Ada Forge Books
A Dystopian Novel by Todd Thorne
Every year in Community-A, fifty boys enter the track. One survives.
The Story
Every year in Community-A, fifty boys enter the track.
One survives.
The winner goes to Community-B, a paradise beyond the mountains. That is what everyone believes. That is what the community has been told for one hundred and twenty years.
It is a lie.
When fifteen-year-old Heather attends her first Contest, she expects a race. What she finds is something far more brutal and far more human than anything she was prepared for.
Among the boys fighting to survive is Locks, a quiet and defiant fifteen-year-old who dared to ask the Leader to end the Contest before it began. As the days pass and the boys fall one by one, their connection across the fence becomes the emotional center of a story building toward an explosion.
Because Deidre, the Leader of Community-A, is keeping secrets. About the winners. About Community-B. About a blind boy named Michael who died twenty-five years ago and whose photograph she still hides behind a painting on her wall.
And about the embryo bank that has sustained her community for over a century, which is failing, and which is about to force a choice that can no longer be postponed.
When the truth finally reaches the track, survival may no longer be the only thing worth fighting for.
Those Who Question the Tradition
One girl begins to see the Contest differently. One boy dares to challenge it. And one leader carries the truth of what came before.
Mother and Daughter
Deidre is the Leader of Community-A, responsible for preserving its order, traditions, and future. She has spent decades protecting secrets she believes the community cannot survive without.
Heather is fifteen and attending her first Contest. Curious, compassionate, and unwilling to ignore what she sees, she begins questioning the story Community-A has repeated for generations.
Contestant No. 7
Quiet, defiant, and unwilling to accept the Contest without question, Locks asks Deidre to stop it before it begins. His courage brings him unwanted attention and creates an unexpected connection with Heather across the fence.
Voice of the Contest
Seated inside the viewing booth with microphone in hand, Mr. Wright calls every stage of the Contest. His familiar voice turns suffering into ceremony and makes the tradition sound as ordinary as any community celebration.
Contest Official
Organized, forceful, and committed to order, June helps oversee the Contest and expects instructions to be followed without debate. She represents the strict discipline that keeps Community-A functioning.
Inside the Track
They are not soldiers. They are teenagers with different strengths, fears, and ideas about how to survive.
The Challenger
Quiet and thoughtful, Locks is remembered not only for entering the Contest, but for daring to ask whether it should happen at all.
The Runner
Known for exceptional speed and endurance, Legs relies on movement, timing, and the belief that he can stay one step ahead of everyone else.
The Powerhouse
Strong, aggressive, and physically imposing, Spider enters the Contest believing intimidation and force will carry him farther than hesitation ever could.
The Reader
Quiet and highly intelligent, Book approaches the Contest by studying people, patterns, and possibilities before deciding what to do.
The Thinker
Analytical and observant, Brains believes careful reasoning can uncover opportunities that stronger contestants may miss.
The Promise
“The winner goes to Community-B.”
But no winner has ever returned.
At the Heart of the Novel
Tradition survives when people are taught that questioning it places everyone in danger.
A lie repeated for generations does not become harmless simply because everyone believes it.
Heather, Locks, and Deidre each face decisions that can no longer be postponed.
Sometimes one honest question is enough to weaken an entire system.
Email: ada-forge@proton.me
Mailing Address:
Ada Forge Books
P.O. Box 74
Knoxville, IL 61448