Volatile Memory -- Seth Haddon, Hardcover

This is How You Lose the Time War meets Ex Machina: Seth Haddon's science fiction debut, Volatile Memory, is a 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With nothing but a limping ship and an outdated mask to her name, Wylla needs a big pay day.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 alert goes out that a lucrative piece of tech lies hidden on a nearby planet, she calls 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.

Author: Seth Haddon
Publisher: Tordotcom
Published: 07/22/2025
Pages: 176
Binding Type: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781250364685

Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 03/01/2025 pg. 8

About the Author
Seth Haddon is the queer Australian writer of Reforged, Reborn, and Reclaimed. He is a video game designer and producer, has a degree in Ancient History, and previously worked with cats. Some of his adventures include exploring Pompeii with a famous archaeologist and being chased through a train station by a nun.