“An insightful, disturbing thriller. Sleep deprivation is normally reserved for adventure racers, torture victims and readers of Ott’s books who can’t put them down at midnight. The mind does funny things when it can’t sleep, and in Dream State it’s the whole world that can’t shut its eyes. Ott again weaves deep insights into what it means to be human—or at least the twisted humanity we’re capable of maintaining without sleep—into an action-packed page-turner.” --Alexander Boldizar, author of The Ugly
“Martin Ott’s Dream State starts as an island getaway but quickly morphs into a chaotic fever dream. Resort guests, island residents, and military base personnel clash after the moon is damaged, leaving everyone sleepless and grappling for sanity and power. Loyalties falter, ruthlessness reigns, and survival becomes the only goal in this satirical thriller.” --Emily Hockaday, managing editor of Asimov’s Science Fiction and Analog Science Fiction and Fact, author of Naming the Ghost
“Dream State is a story of survival, blending Lord of the Flies with Yellowjackets, and adding a dash of Fantasy Island just for fun. Loyalties will be tested, horrors seen, and not everyone will make it to the end. A powerful, gripping story that will make you think twice about that next island retreat.”--Richard Thomas, author of Spontaneous Human Combustion
"A savage, hard-hitting tale which asks the question: Is survival worth it if you become a monster in the process? Great stuff!" --Tim Waggoner, Multiple Bram Stoker Award-Winning Author of We Will Rise
“A feverish, sun-drenched thriller that unfolds with apocalyptic vision, Dream State moves from the unsettling to the surprising, and then keeps going into the dark.”--Ben Loory, author of Tales of Falling and Flying
Think Yellowjackets meets White Lotus.
After an asteroid hits the moon and knocks it out of orbit, global chaos ensues when people lose the ability to sleep. We follow society’s descent into madness through the eyes of a failed zoologist, an almost-bankrupt resort owner, and an underage bartender on a Belize island resort cut off from the rest of the world. As island resources become scarce and conflict erupts, the main characters will need to overcome their demons and fatigue in order to survive.
