Full Immersion

This anguished psychological horror novel from Amor (Six Rooms) begins with a letter from the protagonist, Magpie, to researchers in “The Department of Virtual and Experimental Therapy” at the University of Bristol, begging for help in avoiding suicide. When Magpie then discovers her own bedraggled corpse in the mud by the river, it launches her on an investigation—though readers are aware that her body is actually being tended in a university lab, her consciousness monitored by scientists. Within the virtual-reality world, a Psych in the guise of a friendly stranger leads Magpie to face events from her past that have contributed to her current despair. What the scientists don’t realize, however, is that Magpie’s creative intelligence is beginning to interact with the program’s code, enabling her to take charge of the narrative. The scientists, too smug in their presumed control of the process, see that the Psych is going off-script, but they don’t notice how their own space is being invaded by threatening darkness. Magpie may break free from her own despair, but what will happen if it escapes into the world around her? Amor writes passionately and convincingly about Magpie’s pain. The result is a bleak but powerful portrait of survival at any cost. Agent: Mark Falkin, Falkin Literary. (Sept.)