Simulation
by M. Black
Date of Publication:
December 16th 2016
Publisher: Eloquent
Enraptures Publishing
Cover Artist: M. Black
Genre: YA SyFy
Dystopian
BLURB
SIMULATION is a
fictional novel and is the debut release from Dystopian Thriller author M.
Black.
A YA SyFy dystopia,
along the lines of City of Ember meets CW’s The 100. This story will capture
your heart and still won’t let go even at the end. Written in part while
listening to Outside by Ellie Goulding, this story contrasts technology to
nature, rich to poor, privilege to hardship, and illusion to reality.
“No one is getting in but whom we allow, and
no one is ever getting out.”
Set in 2175 in Colorado, USA, where Citigogs
are the new form of cities and citizens are kept under a careful population
control, we meet Ilia the Princess of our main Citigog named Iliad, and Jez a
Giver. As Ilia spends more time with Jez, she finds herself drawn to the
Outside and ventures out of her Citigog only to learn that everything is not
what it seems.
Fans of the Divergent
and Hunger Games series will revel in this story about a strong, but
disillusioned heroine who must become brave as she uncovers the truth about her
world.
Buy Link: Amazon
Book Trailer:
https://youtu.be/IO44dRFAAX0
I hardly
notice my attraction, but my fingers have nudged their way onto the platform as
my chin tucks over the wood, and my eyes fix on the Givers moving speedily to
and fro as if I’m watching a coveted movie, though none inside of Iliad are as
good as this performance. Attention is drawn to my fingers when Jez approaches
from my side and taps his foot at my forefinger. “If it isn’t the Princess
Thief. Have you come to take more goods?”
I almost
gasp. The guards had a strict talk with him about not speaking with me, and
letting me take what I want—and yet here he is. Not that I expect that I should
be able to do whatever I want, but I certainly don’t expect a Giver to not
follow orders.
I stumble my
words. “Wha? I…I’m not here for that,” I defend poorly.
“Then why
are you here? Isn’t that what you Insiders do best? Take?” Jez’s voice cracks,
as if the word take weighs particularly heavy on him.
“I’m not
here to take anything,” I say as my voice quivers, hands tremble, and my eyes
flit around for focus.
“Then why
are you here?” His brazen tone makes me uneasy.
The question
stops me. I can’t be at all sure why I came, why I insisted on seeing Jez.
Curiosity? Passion? I hardly know. I only know there is something about
him—something mysterious— something different from all the rest of the boys of
Iliad. Maybe it’s because he’s been Outside, seen the world. Maybe it’s because
he must be so brave to do so.
His eyes dig
deep into mine, waiting for an answer I can’t give. So, I answer a little
shakily, “I just wanted to see the inner workings of the Center of Citigog
Goods.”
Jez stares
briefly, a smirk sliding across his face—not believing a word. Then he says
snidely, “Curious how the other half lives?”
“Why do you
keep attacking me?” I grit my teeth, my fingernails scratching the wood of the
platform, my head fixed upward at Jez, sun glares hurting my eyes. “What have I
ever done to you?” His audacity surprises me. I should be used to it by now.
Every time I talk with him, he has nothing but ridicule for me. Still, I can’t
wrap my brain around his disgust. No one speaks to the princess this way.
“Attacking
you? You call a few words an attack?” Jez shakes his head and ruffles his
fingers through his hair, releasing a loud huff of disbelief.
“You didn’t
answer my question,” I press, keeping my eyes locked on his. He isn’t going to
get away with it this time. Not without an explanation.
Jez pauses,
his eyes searching me, and I can see questions circling his mind. “You really
don’t know.”
“Know what?”
My brow quirks, and he draws all my attention. I wouldn’t notice now if a
Citiguard stood beside me.
“Anything,”
Jez remarks, and I’m not sure if he’s just being smart or if he really cares
about my so-called ignorance.
“So,
enlighten me, oh Giver of all.”
He squats so
that we are eye to eye, and his smirk becomes more of a sadness, his color more
of a pale crème, but his hair engulfs him—his square face and broad
shoulders—as it falls to his chest. Then, I regret what I’ve just said. I feel
I’ve hit him somewhere deep inside where even I didn’t intend.
“You live in
your perfect princess castle, with three meals a day, and everyone at your beck
and call. Safe from danger, and from the truth.” His head lowers, and he looks
like he is about to cry, before he takes a deep breath and his head rises. “I
won’t be able to enlighten you with anything but misery. I’m not a Giver. I’m a
survivor.”
“Survivor of
what?” I ask, not sure if he even heard me ask the question, because at that
moment the dark-skinned man with the buffalo tattoo pushes beside Jez and tugs
on his shoulder.
“Get going,
Jez. Your tribe can’t handle another reprimand.” Jez looks at the dark man and
nods before he pulls away from me and straightens up to return to the Box
Carrier. As Jez walks away from me, the dark man hawk-eyes me. “You’re nothing
but trouble for us. Why don’t you crawl back to your castle?” The corner of his
mouth curls up as he turns back to Jez. I stand there, alone, lingering in
questions. Survivor? Aren’t we all survivors of CR? What tribe? Safe from
danger, the truth?
Everyone I
come to for answers turns into another blockade, but I won’t let curiosities go
unsatisfied this time. Jez knows something, something my aunt and mom know as
well, something no one wants to tell me. I’ll watch him, and wait. He’ll lead
me to what I want to know. He just has to.
Buy Link: Amazon
M. Black is a pen name of Ami Blackwelder.
M. Black is her dystopia and thriller line of
books. Rebecca May is the pen name for her historical and contemporary line of
books. Ami Blackwelder writes paranormal and sci-fi novels.
Her stories range from Tween and YA to NA
(new adult), but focus primarily on YA. Growing up in Florida, she graduated
UCF and in 1997 received her BA in English and additional teaching credentials.
Then she packed her bags and travelled overseas to teach in Thailand, Nepal,
Tibet, China and Korea. Thailand is considered her second home now. She has
always loved writing and wrote poems and short stores since childhood; however,
her novels began when she was in Thailand in her early thirties.
Having won the Best Fiction Award from the
University of Central Florida (Yes, The Blair Witch Project University), her
short fiction From Joy We Come, Unto Joy We Return was published in the on
campus literary magazine Cypress Dome and remains to this day in University
libraries around the USA.
Later, she achieved the semi-finals in a
Laurel Hemingway contest and published a few poems in the Thailand’s Expat
magazine, and an article in the Thailand’s People newspaper. Additionally, she
has published poetry in Korea’s AIM magazine, the American Poetic Monthly
magazine and Twisted Dreams Magazine.
Author Links:
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