EXPECTED RELEASE NOVEMBER 4th, 2025
THIS IS A PRE-ORDER ITEM; RELEASE DATES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE/DELAYS

From #1New York Times bestselling author Chloe Gong comes the start of a daring new dystopian series where humanity has moved to virtual reality to flee their deteriorating world, following two young soldiers who must depend on unlikely allies in their fight for survival.

The future is loading

To escape rising seas and rampant epidemics, most of society lives upcountry in glistening virtual reality, while those who cant afford the subscription are forced to remain in crumbling downcountry.

But upcountry isnt perfect. A cold war rages between two powerful nations, Medaluo and Atahuaand no one suffers for it more than the Medan orphans in Atahua. Their enrollment at Nile Military Academy is mandatory. Either serve as a soldier, or risk being labelled a spy.

Eirale graduated the academy and joined NileCorps private forces downcountry, exactly as she was supposed to. Then Atahuas most wanted anarchist frames her for assassinating a government official, and shes given a choice: cooperate with him to search for a dangerous program in Medaluo or go down for treason.

Meanwhile, Lia is finishing her last year upcountry at Nile Military Academy. Paired with her academic nemesis for their final assignment, Lia is determined to beat him for valedictorian and prove her worth. But there may be far more at stake when their task to infiltrate Medaluo and track down an Atahuan traitor goes wrong

Though Eirale and Lia tear through Medaluo on different planes of reality, the two start to suspect they are puzzle pieces in a larger conspiracyand the closer they get to the truth, the closer their worlds come to a shattering collision.

Hardcover | 496 pages | 6.00″ x 9.00″