Trigger warnings: violence, substance abuse, suicidal ideation, racism, grief, death

Thanks to Titan Books for the eARC of this novella. It has not affected my honest review.

This is one of those books that I'm struggling to review. I really liked it. It was interesting, the worldbuilding was fascinating and very well-developed in only 200 or so pages. But it was also so strange that most of my favourite parts are spoilers. The Seep is a character driven piece, a kind of existential journey for our main character Trina (a butch middle-aged transwoman who I absolutely adore). If you're looking for high action, this might not be for you, but I found myself absolutely glued to Trina's story.

Set a few decades into the future, this book is nonetheless an unrecognisable world because of the titular The Seep. The Seep are an invasion force like none other. No *fighting* or *violence* of course. Just a slow, creeping influence until humans aren't willing to live without them. There's no scarcity, no illness and violence like war has been eradicated. The Seep has given humans the perfect quality of life. It also allows humans to choose to be reborn, which is exactly what Trina's beloved wife Deeba chooses to do. What follows is a story of Trina's grief and loss, a quest for revenge and to protect a stranger that she'd stumbled across one day.

You'll fall in love with Trina, like I did, and feel her emotions viscerally through Chana Porter's incredible prose. It's a fascinating challenge on the idea of utopia, and how we are shaped as people through our negative experiences as well as our positive ones. To me it felt like a celebration of individuality, and a celebration of struggles too - it made me feel proud of what I've survived in my life and how that has made me who I am. The ending was a little confusing to me, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it, and highly recommend this to anyone who likes sci-fi and spec-fic. I'll absolutely be looking out for more of Chana Porter's work.