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Volatile Memory

by Seth Haddon

A hunted salvager and an unexpected consciousness

Critically Recognized
Regular price $17.50 USD
Regular price $29.17 USD Sale price $17.50 USD
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Awards & Recognition

  • Editorial selection

    Amazon Editor's Best Sci-Fi & Fantasy Pick

    Named an Amazon Editor's Best Sci-Fi & Fantasy Pick.

  • Critical praise

    Praise from The Washington Post

    Attributed praise describes the book as a gorgeously tender exploration of human connection in a post-human univ...

AlbakiReads Editorial

A hunted salvager and an unexpected consciousness

Wylla’s search for a valuable piece of technology changes course when the prize proves to be an AI mask containing HAWK, a woman’s consciousness preserved in military hardware. The mask’s memories and identity challenge what it means to be alive in the world of the novella, while Wylla and HAWK’s growing connection gives the spacefaring revenge premise an intimate dimension. Their pursuit of answers leads toward the man who discarded HAWK, tying the story’s questions about personhood to its action-adventure setup.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • For readers interested in science fiction centered on AI, memory, and identity.
  • For readers seeking a sapphic space adventure with a revenge premise.
  • For readers who enjoy stories pairing an unlikely partnership with questions of human connection.

Themes

Artificial intelligence and identityMemory and personhoodSapphic connectionRevenge and survival

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

This is How You Lose the Time War meets Ex Machina: Seth Haddon's science fiction debut, Volatile Memory, is a whirlwind novella of sapphic revenge in space.

"A gorgeously tender exploration of human connection in a post-human universe."--The Washington Post

An Amazon Editor's Best Sci-Fi & Fantasy Pick

With nothing but a limping ship and an outdated mask to her name, Wylla needs a big pay day.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

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Customer reviews

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AlbakiReads
Malaika Taylor

I highly recommend to for anyone looking for inner clarity

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Thomas DiMassa

Great service and fast service

Great shopping experience! The book arrived quickly, was well packaged, and matched the description perfectly. I would definitely shop with you again

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Olivia

Smooth.