Teaser

The year is 2028, and World War Three is being fought. But at the South Pole, it is not humans that should be feared. There is something out there in the ice. Something that does not come in peace . . .

Review

Sometimes books are released and disappear from the public consciousness without a trace. Sometimes they leave a few ripples as they pass. And sometimes they tear through the bookish community like wildfire. Symbiote is one of the latter. Over the autumn, it has been absolutely everywhere I look on social media. Usually I’d be very suspicious of unanimous hype like that, but since even people whose opinions I trust were reading it, I decided to look into it. Of course, this is much more along the veins of thriller and horror than science fiction, so it was low down on my list of priorities. Or it was until a friend gave me her copy. A free book is always a good thing. An overhyped one, however, is usually not.

Symbiote is, as I have said, less science fiction and more near-future thriller. A little outside of my wheelhouse. But there’s no harm in exploring new terrain every now and then. Unfortunately, Symbiote is one of those books that just kept falling flat for me. Even if I set aside my general ambivalence towards disease/zombie/alien possession thrillers, I honestly struggled to get into this book, and I certainly can’t see a reason for all the glowing reviews.

On a positive note, the idea is a good one. Yes, it’s very reminiscent of The Thing. A remote polar base is beset by paranoia as an unknown entity attacks. Those are big boots to fill, but the premise is gripping. There are some great references and allusions to the real-world history of polar exploration, and Nayak’s research and personal experience come into play. To my surprise, the larger worldbuilding, reports of war fed into the narrative through found documents, is genuinely good, even if it does play coy when it comes to US politics while being at the cutting edge of foreign policy.

That being said, while the story is good in theory, it is lacking in execution. I won’t say the writing is clunky, because it’s actually quite easy reading. A real page-turner. However, there are a number of stylistic choices that simply didn’t work for me. at all. Tenses change mid paragraph. Brackets and italics abound. There’s a real feel of stream of consciousness that butts up against the otherwise straightforward thriller tone.

And then there are the characters. Much is made of how isolated and remote the polar base is, but it never feels that way. Because there are approximately forty characters crammed into these pages. Even as the death toll rises there are far too many people to keep track off. And that’s before we get to everyone having their own secrets, their own schemes. The polar base has an alcoholic, a weed dealer, more than one love triangle, and more rampant randy behaviour than you can shake an icicle at. People jump at the chance to get their kit off or air their grievances through violent means. Maybe I’m wrong, and this is the South Pole as Nayak experienced it, but I hope not. I hope that in the real world, the pioneers of polar science are a little more professional in their day to day conduct.

Perhaps if read as a straight thriller, Symbiote has more to commend it. But from a science fictional perspective, it’s incredibly frustrating. The potential is there, but the execution is sorely lacking.

Book Stats

• The Ice Plague Wars #1
• Published by Angry Robot
• Published in 2025
• 417 Pages