Coldwire
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
From #1 New 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 can’t afford the subscription are forced to remain in crumbling “downcountry.”
But upcountry isn’t perfect. A cold war rages between two powerful nations, Medaluo and Atahua—and 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 NileCorp’s private forces downcountry, exactly as she was supposed to. Then Atahua’s most wanted anarchist frames her for assassinating a government official, and she’s 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 conspiracy—and the closer they get to the truth, the closer their worlds come to a shattering collision.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In a near-future world ravaged by deadly disease and extreme weather caused by climate change, humans rebuff reality for a virtual realm in this allegorical telling by Gong (Foul Heart Huntsman). Global superpowers Atahua and Medaluo vie for societal dominance in a decades-long cold war fought both IRL and virtually. Two Atahuan teens of Medan descent soon find themselves caught in the crosshairs. Framed for treason by an infamous anarchist, 18-year-old Eirale—a soldier for the virtual reality world developer NileCorp—flees into Medaluo to clear her name. Meanwhile, 17-year-old Lia, eager to complete her final exam mission and secure valedictorian at NileCorp Military Academy, sets out into Medaluo's artificial reality to retrieve classified research from a rogue scientist. When their respective journeys converge, Eirale and Lia unravel a conspiracy that threatens to undermine everything they know about themselves and the world they live in. Using alternating first-person perspectives, Gong capably explores themes of diaspora, corporate control, and artificial intelligence while spinning a labyrinthine mystery with a sprinkle of romance. A slow beginning gives way to a tightly paced climax and a juicy sequel hook. Ethnic Medans cue as Chinese; Atahuans cue as white. Ages 14–up.
