(W) Frank J. Barbiere (A/CA) Morgan BeemA queer, literary fantasy about the stories that shape us—and what happens when we outgrow them. Hector Ramirez dreamed of changing the world with words. Years later, he’s given one last chance: to help reboot the fantasy series that shaped his childhood. But when he discovers the author has vanished into his own creation, Hector is pulled into a realm built from fiction and ruled by a story that refuses to end. He’s not alone. Along for the journey is Al, his nonbinary teen child searching for their place in both the real world and the story that now threatens to consume them. Alethea, once the series’ bright young mage heroine, also fights alongside them as a battle-worn warrior, questioning whether she still belongs to the story she was created to serve. Together, they must uncover the forces tearing this world apart and what it means to live inside a story that no longer wants you. As fiction and reality collide, Hector, Al, and Alethea face a painful truth: to move forward, they’ll have to confront the very story that made them.
