The Levitation Game — Sharon Wagner

2023 Foreword INDIE Gold Winner for Science Fiction

"A buoyant story of contact and connection, filled with levity and adventure." -Emily Jane, bestselling author of On Earth as It Is on Television

"Engaging, unique, and playful. From the start, there's the question of how everything connects, and the pieces don't completely slot together until the dazzling conclusion." -Independent Book Review

Aspiring magician Esme Wright has a secret: She can levitate objects as effortlessly as humming a tune-no tricks required. But when she lands her first big break on The Morning Show: Live!, defying gravity goes horribly and embarrassingly awry.

After the show, she returns to her New York hotel room a sniveling mess until a mysterious reunion with her childhood friend, Joseph Estrada, instigates a vortex of levitation, both frightening and bizarre. It turns out, Joseph has powerful secrets, too. He's terrified that Diablo possesses him, and after the tornado of toiletries in Esme's hotel room, he can almost feel the fire consuming his toes.

Esme and Joseph disperse to their old lives, but strange and erratic signs soon draw them deeper into a sinister and supernatural puzzle.

The duo must uncover the truth before a catastrophic levitation mishap leaves them injured or, worse, dead. Esme and Joseph embark on a jungle odyssey to unearth the secrets of their past, reuniting with their archaeologist fathers and following the path of jaguars. They discover that the levitation game might be impossible to win-or survive-without answers from the stars.