Modelland

Set in the year 2026, Modelland imagines a dystopian future where the fashion industry has evolved into a high-stakes digital empire controlled by a corporation known as The Agency. The narrative follows Trish Miller, an awkward teenager recruited for the prestigious Intoxibella program. In this world, models are not merely faces but superheroes possessing supernatural powers of seduction and influence. These Intoxibellas are engineered to dominate culture through social media platforms that do not yet exist in reality.

Banks draws from her own experiences in the modeling world to create a surreal environment where girls are transformed into living icons. The plot blends sci-fi elements with the pressures of teenage life, exploring themes of identity, conformity, and the commodification of beauty. Critics have described the resulting atmosphere as a nightmarish fever dream, mixing familiar tropes from series like Harry Potter and The Hunger Games with bizarre, hyper-specific fashion lore.

Originally released by Dell Publishing on September 13, 2011, the book was intended as the first installment in a planned trilogy but failed to gain commercial traction upon release. It quickly went out of print and became difficult to find in new condition. For years, it existed primarily in second-hand markets and libraries until its unexpected resurgence in 2026. [edit]