Because what if your entire life was just a problem-solving program for a civilization that barely remembers you exist?
The Accidental Rise of a Sci-Fi Author—and Her Sci-Fi Novel About Simulated Reality
Ashley Christine didn’t set out to write a sci-fi novel about simulated reality. In fact, her journey to publishing a novel about simulated realities and ethical dilemmas began somewhere entirely different—math.
Yes, math.
The thing that makes most people’s eyes glaze over faster than a failed New Year’s resolution.
Originally a mathematician, Ashley found herself on an unexpected trajectory when she turned to TikTok during the pandemic. At first, she thought people would be interested in math videos (bless her optimism).
Turns out, not so much.
But when she shifted toward breaking down science and tech topics in a way that was both digestible and entertaining, things took off. Fast forward a few years, and she’s now a full-time science communicator.
But writing a book? That wasn’t part of the original plan. And definitely not a sci-fi novel about simulated reality, identity, and ethical complexity.
“I always wanted to be a writer, but there’s no money in it, so I didn’t do that,” Ashley admits, ever the pragmatist. That is, until a publisher reached out, wanting her to write a non-fiction book on dimensions.
Her response? A hard pivot.
Instead of a textbook, she sent over the first two chapters of a sci-fi novel she had sitting on her computer. The publisher’s response was an enthusiastic, “We’re going to do this.” Ashley’s? A stunned, “Shit.”
What followed was a mad dash to complete an entire novel she hadn’t planned to finish by the end of the year, a process that surprisingly wasn’t as daunting as it sounds. After all, she’d been writing for fun since she was twelve—it just took the right moment (and the right publisher) to make it real.
A Story That’s Less Matrix, More Existential Crisis
So what exactly is this book about? Well, imagine waking up one day to discover your entire life—your memories, your relationships, the very fabric of your reality—wasn’t real.
Not in the Matrix “evil AI is out to get us” kind of way, but in a “humanity has no resources left, so now you’re a cog in a giant, civilization-saving simulation” kind of way.
Welcome to The Iron Dreamers.
In Ashley’s novel, Earth is long gone. The remnants of humanity are barely holding on, and the most efficient way to survive isn’t with sprawling space colonies—it’s by turning human minds into problem-solving machines.
Entire lives are played out in simulations, designed to generate technological, scientific, artistic, and philosophical advancements. It’s a system born out of desperation, not malice. But, as our protagonist quickly discovers, even the best-intentioned systems can raise serious ethical questions.
This isn’t a story about man versus machine.
It’s man versus self.
Because once you know your entire life was a simulation, what do you do with that information?
As Ashley explains, “It’s an existential crisis wrapped in a sci-fi premise.” And honestly, we’re here for it.
The Balancing Act: Hard Sci-Fi Meets Relatable Characters
Writing hard sci-fi is no joke. The challenge isn’t just making the science accurate—it’s making it engaging.
For Ashley, the trick was filtering advanced scientific concepts through the lens of a main character who has zero understanding of what’s happening.
“It’s tricky because she doesn’t know what this technology is,” Ashley explains. “I can’t have her explain it to the reader because she doesn’t get it either.”
That means readers get to learn alongside the protagonist, experiencing her confusion, curiosity, and slow realization of the world’s true nature in real-time.
It also means Ashley had to resist the temptation to just geek out about future tech. “I would love to dive into the science and math of everything,” she says, “but character development has to come first.”
The result? A book that’s scientifically rich without being a dry textbook.
The Inspiration Behind the Dystopia
If The Iron Dreamers sounds like it was born from a deep dive into existential horror, well…that’s because it was.
“The existential dread came first,” Ashley admits. The spark of inspiration came from a conversation about simulation theory during grad school. She started thinking about how we could mathematically prove we were in a simulation—what signs we might notice, what anomalies would give it away.
The more she thought about it, the worse it got.
“It’s terrifying,” she says. “We wouldn’t know. And does it even matter? Humans don’t even know what reality is to begin with.”
