This is a similarly-sized sequel to Seth Haddon’s cyberpunk novella “Volatile Memory,” which I really enjoyed and reviewed last year. At the time, I did wish for more adventures with these characters, and apparently all my devices were listening to me.

The first book tells the story of Wylla and Sable’s rather unconventional relationship. Notably, Sable has been murdered, but her consciousness survives in a prototype mask that Wylla finds on her dead body. Together they search for the killer, and are pursued by VisorForge, the corporation responsible for the mask tech. Along the way, the two of them fall in love. Ultimately, Wylla deletes all records of herself existing and is free to live completely off the grid. 

Several years later, Wylla wants out of the fight, but Sable still wants her revenge. Their actions in trying to expose VisorForge have attracted the attention of the Edenic Order, a group of radical eco warriors. They promise a way to take the corporations down for good, but can they themselves be trusted? Tensions rise between the couple as they are pulled in different directions, both metaphorically and literally.

Things are still told in second-person perspective, with Sable narrating to Wylla, but you get used it to very quickly. The story does a lot of interesting things with gender and bodily autonomy, particularly with regards to Sable and Wylla’s experiences of their shared body. The scale of this book is significantly bigger than the first, upping the stakes and the action, and it proves to be a very satisfying end to their story.

Very enjoyable!

You can find both books in our ebook store!