Reviews
“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