Opposite World Elizabeth Anne Martins 9781787589605

Piper "Pip" Screed remembers nothing about her mother's mysterious death or the strange episode that left her in a deep, unexplained sleep. All she knows is that her father uprooted them to a secluded mountain cabin, severed all ties to the outside world, and refuses to answer her questions.

Fifteen years later, Pip escapes isolation and discovers The Reverie Cloud-a revolutionary sleep-therapy program that merges the subconscious with virtual reality. Here, users can experience their desires, confront fears, and rewrite their pasts in a dreamscape indistinguishable from reality. But when The Reverie Cloud falls into the hands of those who see her subconscious as a prize, Pip becomes ensnared within its unstable architecture. Now locked inside the program, she must navigate its mercurial layers, face the horrors buried within her subconscious, and unravel the truth about her past before time runs out. Worse, she's not the only one at risk-her father's life hangs in the balance, too.

But the deeper Pip ventures, the more dangerous the game becomes. If she pushes too far, she may never escape. Yet only by confronting the truth can she hope to uncover what really happened to her mother-before the program consumes her entirely.

Blending science fiction with psychological horror, surreal fantasy, and an aching tremor of human longing, OPPOSITE WORLD is an exploration of memory, identity, and the thin divide between perception and reality.

FLAME TREE PRESS is the imprint of long-standing Independent Flame Tree Publishing, dedicated to full-length original fiction in the horror and suspense, science fiction & fantasy, and crime / mystery / thriller categories. The list brings together fantastic new authors and the more established; the award winners, and exciting, original voices. Learn more about Flame Tree Press at www.flametreepress.com and connect on social media @FlameTreePress.

Elizabeth Anne Martins is a Philadelphia-based writer who studied English and Publishing at Rosemont College. Her writing often explores resilience, identity, and survival, blending speculative elements with deeply human stories.

Her debut novel, Dry Lands, is a post-apocalyptic story of motherhood and survival set in a world reshaped by water. The book was named a 2024 Great Group Reads pick by the Women's National Book Association and has resonated with readers who connect with its themes of hope and endurance.

When she's not writing, Elizabeth can usually be found at the piano, composing something new or playing a duet with her son and husband. Music, like storytelling, is her way of making sense of the world-one note or word at a time.