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Ice covers the Earth. The heat never climbs past −40°C. Those who remain come from a world shaped by war. Most run in huge wheels at power plants to make energy. To escape, they watch TV all day and night. The shows come from a city under a glass dome.

People in the dome lead warm, rich, safe lives of fame. They need not work at the power plants. In return, cameras film their whole lives for reality TV. Those outside dream of a place there. But they face a fierce fight to get in. Then Jeon Chobahm, aged sixteen, gets an offer she did not expect. She must take the place of top TV host Goh Haeri. Haeri has died by suicide. Chobahm must keep the switch a secret.

Soyoung Park’s science-fiction thriller is for young adults. It looks at how people watch others and what fame costs. Its teen cast must make choices that blur right and wrong. How far will they change to get what they seek?

Park was born in 1989. She studied broadcasting at Sookmyung Women’s University in Seoul. She also spent a short time as a reporter. In 2016, she won first prize in a South Korean creative writing contest. This novel’s Korean edition won a grand prize in 2020. It was the Changbi X Kakaopage young adult genre grand prize. CJ Entertainment has announced plans to turn it into a TV show.

Virgil-Mihai Taru translated this edition from Korean. It forms part of the Daring Alice series.