Symbiote

Thanks to the publisher for this one! This is an Antarctic contagion thriller that was actually written on the continent! That’s so sick.

A team of scientists and engineers have begun to hunker down for the winter season on the ice of Antarctica. The author does a good job of letting the reader know right off the bat that these two groups don’t really get along, foreshadowing future tensions. He also does an incredible job of juggling quite a large cast of characters, which was something I initially worried about—but no need.

When a trio of Chinese scientists make an incredible trek across the frozen wasteland, with quite a heinous scene on display in the back of the truck, you know this is not your normal winter on the ice. One of their team had been brutalized, completely unrecognizable, and no one knows why. And even worse, the station’s Dr. Wei now thinks that all those that stepped foot on the truck after may now be infected.

What follows is a truly high octane, nightmare fueled battle from start to finish. Where the author brings us scientific reasoning just as often as shockingly brutal violence. This is a well paced, and intricately organized thriller, and the author does not let off the pedal until it’s over. It’s a unique take, where the infestation is fighting just as hard (if not harder) for its survival as the humans.

The novel takes place during WWIII, where its near-future take on politics extrapolated to their almost inevitable conclusion, is almost more frightening than the violence itself. But it also gives the novel this truly grounded feeling, that even without stepping foot on that ice, you can know it’s actually happening.

To touch on this quick, the back cover says Contagion meets The Walking Dead. While I have not seen Contagion, this really is nothing like TWD, and while there are some zombie-ish descriptions it’s more like a rage-fueled illness. It felt kind of like they grabbed the biggest IP they could think of and rolled with it, even though it’s not a perfect fit. Maybe to further itself from The Thing? Now, this really in no way marred my enjoyment of this novel, I was definitely looking for it though because they put it there. Maybe more I Am Legend, fresh-turned Z Nation zombies, Days Gone even. Coincidentally the use of worms and infestation did go hand in hand with Angela Sylvaine’s Frost Bite, which I read right after, or even The Troop by Nick Cutter and Infected by Scott Sigler.