First published 1996
Samantha Gordon lies in a hospital bed, her body shutting down from a mysterious coma that baffles her medical team. No physical trauma explains her condition, yet she grows weaker each day. Her twin sister Julia, a research scientist, refuses to accept defeat. Julia has developed experimental virtual reality technology that can breach the barriers of consciousness itself. The program will allow her to enter Samantha's mind directly, navigating the strange terrain of her sister's memories and subconscious. But the technology carries deadly risks. Users can become trapped in madness or die without warning. Julia accepts the danger and dives into her sister's mental landscape. She discovers a world filled with erotic imagery and disturbing secrets from their shared past. As Julia moves deeper into Samantha's memories, she realizes someone else lurks in this psychological maze. A killer hides among the twisted recollections, and Julia must identify the threat before it destroys them both. Racing through her sister's darkest thoughts, Julia fights not only for Samantha's survival but for her own sanity and life.
Genres: science-fiction, thriller, psychological-thriller, virtual-reality
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: psychological-thriller, unreliable-narrator
Audio Cassette · Soundelux Audio Pub
Content warnings: mental-illness