One Level Down
by Mary Thompson
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Pub Date Apr 01 2025 | Archive Date Not set
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Description
Trapped in a child’s body, a resourceful woman risks death by deletion from a simulated world. With her debut novella for adults, Mary G. Thompson (Wuftoom) has crafted a taut, ultimately hopeful story that deftly explores identity and autonomy.
"ONE LEVEL DOWN is a perfectly executed gem of a book. Deeply satisfying and completely mesmerizing, it's full of depth, heart, and thought." —Sarah Beth Durst, New York Times bestselling author of THE SPELLSHOP
Ella is the oldest five-year-old in the universe. For fifty-eight years, the founder of a simulated colony-planet has forced her to pretend to be his daughter. Her “Daddy” has absolute power over all elements of reality, which keeps the colonists in line even when their needs are not met. But his failing experiments and despotic need for absolute control are increasingly dangerous.
Ella’s very life depends on her performance as a child. She has watched Daddy delete her stepmother and the loved ones of anyone who helps her.
But every sixty years, a Technician comes from the world above. Ella has been watching and working and biding her time. Because if she cannot make the technician help her, the only solution is a desperate measure that could lead to consequences for the entire universe.
A Note From the Publisher
Advance Praise
“Mary Thompson shows us what kind of perfect jail software and servers can make, and how even there an inmate can dream of, and attempt, escape.” —Jack Campbell, author of The Lost Fleet and In Our Stars
“When flawed humans attempt to create a pocket paradise, they create gut-wrenching moral choices instead. Once you start reading, it is impossible to look away from Mary Thompson’s provocative story of simulations, power imbalance, and whether kindness can overcome cruelty in the end.” —Carolyn Ives Gilman, author of Dark Orbit
"One Level Down is a perfectly executed gem of a book. Deeply satisfying and completely mesmerizing, it's full of depth, heart, and thought." —Sarah Beth Durst, New York Times bestselling author of The Spellshop
Marketing Plan
- Promotion targeting reviews and interviews in leading media venues
- Author tour to include national appearances and radio features
- Print and digital ARC distribution via Goodreads, NetGalley, and Edelweiss+
- Planned book giveaways to include Goodreads and Storygraph
- Outreach to librarians and independent booksellers via regional and national trade shows and mailings
- Online promotion to include Instagram/book blog tour, cover reveal, launch event, Reddit AMA, and social media campaigns via X, Instagram, BlueSky, Facebook, and other outlets
Available Editions
| EDITION | Paperback |
| ISBN | 9781616964306 |
| PRICE | $16.95 (USD) |
| PAGES | 196 |
Links
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Kathryn M, Reviewer
This was a great idea for a scifi novella, it had that element that I was looking for and thought the overall concept worked in the plot. It had that scifi element that I wanted with being trapped in a child’s body. The concept worked well and I enjoyed getting to know the characters and the danger of their situation. Mary Thompson wrote this well and left me wanting to read more in this world and from Mary Thompson.
