Fathom Fall

Gr 7 Up–What happens when the world’s biggest crises—water scarcity, corporate control, and social unrest—become fuel for a video game? Wyatt Docherty, a struggling white student with “curdled-milk-colored skin,” is ridiculed as a “Water Baby” because his parents manage Hydrexo, the powerful corporation controlling North America’s drinking water supply. Wyatt escapes reality through Fathom Fall, an intense augmented reality game where he battles Bluddites as “DoctorDoctor.” When Hydrexo CEO Peter Davids hosts a championship as a secret recruitment test, Wyatt competes alongside a highly diverse cast. These competitors include Ava Maraj (“Alpha_Test”), a skilled South Asian player whose parents were from Guyana and who speaks Patois; Luther Derond (“Loop_D_Round”), a Black player known for his bare black-brown arms and use of local Patois slang; and East Asian competitor Kevin Park (“B_Townz”). As the lines between virtual combat and frightening reality blur through sensation mapping technology, the narrative quickly develops into a visceral psychological thriller about corporate secrets and the profound moral and personal costs of survival. The writing is relentlessly intense and successfully conveys the high stakes and psychological trauma endured by the young protagonists, dealing honestly with issues of class, corporate power, and violence. The apt use of sarcastic humor breaks up the intense thriller storyline.