quick read.
I’m not sure I believe there was time for both romance and plot in here, not for the space that either one deserved, and I think this might have been better as something more full length in the end. But it’s interesting and I’ll definitely read something else by this author
April 20, 2025
I won this as a ŷ giveaway and I'm so very happy I did.
This was so beautifully written. The 2nd-person POV through a first-person narrator worked so, so well for this story. Very emotionally explorative and an extremely interesting sci-fi concept on top of that. I hope there is a lot more to come in this universe from this author!
This was so beautifully written. The 2nd-person POV through a first-person narrator worked so, so well for this story. Very emotionally explorative and an extremely interesting sci-fi concept on top of that. I hope there is a lot more to come in this universe from this author!
April 8, 2025
** I won an advance reader copy of this through a ŷ giveaway. **
This was a twisty, turny, metaphysical and very strange novella. That I enjoyed quite a bit. I honestly think I may re-read this in the near future to see what nuances I missed the first time through!!!
This was a twisty, turny, metaphysical and very strange novella. That I enjoyed quite a bit. I honestly think I may re-read this in the near future to see what nuances I missed the first time through!!!
April 24, 2025
fun short novella about having a body and being a lesbian and also not having a body and being a lesbian. And being two lesbians in one body. While in space. Also transgender and anticapitalist about it
Read
April 25, 2025ARC provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Unique and vengeful, I love the anger and emotion in this. Wylla is striving to make a place and body for herself, to survive in a world that punishes any kind of difference, and Sable just wants to live. Really enjoyed this.
Unique and vengeful, I love the anger and emotion in this. Wylla is striving to make a place and body for herself, to survive in a world that punishes any kind of difference, and Sable just wants to live. Really enjoyed this.
Want to read
January 7, 2025te quiero persona de tiktok que me ha enseñado de la existencia de este libro
March 11, 2025
Absolutely amazing. Review to come!
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