With nothing but a limping ship and an outdated mask to her name, Wylla needs a big pay day.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.

Volatile Memory by Seth Haddon has a powerful message, exploring identity, self, and gender all in one breathless story that is also a sapphic love story, all about human connection in a world that tries to strip humanity from individuals. It delves into being transgender and the reality of how much is kept from those who are different, including their ability to choose what face they want to wear. 

This story is so full of layers, from the human connection to the way Wylla struggles with her identity. Hawk wants to live but doesn’t even have a body to call her own so is she truly alive or not. The questions and answers this story raises are profound and memorable. It has a powerful message of identity that will stay with the reader long after finishing the book. 

If you like powerful and transformative science fiction, Volatile Memory by Seth Haddon is a must read. It explores such exciting and rich ideas, the idea of humanity and souls in a unique way. I can only believe that this is one novel that will win awards in its execution and its intriguing ideas. I loved every moment of this unique and amazing story.

Rating: 5 out of 5 masks

MacMillan Publishing

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