What We Are Seeking

by Cameron Reed

From Cameron Reed, the acclaimed author of The Fortunate Fall, comes a soaring novel of queer hope and transformation, perfect for readers of Ann Leckie and Amal El-Mohtar.

On the planet Scythia, plants give birth to insects, trees can drag you to your death, and armies of animals graft native plants into human crops.

John Maraintha has been abandoned here, light-years from the peaceful forests that he loves.

The desert is harsh and the people in thrall to a barbaric custom called marriage.

He must find some way to make a life here.

But on Scythia, survival means transformation―and not everyone is willing to accept change.

Genres: Science Fiction, Queer, Adult, Fiction, LGBT, Transgender, Science Fiction Fantasy

352 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication April 7, 2026

About the author

Author previously writing under the name Raphael Carter.

Reviews

[Ruxandra Grrr]

I am soooooo incredibly seated for this! Can't believe the luck I have that I don't have to wait 30 years for a new Cameron Reed novel!

[Elizabeth Bear]

A planetary romance with deep thematic resonance, this is a book about accepting the inevitability of change and transformation, even in ourselves and those we love.

[A · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not entirely sure how to review this novel. It was wonderful, it made me feel emotions that I cannot possibly describe. I read it too fast, I need to read it again to absorb everything I missed. I can't wait to listen to it as an audiobook. The summary is so simple and it explains the novel and also explains nothing of the novel. The characters are layered and complex and I love them. I love the world building, the details, the density. It throws you into the world and expects you to keep up, and I love that about a speculative fiction novel. It's about identity, gender, sexuality, and the various spectrums they take. It's about colonialism, the damage it does, the ways it can be repaired or not. It's about religion and religious truama, it's about how we carry cultures with us and how they intersect with so many aspects of our lives. It's about family and the shapes family can take.

I highly suggest picking this up, the marketing has a good go of it. If you like Leckie, Le Guin, and similar authors, I think you'll enjoy this.

[Venneh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the kind of book that I absolutely love reading and don't get enough of these days: a book that is willing to sit me down with gender and chromosonal theory, create an absolute satire of modern religious and the absurdity of antitrans activists, and still have interesting things to say about how you find yourself through community, all while taking a tour of the stars and dealing with the absurdity of prejudice always being the one thing that makes it to the stars too. John and Iren get to make some real fun statements about the oppression of marriage while they're at it, but we also get an absolutely joyful tour of cultures, while one toys with the idea of conceiving a child. Yes, there's hate and absurdity, but there's still the possibility of the future, and knowledge being shared among the ships that travel, and the possibility of better for the future as well. I'm going to be finding this physically too, because I love the cover art. Comes out in April, preorder now and sit down with a good meal and someone you love to read this.

[Jennybeast · Rating 4 out of 5]

It reads like a long philosophical conversation on the topics of sexual customs, transitioning, tolerance and choice. In a good way -- I liked that, and I liked it. It's a bit didactic at times, and I'm honestly wondering if the ending will change before publication -- I can't tell if that's where it's meant to end. It makes sense in some ways, and not in others.

All of that aside, the world building is fascinating and the characters are excellent. I'm particularly intrigued/freaked out by the possibilities of AI in this imagining. Long, but I kept wanting more time with it, and it's staying with me. Lots to think about. I also really loved how much care and attention is given to food preparation and enjoyment. I love the gravitas that food has when the eaters are more appreciative of how central it is to survival.

Advanced Reader's copy provided by Edelweiss.

[CJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so goddamn good I want to screech. It is precisely the type of sci-fi I'm always searching for.

Review to come, because I need to get my thoughts in order.

ARC provided by Edelweiss and TOR.

[Mrs C · Rating 1 out of 5]

God made man in His image; Scythia holds a spore-gun to your head and says ‘transition or die’: tentacles, vine-cables, bark-tits, and pronouns included.





Review copy provided by the publisher.

[Marianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm already planning to reread it. what a thoroughly thoroughly wonderful book that somehow managed to exceed my ridiculously high expectations.