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Future Me and the VR Prison

Future Me and the VR Prison

by

Josh Weiss-Roessler

What if your future self told you the world was ending, and the only way to stop it was to… go to school?!

For Lu Jacobs, losing her grandma was a double-whammy. Not only did it mean no longer having the one person who truly understood her love of math, it upended her entire understanding of how the universe works.

Because everyone told her Gran would be fine—it was a simple medical procedure. Lu was supposed to save her.

When things didn’t go that way, she stopped trying. She retreated into the clear, controlled world of The Aftermath, a VR game focused entirely on completing missions with her team to reach the top of the leaderboard.

Then her future self shows up. An artificial intelligence is rewriting the past. The future is collapsing. And she needs Lu’s help.

It’s not only a high-stakes, real-world mission to save humanity, but a clear, structured path forward.

How could Lu possibly refuse?

The key to stopping the collapse is hidden inside Prescott Academy, the most advanced school in the world. With its hoverboard parks, teachers who‘ve invented microscopic medical drones, and the VRoom—where students literally live their lessons—it's more than enough to keep Lu from thinking about her grandma.

But somewhere inside it all, there’s an AI pretending to be human. And if Lu can’t find it in time, the future becomes a virtual prison no one can escape.

Lu does not have a plan. But she does have her team.

That will have to be enough.

More Details

IAC Main Tropes:

Time Travel/Time Paradox, Artificial Intelligence, Found Family

Detailed Tropes:

time travel, future self as (crappy) mentor, evil AI, found family / ragtag team, elite academy mystery, science as a superpower

Representations in This Book:

BIPOC, LGBTQA+, Mental Health, Mental Illness

Age Groups:

Middle Grade, Young Adult

Spice Level:

No Romance

Available Formats:

Paperback, Hardcover, eBook

Content Information:

Level 3

TWs: grief, mental illness, addiction, implied abuse, self-harm (technically; it's not a mental/emotional thing) *I also want to say that I think this is MOSTLY PG, but I moved it to a PG-13 because there is a scene where an adult character has gotten drunk to dull the, uh, physical pain she's about to feel :) Other than that, totally PG.*

Links to Purchase

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Other Books in the

Future Me

About the Author

Josh Weiss-Roessler

Josh Weiss-Roessler writes middle grade science fiction that blends technology, mystery, and heart. His work explores how kids navigate complex systems, big questions, and the moments that shape who they become. He lives in the Austin area with his wife, two kids who are growing too fast, and way too many animals.


This author is not a member of Indie Author Collective, so some information may be missing or inaccurate.

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