Volatile Memory is a fast-paced, sapphic sci-fi adventure novella, which brilliantly blends themes of bodily autonomy and trans narratives into a survival plot featuring advanced tech.

Haddon’s incisive prose packs a punch, and the second-person POV pulls the reader deeper into the story.

In under 200 pages, Haddon crafts a powerful and compelling story that examines what it means to be human. Bursting with raw emotion, Volatile Memory will simultaneously itch your brain and warm your heart.

I highly recommend this one for sci-fi readers and others looking for a bold, quick, and deep dive into humanity’s core.

🎧 Emily Gibbons Bouchard is great on audio! I did prefer having a physical copy to read and ground myself.

This was a fast-paced and gripping sci-fi novella - assertive, bleak, haunting, intense, philosophical, and utterly action-packed. And I enjoyed it immensely! Despite its brevity, it was able to explore some fascinating themes while keeping the suspense high and the emotional stakes engaging.

The world-building and advanced technology were especially unique and fascinating, with high-tech masks based on animals that impart their primary instinct or skill (like an ox for strength, a mouse for hyper awareness of threats, and so on). The concept is imaginative and rich with possibilities, and I would absolutely read a full-length novel or even a series utilizing this technology and expanding upon it (so I suppose it’s a good thing there’s a second novella coming eventually!)

The story also tackles some serious ideas from trafficking, to misogyny and bodily autonomy, to the question of what it means to be human and what makes an individual themselves. There’s also a significant amount of violence (pretty damn violent at times, fair warning!) which I felt fit the world Haddon built and was a match for the raw emotion of the story.

Wylla was a standout character and fantastic protagonist - I found her extremely likable from the very first scene! As for Sable, I’m not entirely sure how to feel about her or where I land on the central debate surrounding her identity, but that ambiguity raised some additional philosophical questions that I enjoyed contemplating, such as whether memory is what makes us who we are, or if it’s our body, or a combination, or neither! “What makes us human” is one of my favourite classic sci-fi questions, and this novella did not disappoint in the way it engaged with it.

Overall, this was a compelling and thought-provoking read. It packs a lot into a small package, and I’d love to spend more time in this world with these characters! I felt the ending was a bit abrupt, but this was great and I’d highly recommend checking it out! I’m excited for the sequel.


Representation: trans, lesbian, and asexual characters

Trigger/Content Warnings: murder, violence, gore, body horror, trafficking, sexual assault, forced medical procedures, medical experimentation, transphobia, infertility

Wow. That was... new. Honestly, it's one of the freshest sci-fi novellas I've read in a very long time. Excellent world-building, great character development, and an exciting plot that will keep you hooked from page 1. Definitely recommend to any sci-fi enthusiasts!

I really enjoyed Volatile Memory!

The question of what it means to be human, how your body can be separate from your mind, being in a body and what that means, and what it means to be human, body or consciousness or otherwise, was well written.

I loved Sable and Wylla. Their relationship was different from anything I’ve ever read, but it’s now one of my favorites. The moments of intimacy, especially toward the end, were so deep and I could visually see it in my mind.

I’m definitely going to read more of Haddon’s work. Definitely recommend if you like Black Mirror (especially the AI episodes), the trope of “What does it mean to be human?”, and sci-fi with femme rage and endearing romance.

Out 22 July 2025 "Volatile Memory" by Seth Haddon is a sci-fi novella that's cover immediately made sense once I got context. And it's good context.

Wylla gets a call, a call to collect a piece of salvage that could turn her life around. Except others got the call. But she rabbited out with the HAWK mask and found out the salvage was alive. And that consciousness wants to find out who put her there.

Narrated by Emily Gibbons Bouchard, the voice changes a little bit based on the masks used is a great touch.

Reasons to read:
-Bit of sci-fi dystopia as a treat
-The technology being masked based and it influencing what folks can do
-How they both accept things over the course of the story
-The set up for the conclusion

Cons:
-The curse of any good novella and wanting more after then ending and things are wrapped up well

This was so good for a sci-fi novella. There is a lot going on with the world and technology but the author makes it all work so well. This was a really solid read.

Willa, a scavenger, answers a beacon to an artifact that ends up being a helmet, containing the mind of narrator Sable. Willa and Sable work together to unlock what Sable has become and what happened in her past.

Told primarily in 2nd person and using disembodied characters to represent queer identity, this science fiction novella blends reflective prose and intriguing worldbuilding. While it isn't an "all vibes low plot" story, it leans more on the vibes and reflection on the shape of society in the future for anyone who doesn't fit the norm as defined by society.

Unfortunately I think I'm a bigger fan of Seth Haddon's fantasy novels than his sci-fi. But then, I'm more of a fantasy fan in general. While there are some exciting moments at the beginning and the use of second person is intriguing, it took me way too long to read, especially given how short it is.

Wylla thinks she's made the discovery of a lifetime when she uncovers a valuable HAWK mask. But there is far more to this mask than meets the eye...

Thank you to NetGalley and Tordotcom for the ARC—all thoughts are my own.

Volatile Memory did not work for me, even though I absolutely adored the premise. Volatile Memory follows a down-on-her-luck scavenger named Wylla, who finds a sentient AI mask on a barren planet. The woman inside the mask is real, and she and Wylla set off to demand answers from the man who discarded her once before: her ex-husband.

At the crux of the problem: I didn’t enjoy either of these protagonists or their dynamic with each other. HAWK’s immediate infatuation with Wylla smells strongly of instant love, a trope that I rarely enjoy. And because we’re reading from HAWK’s perspective, her characterization of Wylla as an essentially perfect being who does no wrong was…somewhat off-putting.

Was Volatile Memory meant to be healing or cathartic? The constant affirmation of Wylla’s character seems to indicate that it was, though it felt insincere. The purpose of literature is to demonstrate why a character is worthy (or not worthy) of praise, not to merely sing the praises of a certain character. I didn’t feel that here.

There is no grit to Wylla’s character. She is spineless. She consistently makes terrible decisions to preserve her moral integrity, despite living in an amoral world. She is an irritating protagonist to be forced to read, especially in a story that is ostensibly about righteous female anger.

Yet after spending so much time digesting HAWK’s worship of Wylla’s goodness, we are meant to throw all that aside and accept Wylla’s eventual turn to the dark side. The messaging is muddled here. Is HAWK good for Wylla? Is Wylla good for HAWK? Or neither?

The text seems to suggest that their union is a perfect one, but I was left with a sense of vertigo. There is no thematic pillar to Volatile Memory. It does not synthesize empathy with vengeance, goodness with anger. It mashes the two together as diametrically opposed forces.

But to be fair to Volatile Memory, I think I am only so harsh because I expected so much more from it. I absolutely adored the world-building, for one. I hated the Corporate Federation and all its inherent misogyny and conformity. I was shocked and disgusted by the use of technology for profit and control.

I wish Volatile Memory had spent more time being introspective and curious, rather than leaning into the hard-hitting action and anti-corporate vibes. Then again, I think I would have let a lot go if I had liked Wylla and if I had liked HAWK, but because I didn’t connect with either, I really struggled with this one.

Volatile Memory. A sapphic sci-fi adventure that had my head spinning!

This book follows the story of scavenger Wylla looking for a big payday when she stumbles upon a corpse wearing an AI mask. It’s a lone consciousness floating without a body. Masks aren’t supposed to retain memory let alone a person and their memories. But the woman inside of the Mark I HAWK is real and Wylla will do whatever it takes to protect her.


This book was pretty hard to get into because it’s written in second person. It was so odd to wrap my brain around that but once I did I discovered such a rich world with a delicate little romance at the helm.

This book feels like a piece of literature I want to study. The writing is poignant and profound. I love Sci-fi books and this one is no exception. It doesn’t get too lost in the technical jargon but forges forward in a very fast paced story!

The romance is pretty light but it still felt significant. I’m glad this is going to be a duology because I really want to see where this romance goes now that the story has set up a continuation!


Overall, 4.5 ⭐️ would certainly recommend this one if you’re wanting to try something different and challenging!

Thank you SOOO much to NetGalley and Tor/Forge for this arc.

The book releases July 22nd! So keep an eye out for it because I have a feeling people are going to be talking about this one 👀

I received this novella through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Volatile Memory is really unique story, told through a pov that I have never read before. I like how the mask played such a major role in the main character learning to embrace her gender identity.

The story was very interesting. However, I found it hard to lose myself in. There weren't any elements that I could relate to personally, and it does take a weird/interesting twist with the mask near the end that I was not expecting.

That being said, I think a lot of people would really enjoy this! For someone who doesn't read sci-fi a lot, the scientific information was easy to understand while still being detailed!

4.25 stars✨This is a scifi novella that packs a punch despite being a quick read - an exploration of identity/self in the throes of a tech dominated, capitalistic government.

I was stunned by how well the queer romance was interwoven into a story of female rage, revenge, and an intergalactic heist. Overall, this book was intriguing, unique, and a refreshing addition to the world of queer scifi!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this advanced reader copy.

Imgur link goes to Instagram graphic scheduled for June 17th
Blog post link goes live July 15th
Youtube Review in Friday Reads going up Today - June 13th
Amazon and Barnes & Noble Reviews will go up when available

**TL;DR**: This one didn’t quite land for me, but there were some great ideas here.
**Source**: NetGalley, Thank you so much to the publisher!

**Plot**: A scavenger finds a mask that will change her life, but it’s messy in so many ways.
**Characters**: We get a pretty one sided view of characters, and the fawning that our PoV makes over characters does it make it hard to get much as far as an accurate read.
**Setting:** As we spend most the time on the run this novella wasn’t super heavy on setting.
**Mystery:** There was little mystery here and little as far as tension. The small connivences really paved the way on this one.

**Thoughts:**

I was so very excited for this. I really was, but ultimately this missed the mark for me in a big way. Volatile Memory is about a woman who sets out after a Mask - a type of high grade equipment that almost everyone uses. This mask is new, unknown, and possibly worth a lifetime of money but things go haywire.

I had two main issues here. The first is that this is incredibly bleak and the characters are so beat down. The story is about rage and revenge, so I can see why but instead of feeling invigorated or cheering for the characters all that came across was… depression. My second issue was that for such a powerful tool the two went after what felt like such a small fry in the bigger picture. There was so much the Mask could do with it’s power but they went to after a small, sad man.

This just didn’t work for me. Could this have worked as a longer novel? Perhaps? But ultimately it is what it is and there will be other revenge stories I can try. Give this one a shot if you don’t mind the bleak and angry with very little hope or joy. Otherwise it might be a skip.

An absolutely gorgeous work of complex character-building and worldbuilding. Packs so much punch for a novella-- brutally and beautifully efficient.

Perfect for fans of Gideon the Ninth and This is How You Lose the Time War, Volatile Memory is a whip-smart, wildly creative sci-fi novella that just might have the best sapphic pairing of 2025. Scrappy scavenger Wylla thinks she’s stumbled upon the score of a lifetime, only to find herself cornered by her fellow outlaws, the Corporate Federation, and VisorForge, an experimental biotech developer. In her scramble to free herself from dire financial straits and get a leg up on the competition, Wylla discovers Sable, a woman as clever as she is and many times more deadly.

By the nature of their relationship, these characters luxuriate in an intimacy that surpasses anything achievable in a human-to-human connection. They crack each other open, literally and metaphorically, exposing tender hearts and killer impulses. Seth Haddon lovingly explores Wylla’s identity as a trans woman, as a creator marveling at his work, and the incorporation of the AI masks was such a delicious addition to the overall character work.

High Level Summary.
In a future where humans wear high tech masks swapped like animals we follow Wylla, a Trans woman who is a scavenger in space looking for tech to sell. Wylla comes across an murdered woman and a high tech military grade mask shaped like a HAWK. When Wylla puts the mask on she finds that Sable the dead women’s consciousness is now part of the mask. Wylla and Sable embark on a journey to find the man who discarded both the dead woman and the mask.

My opinion.
This novella caught my attention right off the bat and never let it go. The story deals with themes of gender identity and gender roles as well as what it means to be human. Can technology have a sense of humanity? I mean lets be honest, even some humans do not always have a real sense of humanity. I truly enjoyed it this read. Its fast paced but will leave you in deep thought for a long time after you finish reading it. I enjoyed the quick glimpse into this world and hope to see more from it.

I loved the first 90% of this book. The pacing was punchy and I was gripped in the second person POV. However, I thought it was leading to some sort of twist or reveal that would explain the POV. I still loved the book, but I wouldn’t comp it to Ex Machina.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC! This book will be published in the US by Tor on July 22nd, 2025.

What if your body was both your battleground and your revolution? In Volatile Memory, Seth Haddon crafts a searing, speculative exploration of transness, surveillance, and techno-corporeal resistance through a love story between two women—one flesh, one memory. In this futuristic world, humans wear animal-inspired masks that biologically enhance their bodies—granting speed, strength, or heightened senses—to better survive in a hostile, corporatized galaxy. When scavenger Wylla discovers an experimental HAWK mask on a supposedly barren planet, she doesn’t just find salvage—she finds Sable, the disembodied consciousness of a dead woman trapped in the mask with no memory of how she died. What follows is a breathtaking journey through grief, rage, and reclamation, as the two reckon with the systems that tried to erase them.

This is a book that pulses and bleeds. Haddon’s prose is intimate and gorgeously lyrical without sacrificing momentum. With an eye for political nuance and emotional devastation, Volatile Memory delves deep into the violence of state-backed conformity, where bodily autonomy is criminalized through data and surveillance. Wylla, a trans woman haunted by her pre-transition self, is a striking protagonist—sharp-edged, vulnerable, and deeply principled. And Sable? Sable is unlike any narrator I’ve encountered: possibly a ghost, possibly an AI, definitely a woman, and achingly human in her desire to be a part of the world.

The worldbuilding is chilling and precise: a galaxy ruled by the Corporate Federation, where every citizen’s genetic identity is logged from birth. Tech is intimate, exploitative, and inescapable. Yet amidst this dystopia, somehow, love blooms—as both romance and care, rage, and mutual protection between two women who refuse to be erased.

Haddon doesn’t just tell a story—he builds a body out of language, memory, and resistance. Volatile Memory is for the girls who survived, the ghosts we carry, and everyone still trying to make a home in their own bodies. It’s what happens when Murderbot meets Time War, with more tenderness and an A.I. spin. I can’t stop thinking about it.

📖 Read this if you love: trans protagonists fighting the state, poetic sci-fi, queer speculative fiction, or stories that ask what it means to reclaim your body and your history.

🔑 Key Themes: Bodily Autonomy & Trans Embodiment, Surveillance Capitalism & Oppression through Data, Memory, Ghosts & Digital Consciousness, Queer Love Against Corporate Fascism.

Content / Trigger Warnings: Violence (severe), Gore (minor), Injury Detail (minor), Blood (moderate), Gun Violence (severe), Transphobia (minor), Domestic Abuse (minor), Suicide (minor).

I’m struggling to review this. I barely found myself smart enough to read it, I certainly don’t have the words to do it justice in a review. That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

This felt important and beautiful. I teared up many times from the poetic way Seth wrote about identity and feminine rage.

The second person pov took some getting used to, but it worked for this story. I’m glad it was novella length. It packed a punch, but left just enough of the story up to the interpretation of the reader. Everything was so intentional, and I’m very impressed with Seth’s writing.

This book was amazing!!! 5 stars for sure. Definitely along the lines of This Is How You Lose The Time War - the tech in this is trippy and cool, but easy to understand once you get a few chapters in.

A beautiful exploration of queer identity and female rage. I loved the trans rep, and the relationship between human/AI was extremely well-depicted. It's told in 2nd person, which is rarely done, but it worked very well for this book. A fantastic short story!!

🌈Queer rep: trans woman main character, bi female main character, FF main relationship.