Holiday sale: 24% off all titles! Add code TACHYON24 to your shopping cart
One Level Down
Mary G. Thompson
“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, bestselling author of The Spellshop
Trapped in a child’s body, a resourceful woman risks death by deletion from a simulated world. With her debut novella for adults, Thompson has crafted a taut, ultimately hopeful story that deftly explores identity and autonomy.
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.
“It is impossible to look away from Mary G. Thompson’s provocative story of simulations, power imbalance, and whether kindness can overcome cruelty in the end.” —Carolyn Ives Gilman, author of Dark Orbit
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.
“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
“Brilliant and beautiful! One Level Down is a perfectly executed gem of a book. Deeply satisfying and completely mesmerizing, it’s full of depth, heart, and thought. A remarkable achievement!”
—Sarah Beth Durst, New York Times bestselling author of The Spellshop
“The world of Mary G. Thompson’s novella One Level Down is beautiful on the surface, and scary the rest of the way down. That’s especially true for Ella, the determined protagonist who’s a prisoner in her own body. You’ll find yourself rooting hard for her, and for the possibility of a freedom that will allow her to discover who she really is. One Level Down is a captivating read that you’ll be tempted to tear through in one long sitting. It’s also a thought-provoking book that will stay with you well beyond its final page.”
—David Ebenbach, author of How to Mars
“Death by deletion is the ultimate horror in this riveting novella about life in a simulation. One Level Down deftly captures both the anguish of fifty-eight-year-old Ella who is trapped in a five-year-old’s body and the megalomania of the Daddy who keeps her there. While Mary G. Thompson brings new insight to the nested realities of the simulation hypothesis, this is above all a story of courage as Ella risks everything to become herself.”
—James Patrick Kelly, author of Burn and winner of the Hugo, Nebula and Locus awards
Mary G. Thompson is the acclaimed author of Flicker and Mist, Wuftoom, and Amy Chelsea Stacie Dee, which was the winner of the Westchester Fiction Award and a finalist for the Missouri Gateway Award. Thompson’s short fiction has appeared in Dark Matter Magazine, Apex Magazine, and others. She attended the University of Oregon School of Law, practiced law for seven years, and now works as a law librarian. She also holds an MFA in Writing from The New School, and completed the UCLA professional program in screenwriting. Thompson currently lives in Washington, DC. Find her on the web at http://marygthompson.com.
Praise for Amy Chelsea Stacie Dee
“Fans of realistic fiction and similar titles, such as Emma Donoghue’s Room, Lucy Christopher’s Stolen, and April Henry’s Girl, Stolen, will devour this novel.”
—School Library Journal
“Thompson expertly builds the novel’s tension to an unbearable pitch as she guides readers to a bittersweet, satisfying conclusion.”
—Publishers Weekly
“[A] traumatic, psychologically taut novel . . . Thompson deals honestly with the guilt and grief of Amy and her family, and, though grim, this tearjerker has a thankfully hopeful resolution.”
—Booklist
“Teens who relish abduction stories will be most satisfied with this book.”
—VOYA
“Thompson adeptly walks readers through the lingering trauma and misplaced guilt that Amy feels . . . this takes readers on a credible hell-and-back ride that fleshes out the tangled emotions behind recent ripped-from-the-headlines scenarios.”
—BCCB
“[A] dark, almost surreal story about survival.”
—Bustle
“A riveting, affecting story of loss and hope.”
—Book Riot
Praise for Flicker and Mist
“Filled with vivid, fascinating magic and set in an intriguing world, Flicker and Mist is an exciting, thought-provoking, haunting novel that lingers long after you finish the last page.”
—Sarah Beth Durst, author of The Queen of Blood
“This tale of mixed heritage and divided loyalties with an engaging heroine will appeal to fans of character-driven fantasy.”
—Kirkus
“Gripping characters, a sharp, quick pace, and a satisfying conclusion.”
—Bulletin
“Thompson brings political corruption, racial profiling, and social justice to the forefront of this fast-paced fantasy, with just enough romance to provide a comfortable backdrop . . . Thompson’s imaginative descriptions of Flickering—the close bond between wetbeast and rider—and the sea-centered rituals of the island people combine to create a unique fantasy world with a rich history.”
—Booklist
“For those who can’t get enough dystopian fiction, this work offers another look at governing-gone-wrong, with central themes of equality and racism.
—School Library Journal
“Flicker and Mist is a fast paced read full of excitement, action, and love. Myra is a wonderful protagonist and readers will quickly identify with her and her friends.”
—Assembly on Literature for Adolescents of the NCTE
One Level Down
Mary G. Thompson
“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, bestselling author of The Spellshop
Trapped in a child’s body, a resourceful woman risks death by deletion from a simulated world. With her debut novella for adults, Thompson has crafted a taut, ultimately hopeful story that deftly explores identity and autonomy.
One Level Down
by Mary G. Thompson
ISBN: 978-1-61696-430-6 (print); 978-1-61696-431-3 (digital)
Published: 1 April 2025
Available Format(s): digital, trade paperback
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.
“It is impossible to look away from Mary G. Thompson’s provocative story of simulations, power imbalance, and whether kindness can overcome cruelty in the end.”
—Carolyn Ives Gilman, author of Dark Orbit
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.
“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
“Brilliant and beautiful! One Level Down is a perfectly executed gem of a book. Deeply satisfying and completely mesmerizing, it’s full of depth, heart, and thought. A remarkable achievement!”
—Sarah Beth Durst, New York Times bestselling author of The Spellshop
“The world of Mary G. Thompson’s novella One Level Down is beautiful on the surface, and scary the rest of the way down. That’s especially true for Ella, the determined protagonist who’s a prisoner in her own body. You’ll find yourself rooting hard for her, and for the possibility of a freedom that will allow her to discover who she really is. One Level Down is a captivating read that you’ll be tempted to tear through in one long sitting. It’s also a thought-provoking book that will stay with you well beyond its final page.”
—David Ebenbach, author of How to Mars
“Death by deletion is the ultimate horror in this riveting novella about life in a simulation. One Level Down deftly captures both the anguish of fifty-eight-year-old Ella who is trapped in a five-year-old’s body and the megalomania of the Daddy who keeps her there. While Mary G. Thompson brings new insight to the nested realities of the simulation hypothesis, this is above all a story of courage as Ella risks everything to become herself.”
—James Patrick Kelly, author of Burn and winner of the Hugo, Nebula and Locus awards
Mary G. Thompson is the acclaimed author of Flicker and Mist, Wuftoom, and Amy Chelsea Stacie Dee, which was the winner of the Westchester Fiction Award and a finalist for the Missouri Gateway Award. Thompson’s short fiction has appeared in Dark Matter Magazine, Apex Magazine, and others. She attended the University of Oregon School of Law, practiced law for seven years, and now works as a law librarian. She also holds an MFA in Writing from The New School, and completed the UCLA professional program in screenwriting. Thompson currently lives in Washington, DC. Find her on the web at http://marygthompson.com.
Praise for Amy Chelsea Stacie Dee
“Fans of realistic fiction and similar titles, such as Emma Donoghue’s Room, Lucy Christopher’s Stolen, and April Henry’s Girl, Stolen, will devour this novel.”
—School Library Journal
“An intelligent, tense psychological drama.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Thompson expertly builds the novel’s tension to an unbearable pitch as she guides readers to a bittersweet, satisfying conclusion.”
—Publishers Weekly
“[A] traumatic, psychologically taut novel . . . Thompson deals honestly with the guilt and grief of Amy and her family, and, though grim, this tearjerker has a thankfully hopeful resolution.”
—Booklist
“Teens who relish abduction stories will be most satisfied with this book.”
—VOYA
“Thompson adeptly walks readers through the lingering trauma and misplaced guilt that Amy feels . . . this takes readers on a credible hell-and-back ride that fleshes out the tangled emotions behind recent ripped-from-the-headlines scenarios.”
—BCCB
“[A] dark, almost surreal story about survival.”
—Bustle
“A riveting, affecting story of loss and hope.”
—Book Riot
Praise for Flicker and Mist
“Filled with vivid, fascinating magic and set in an intriguing world, Flicker and Mist is an exciting, thought-provoking, haunting novel that lingers long after you finish the last page.”
—Sarah Beth Durst, author of The Queen of Blood
“This tale of mixed heritage and divided loyalties with an engaging heroine will appeal to fans of character-driven fantasy.”
—Kirkus
“Gripping characters, a sharp, quick pace, and a satisfying conclusion.”
—Bulletin
“Thompson brings political corruption, racial profiling, and social justice to the forefront of this fast-paced fantasy, with just enough romance to provide a comfortable backdrop . . . Thompson’s imaginative descriptions of Flickering—the close bond between wetbeast and rider—and the sea-centered rituals of the island people combine to create a unique fantasy world with a rich history.”
—Booklist
“For those who can’t get enough dystopian fiction, this work offers another look at governing-gone-wrong, with central themes of equality and racism.
—School Library Journal
“Flicker and Mist is a fast paced read full of excitement, action, and love. Myra is a wonderful protagonist and readers will quickly identify with her and her friends.”
—Assembly on Literature for Adolescents of the NCTE