Ex 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With nothing but a limping ship and an outdated mask to her name, Wylla needs a big pay day.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 realized: 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 before: her ex-husband.

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Praise for this book

"Propulsive, inventive, and delicious, Volatile Memory is a cyberpunk romance with a sweet and vengeful heart."—Alix E. Harrow, New York Times bestselling author of Starling House

"In Volatile Memory, Seth Haddon has given us something remarkable: a cyber-fabulous zoomorphic tale of breathtaking romance and adventure that is also a heartfelt—and sometimes heartbreaking—quest to trust, to love, and to seize one’s own authentic life."—Ryka Aoki, author of Light From Uncommon Stars

"Compassionately written and juggling elements of intimacy and sweeping action, Volatile Memory is a surprisingly tender domestic tale dressed up as the best kind of pulp sci-fi. It pays homage the classical motifs of the genre but at the same time, evinced by the masks' names and functions being predicated on an Earth that is centuries dead, and by the perpetuation of ancient gendered expectations of utility and reproduction, it is a condemnation of the tyrannical past, a refutation to stasis. Joyfully, it picks apart the contradictions inherent to living, dying, and changing in a body, human or otherwise."—Hiron Ennes, author of Leech

"A dark but tender story about love, vengeance, the masks we wear for ourselves and others, and the never-ending quest for a more perfect sense of self. It’s a beautifully intimate story set in the sprawl of space, especially recommended for fans of This is How You Lose the Time War."—Yume Kitasei, author of The Deep Sky

"It can be difficult to find new science fiction that imagines unique and fascinating technology with real human stakes—Volatile Memory wins that prize. Add in a beautiful transhuman love story and a seething revenge plot, and you've got a sharp, tight narrative that had me dying to know what's next."—Bethany Jacobs, author of These Burning Stars

"Volatile Memory is a thrilling sci-fi revenge story filled with complex questions surrounding identity, gender, capitalism, and queerness. I loved how Haddon captured the haunting, sapphic romance between two profoundly different women. This is perfect for fans of This is How You Lose the Time War and Arkady Martine."—Meredith Mooring, author of Redsight




About the AuthorSeth Haddon is the queer Australian writer of Reforged and Reborn. He is a video game designer and producer, has a degree in Ancient History, and previously worked with cats. He lives in Sydney with his geriatric cat. Some of his previous adventures include exploring Pompeii with a famous archaeologist and being chased through a train station by a nun.
Title: Volatile Memory
Author(s): Seth Haddon
ISBN: 9781250364692
Copyright 2025
Release Date: July 22, 2025
Publisher: Tor Publishing Group
Countries: United States, Canada | Learn more about available countries
Language: English
Format: None available | Learn More about our supported formats
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