First published 2023
Thirteen-year-old Leandro lives as a pickpocket in the harsh city of Pocatel, where Earth has become a wasteland after four centuries of devastation. He and his sister Gabi belong to the Cascabel, descendants of San Joaquin Valley workers who face discrimination from the Pocatelan elite. When Gabi steals fruit and gets caught, Leandro accepts blame to protect her. His punishment exceeds simple banishment. The authorities transfer his consciousness into an ancient drone and cast him into the wilderness beyond the city walls. There, wandering spirits and wyrms threaten anyone who ventures alone. Leandro discovers other alebrijes like himself, beings whose minds inhabit mechanical forms while searching for something better than their current existence. The wasteland holds mutant creatures, roving pirates, and a secret oasis. As Leandro navigates this dangerous landscape, he uncovers truths about his world that challenge everything he believed. His journey becomes more than survival. It becomes a quest to understand his place in a broken world and find hope for those he left behind.
Genres: science-fiction, dystopia, adventure, post-apocalyptic
Vibes: atmospheric, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family, quest
Setting: Pocatel, San Joaquin Valley
Period: 21st-century
416 pages · Hardcover · Levine Querido