Clementine Chang moves from Earth to Mars for a new start and is lucky enough to land her dream job with Dr. Marcella Lin, an Artificial Intelligence pioneer. On her first day of work, Clem meets Dr. Linâs assistant, a humanoid AI named Kye. Clem is no stranger to robotsâshe built herself a cute moth-shaped companion named SENA. Still, thereâs something about Kye that feels almost too human.
When Clem and Kye begin to collaborate, their chemistry sets off sparks. The only downside? Dr. Lin is enraged by Kyeâs growing independence and wonât allow him more freedom. Plus, their relationship throws into question everything Clem thought she knew about AI. After all, if Kye is sentient enough to have feelings, shouldnât he be able to control his own actions? Where is the line between AI and human?
As her past and Kyeâs future weigh down on her, Clem becomes determined to help him break freeâeven if it means risking everything she came to Mars for.
Wendy Xu is a Brooklyn-based illustrator and comics artist with several upcoming graphic novels from HarperCollins. She is the cocreator of Mooncakes, a young adult fantasy graphic novel published in 2019 from Lion Forge Comics/Oni Press, which has been nominated for Hugo, Ignatz, and GoodReads Choice Awards. Her work has been featured on Catapult, B&N Sci-Fi and Fantasy Blog, and Tor.com, among other places. Visit her online at artofwendyxu.com.