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Jan 23, 2026
The Memory Hunters
Summary
Mia Tsai’s novel The Memory Hunters centers Kiana Strade, Key, a reckless young archaeologist and religious figure, who is capable of diving deeper into blood memories than anyone else alive and Valerian IV, Vale, her guardian, who is tasked with the challenging proposition of keeping her alive. The story follows the pair as Key uncovers ancient secrets that and tackles questions of generational memory and the right to knowledge.
In this interview, Tsai discusses the way human memory works and the impact on the novel, building a sapphic body guard romance, and the role of climate disaster in fantasy. We discuss family obligations, mentorship, and building institutions around technologies and magic systems.
The Memory Hunters is a complex and empathetic adventure and it was so much fun discussing it with the author.
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A. E. Lanier
A. E. Lanier is a short fiction writer and educator living in Central Texas. More about her work can be found at aelanier.com.
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