Dream the Deep by Clara Ward

You don’t need to reach Mars to reach your dreams. Robbed of their chance at leaving Earth to pursue green-energy innovations, Ryn embraces new dreams—fighting deep sea threats in conjunction with a giant cephalopod. It’s 2139 in the Cali-Coastal Corporate Zone, and Ryn struggles with their own body and brain as they fight to survive five days locked up with academic rivals and the military-backed billionaires who’ve misled them all since their teenage years. Ryn needs an exit strategy but doesn’t know whether to trust Akira, the hacker-spy who may have saved their life, or Jay, the geeky military rebel with a secret stash of hot chocolate. Not to mention, Jay keeps falling asleep in their bed, and Ryn’s not sure if either of them is interested in more—but at least they like the same shows! Five Days. One Ocean. Unlikely allies connect to Dream the Deep.

Adult • Diversity Representation/LGBTQ+/Own Voices • Fantasy/Science Fantasy • Diversity Representation/Neurodiversity/Own Voices • Science Fiction • Science Fiction/Agripunk, Hopepunk, and Solarpunk

Length: 38,000 words (about 109 pages)

Content Warning: This novella includes planetary and ecosystem damage, anaphylaxis, feelings of abandonment, brief intrusive thoughts, off-page death, touch, and discussions of asexual attraction.