What We Are Seeking by Cameron Reed
On the planet Scythia, plants give birth to insects and trees can drag you to your death. Artificial monsters stalk the desert, and alien basket-men have wandered into town.
John Maraintha has been abandoned here, light-years from the peaceful forests that he loves.
The desert is harsh and the people in thrall to a barbaric custom called marriage.
He must find some way to make a life here.
But on Scythia, survival means transformation—and not everyone is willing to change.
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Praise for this book
Praise for What We Are Seeking:
"A novel of wordbuilding from the biology up and the language out, spectacular in its imagination, daring in its heart. This is what science fiction is for. You will never see the world the same way again."--Cory Doctorow
"Complex and richly satisfying, What We Are Seeking reminds me of the best work of Ursula Le Guin and Lois McMaster Bujold, but with distinctly contemporary concerns about how queer families and trans people will survive in small frontier towns on other planets. I am in awe of Cameron Reed's ability to build a frighteningly plausible ecosystem, complete with fascinating non-human intelligences, and also make me care deeply about the characters. Honestly I would do anything to protect these people -- both the humans, and the plant-mammal creatures who discover them on their world. We are so lucky to that Cameron Reed is back to tell us more of their incredible, thought-provoking stories." — Annalee Newitz, author of The Terraformers
“I could not stop myself from reading the first paragraph aloud to my friends because it was so beautiful and complex and wonderful. Gosh I loved this book... This is very different from The Fortunate Fall but it had the same grabby prose and if anything, I liked it even more."—Jo Walton, author of Among Others
"Empathetic, generous, and absolutely wild."--Jared Pechaček, author of The West Passage
"I've literally been waiting for this book for twenty-nine years."—Elizabeth Bear, author of Ancestral Night
"A marvelously compelling read, with a fascinating world [and] delightfully weird aliens." —Naomi Kritzer, author of Obstetrix
"A story about humans, aliens, culture, tech, love, sex, and the blurred lines between all those things, recalling the work of Ursula K. Le Guin in the best way." —Carrie Vaughn
"Cameron Reed achieves something that is nothing short of stunning." —John Chu, author of The Subtle Art of Folding Space
"I love this intricate choral braid of people fighting for their bodily autonomy."—Ruthanna Emrys, author of A Half-Built Garden
"To call this book a high desert Left Hand of Darkness is underselling it: What We Are Seeking is an enthralling world all of its own." —Gretchen McCulloch, author of Because Internet
"A beautifully written and highly imaginative exploration of culture clash, queer identity, and adaptation... Hand this to fans of Lois McMaster Bujold." – Library Journal, starred review
"While you revel in its worldbuilding and characters, What We Are Seeking sneaks up with thematic complexity... Cameron Reed's stunning return to novels is even better than my considerable anticipation of it."—Marissa Lingen
"A compelling and heartwarming/breaking story of how society shapes us, and how we can remain true to ourselves even when we're lost in a strange land" —Tim Pratt, author of Blood Engines
Praise for The Fortunate Fall:
"By turns terrifying and tender, frustrating and fulfilling...A superb example of speculative fiction."—New York Times
“Vibrant, sweet, and tragic, The Fortunate Fall is a tailored virus that rewrote some of my code….Attempts impossible things and succeeds brilliantly.”—Jonathan Lethem
"Heartbreakingly beautiful…prose as rich and textured as the characters and society it describes. [Cameron Reed] combines William Gibson’s dazzling talent for technological extrapolation with Theodore Sturgeon’s unerring knowledge of the human heart.” —Susan Palwick
“The voice of The Fortunate Fall is by turns ironic and vulnerable, clear and strong.” —Maureen McHugh, author of China Mountain Zhang
"The worldbuilding alone is worth the price of admission...one of the must-read underground classics of science fiction. It’s a lyrical and knowing book, beautifully written, and curiously upbeat—at least, curiously upbeat for a book about human misery and the ways in which we enforce it upon ourselves." --Elizabeth Bear
“The best novel about wired culture since the SF debut of Neal Stephenson.”—Lisa Goldstein
“Confrontations reminiscent to me of nothing so much as the 'Grand Inquisitor' sections of The Brothers Karamazov… it isn’t often that we find a book which tackles dead-on the central conflicts between personal and political life, not to mention the question of the nature of the soul. Complex, strong and ambitious.”—Suzy McKee Charnas, author of The Vampire Tapestry
"If there’s a better first novel published this year, I’ll eat my hard drive.”—Emma Bull
"As good as books get.” —Jo Walton
“A stunningly imagined and developed backdrop … an assured, noteworthy, auspicious debut.” —Kirkus
“This highly literate, grim and gripping example of latter-day cyberpunk counts as one of the most promising SF debuts in recent years.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review
“'Warm and human even as it’s post human,' as Jo Walton observes in her introduction, Reed’s remarkable debut skillfully blends mind-bending speculation with riveting intrigue, alluring romance and harrowing drama, set in a prescient de-souled future."—Library Journal, starred review
“One of the most brilliant sf debuts in years” —Booklist
About the AuthorCameron Reed is a science fiction writer and the winner of the 1998 Otherwise Award. Both she and the award had different names in 1998, but as part of a late-in-life gender transition she chose a new one, which is an anagram of “remade crone.” She is an avid dragonfly-watcher, a moderately skilled insect photographer, and a hopeless birder. She lives with her found family in an old house full of books and cats.
Title: What We Are Seeking
Author(s): Cameron Reed
ISBN: 9781250364746
Copyright 2026
Release Date: April 07, 2026
Publisher: Tor Publishing Group
Countries: United States, Canada | Learn more about available countries
Language: English
Format: None available | Learn More about our supported formats
Dragonmount is a proud provider of DRM-free eBooks. By purchasing any eBook from our store, you are not only helping support our website, but you are helping small businesses thrive in a market traditionally dominated by large companies. Learn more in our eBook FAQ.
About What We Are Seeking by Cameron Reed
From Cameron Reed, the acclaimed author of The Fortunate Fall, comes a soaring novel of queer hope and transformation, perfect for readers of Ann Leckie and Amal El-Mohtar.
On the planet Scythia, plants give birth to insects and trees can drag you to your death. Artificial monsters stalk the desert, and alien basket-men have wandered into town.
John Maraintha has been abandoned here, light-years from the peaceful forests that he loves.
The desert is harsh and the people in thrall to a barbaric custom called marriage.
He must find some way to make a life here.
But on Scythia, survival means transformation—and not everyone is willing to change.
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Praise for this book
Praise for What We Are Seeking:
"A novel of wordbuilding from the biology up and the language out, spectacular in its imagination, daring in its heart. This is what science fiction is for. You will never see the world the same way again."--Cory Doctorow
"Complex and richly satisfying, What We Are Seeking reminds me of the best work of Ursula Le Guin and Lois McMaster Bujold, but with distinctly contemporary concerns about how queer families and trans people will survive in small frontier towns on other planets. I am in awe of Cameron Reed's ability to build a frighteningly plausible ecosystem, complete with fascinating non-human intelligences, and also make me care deeply about the characters. Honestly I would do anything to protect these people -- both the humans, and the plant-mammal creatures who discover them on their world. We are so lucky to that Cameron Reed is back to tell us more of their incredible, thought-provoking stories." — Annalee Newitz, author of The Terraformers
“I could not stop myself from reading the first paragraph aloud to my friends because it was so beautiful and complex and wonderful. Gosh I loved this book... This is very different from The Fortunate Fall but it had the same grabby prose and if anything, I liked it even more."—Jo Walton, author of Among Others
"Empathetic, generous, and absolutely wild."--Jared Pechaček, author of The West Passage
"I've literally been waiting for this book for twenty-nine years."—Elizabeth Bear, author of Ancestral Night
"A marvelously compelling read, with a fascinating world [and] delightfully weird aliens." —Naomi Kritzer, author of Obstetrix
"A story about humans, aliens, culture, tech, love, sex, and the blurred lines between all those things, recalling the work of Ursula K. Le Guin in the best way." —Carrie Vaughn
"Cameron Reed achieves something that is nothing short of stunning." —John Chu, author of The Subtle Art of Folding Space
"I love this intricate choral braid of people fighting for their bodily autonomy."—Ruthanna Emrys, author of A Half-Built Garden
"To call this book a high desert Left Hand of Darkness is underselling it: What We Are Seeking is an enthralling world all of its own." —Gretchen McCulloch, author of Because Internet
"A beautifully written and highly imaginative exploration of culture clash, queer identity, and adaptation... Hand this to fans of Lois McMaster Bujold." – Library Journal, starred review
"While you revel in its worldbuilding and characters, What We Are Seeking sneaks up with thematic complexity... Cameron Reed's stunning return to novels is even better than my considerable anticipation of it."—Marissa Lingen
"A compelling and heartwarming/breaking story of how society shapes us, and how we can remain true to ourselves even when we're lost in a strange land" —Tim Pratt, author of Blood Engines
Praise for The Fortunate Fall:
"By turns terrifying and tender, frustrating and fulfilling...A superb example of speculative fiction."—New York Times
“Vibrant, sweet, and tragic, The Fortunate Fall is a tailored virus that rewrote some of my code….Attempts impossible things and succeeds brilliantly.”—Jonathan Lethem
"Heartbreakingly beautiful…prose as rich and textured as the characters and society it describes. [Cameron Reed] combines William Gibson’s dazzling talent for technological extrapolation with Theodore Sturgeon’s unerring knowledge of the human heart.” —Susan Palwick
“The voice of The Fortunate Fall is by turns ironic and vulnerable, clear and strong.” —Maureen McHugh, author of China Mountain Zhang
"The worldbuilding alone is worth the price of admission...one of the must-read underground classics of science fiction. It’s a lyrical and knowing book, beautifully written, and curiously upbeat—at least, curiously upbeat for a book about human misery and the ways in which we enforce it upon ourselves." --Elizabeth Bear
“The best novel about wired culture since the SF debut of Neal Stephenson.”—Lisa Goldstein
“Confrontations reminiscent to me of nothing so much as the 'Grand Inquisitor' sections of The Brothers Karamazov… it isn’t often that we find a book which tackles dead-on the central conflicts between personal and political life, not to mention the question of the nature of the soul. Complex, strong and ambitious.”—Suzy McKee Charnas, author of The Vampire Tapestry
"If there’s a better first novel published this year, I’ll eat my hard drive.”—Emma Bull
"As good as books get.” —Jo Walton
“A stunningly imagined and developed backdrop … an assured, noteworthy, auspicious debut.” —Kirkus
“This highly literate, grim and gripping example of latter-day cyberpunk counts as one of the most promising SF debuts in recent years.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review
“'Warm and human even as it’s post human,' as Jo Walton observes in her introduction, Reed’s remarkable debut skillfully blends mind-bending speculation with riveting intrigue, alluring romance and harrowing drama, set in a prescient de-souled future."—Library Journal, starred review
“One of the most brilliant sf debuts in years” —Booklist
About the Author
Cameron Reed is a science fiction writer and the winner of the 1998 Otherwise Award. Both she and the award had different names in 1998, but as part of a late-in-life gender transition she chose a new one, which is an anagram of “remade crone.” She is an avid dragonfly-watcher, a moderately skilled insect photographer, and a hopeless birder. She lives with her found family in an old house full of books and cats.
Title: What We Are Seeking
Author(s): Cameron Reed
ISBN: 9781250364746
Copyright 2026
Release Date: April 07, 2026
Publisher: Tor Publishing Group
Countries: United States, Canada | Learn more about available countries
Language: English
Format: None available | Learn More about our supported formats
Dragonmount is a proud provider of DRM-free eBooks. By purchasing any eBook from our store, you are not only helping support our website, but you are helping small businesses thrive in a market traditionally dominated by large companies. Learn more in our eBook FAQ.
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