The Maze Runner meets Fortnite in this action-packed young YA about a boy who finds out the monsters from his favorite video game are real.
They came for our water, but they’ll settle for your blood.
On Fathom Fall’s leaderboard, player Wyatt “DoctorDoctor” Docherty ranks at number three. In real life, he’s seen only as the privileged kid of head engineers at Hydrexo, the company that supplies 75% of North America’s water. He has easy access while others must line up to pay exorbitant prices at public water taps, and he feels totally useless.
To prove he’s more than a spoiled Water Baby, Wyatt wants to win the upcoming Fathom Fall competition and finally make a name for himself. But when he starts seeing Bluddites – the water-guzzling monsters from the game – in real life, Wyatt suspects that the tournament is about more than just prize money.
Wyatt wants to win, but as the tournament approaches, he starts to worry: Why won’t anyone tell them what’s really going on? Why would the game – the military, even – be training kids to hunt monsters for them? And how far is he willing to go to prove himself?
Set in a near-future, water-scarce Toronto, Fathom Fall is a high-octane speculative thrill ride that questions the ethics of new technology and how it defines our very reality.
Topics Water supply. Video games. Contests. Monsters. Dystopias. Toronto, Ontario. Computers and digital media.
Trim Size 8 1/2" x 5 1/2"
JLG Span Spring
Language English
Rights type Print
Publication date 2026-03-02
JLG Release Date Jun 2026
Minimum grade 9
Maximum grade 12
Reading level High
Format Print
High Demand High Plus (Grades 9 & Up)
High Demand High Plus
High Demand High Plus (Grades 9 & Up)
For Grades 9 & Up
This collection features high-interest fiction titles that teens are excited to read right now. Selected for strong hooks, engaging storytelling, and broad appeal, these books span a range of popular fiction genres and often include widely read or in-demand authors.
Discrimination: Racial Insensitivity/Racism,Language: Racial or Ethnic Epithet/Slur,Language: Strong Language,Sexual Content: Mild Sexual Content/Themes,Violence: General