This book is a bit of a slow burn, but the payoff is definitely worth it. The atmosphere is eerie and the characters are intriguing. I found myself getting more and more drawn in as the story unfolded. If you like dark, atmospheric fiction, this is definitely one to check out

Really loved this one. It was a total page turner. Can’t wait for more from the author. Once started I couldn’t put it down, who knew a prison would be so interesting

The writing in this book makes you feel if you are actually right there with the characters as everything happens. Great read.

Horrific, strange, and deeply mysterious, this book is a great foray into the horror genre. I highly recommend this book.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ -NetGalley ARC


First came the viruses and plagues, then the nuclear attacks, now in post-nuclear Europe, Hammel Varka departs for a remote island to join a survey team cataloguing the abandoned Gollitok prison. Varka quickly realizes that this survey is far from routine and that what he thought he knew about the island was a cover for more horrifying truths. Experiments gone wrong at the very least, but possibly something even more horrifying than that. As his team presses deeper into the decaying facility, hidden agendas splinter the team, and they find themselves beset with dangers beyond their worst nightmares. The question isn’t whether anyone will make it out alive, but were any of them supposed to. An even paced dystopian tale that will have you on the edge of your seat.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wicked House Publishing for a chance to read this book for an honest review.

I'm a big fan of dystopian books and horror books, so this one was a good fit for me. A team is sent to an abandoned (and very isolated) island where a prison used to be. However, the goals that were set out by the Bureau are far from the actual intent.

This was a slow burn type of book, but it was well-written and kept my interest from beginning to end. At the start, the team leader, Hammel Varka, is trying his best to run the survey while keeping up with the never-ending paperwork. As a retired government employee, I found his constant reference to writing up the reports to be humorous! I mean, people are dying, weird mutant birds are flying around and you have to wear respirators and decontaminate at every turn, but you MUST write those reports!

All in all, if you enjoy dystopian novels with a great twist or two of horror, you will enjoy this book. It was poignant and heartbreaking at times and the ending was perfect. The narrator, Joe Hempel, is one of my favorites and his performance was wonderful(as usual).

It is a post nuclear world in Eastern Europe and Hammel Varka is sent on a survey to Gollitok. Gollitok is an abandoned prison whose prisoners might have died from a pandemic or might have been starved to death. No one knows. There is no sun and the soil contains unknown virus. Recently a light was seen on the island and smuggles are suspected. Unaware of the dangers that await him, Hammel leads his team to investigate without fully knowing the true mission and soon finds out there were surveys before his that were unsuccessful.

This novel was so well written. The author does a great job setting up the atmosphere of the bleak and decaying island and introducing us to a unique set of characters. I loved the idea of investigating happenings of an abandoned prison on a remote island. It screams super creepy. I think the only thing holding me back from really loving the book is the tempo. It was slow for me. A few times I thought the action was going to pick up but then it would slow down again. The writing is so good I will definitely check out this author again.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy for an honest review

I really enjoyed it and would highly recommend and I can’t wait to buy a copy for myself 🙂

Rating 4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was an eerie horror novel based on an actual prison island off the coast of Croatia. The time - forty years in the future after a worldwide nuclear holocaust. Pandemic to follow, anyone?

A small group of mixed government and military individuals is sent to Gollitok for varying reasons, it is found during the course of their grueling and deadly time on the island.

Great story, great imagery. Loved the dark atmosphere throughout. I highly recommend.

I received this book from Net Galley and Wicked House Publishing. All opinions are my own.

Let me give you a hint at how good this book is.

My ARC copy was full of mistakes. Words were missing constantly (”as" and "of" amongst others), and sentences jumbled in weird word order that was super jarring.

And despite it making me mad as a pack of dogs, not only i finished it, or rather, devoured it, but i refuse to give it less than 5 stars.
That's how good it is.

I really enjoyed my journey to Gollitok. The setting is bleak, cold, and full of dread. The dystopian, post-nuclear Eastern European atmosphere that Najberg creates is just perfect! Nothing is safe around or on the island. The original purpose of the island is horrific, and that terror never ends, as the surveying team finds out. There are so many surprises on Golitok. Exploring the prison island is highly stressful, tearing the team apart. The drama within is very realistic, making them more human than just company people following orders. Like Najberg, I have roots in Eastern Europe. My great-grandmother was very skilled in many things and was a trained cartographer. She was a first-generation Hungarian-American who was recruited for WWII to help the US. Knowing what she went through added to Golliok's tension throughout the story. Under normal circumstances, these missions are dangerous. Add in nuclear fallout and the impossible happening, and Gollitok becomes even more bone-chilling! Reading the afterward is absolutely important. Goli Otok was a real prison where Najberg's grandfather was interned, among hundreds of others in Croatia who went against the communist government. This is definitely a novel that is close to his heart. Everyone should read this excellent dystopian book!

I have heard so many good things about this book, so I HAD to check it out. All those folks were right!
For me, this started out slow. I was enjoying the story in the beginning, just reading along but then I hit the halfway point and I just couldn't stop. I'm not usually a fan of post-apocalyptic books, but this one had a great story. The characters were well developed and you had no idea where it was going.

Gollitok is a unique horror novel set in a dystopian timeline. The story is gripping and fast paced, with scenes that would really chill your bones. It is well written and easy to get through, a perfect fit to put in between more heavier reads. (Round off rating at 4.5 stars)

This book was not as scary or creepy as I expected it to be. It started kind of slow, then there were some parts that got pretty intense and interesting and then it fell slow again. The story does have some horror in it but just not enough for me. I also wish that the author would have given us more history on each character – I was missing that connection why they were all there.
Overall it was an ok read and I think that many horror/mystery readers will enjoy it. 3 solid stars from me.

Thank you Netgalley, Wicked House Publishing and the author for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book started out slow for me but quickly became a delicious slow burn I couldn’t get enough of! I found myself thinking about this book in the moments between my reading sessions and considering each new piece of information as it was doled out. This book is so atmospheric and immersive. The Gollitok holds it secrets close to its heart and the aftermath of those secrets tries to keep each new soul who sets foot on the island from ever learning them, much less revealing them. I know the next time I watch sea birds swooping over the bay, I’ll be checking for any abnormalities.

Hamill Varga is on a team that is being sent to Gollitok Island that was once inhabited by prisoners in the ground is thought to maintain the disease that wipe them all out. He also believes his group is the first to be sent there something he soon learns isn’t true. The strangeness begins on the boat ride over when gigantic birds start picking up black jellyfish and eating some and dropping what’s left into the boat. These are very poisonous and when one drops on the second in command brunwhichs arm he is left in Mobile and on the verge of death. This leaves getting the boat to the island up to Varga and Yoss. Yose it’s very silent but a very capable woman in so is her and Varga try their best to make it to the island he learns she has one he can depend on. I am wasting time telling you detail by detail the beginning of this book but just know when they make it to the island Bromwich remains unconscious but once getting their Varga learns the other teammates he will be working with on the survey. I don’t know what I can say that’s a good summary for this book it was one of the most imaginative horrifying stories I have ever read they think they are there for one reason but learn it’s for a whole other reason. The boat gets taken away what they find it’s definitely not what they’re looking for in a man who haunted the place as the warden may still be on the island and the prison‘s been gone for over 50 years. Remember the big birds well they don’t just get a cameo but soon become the main character… If you love great horror then you’ll you’ll love this book headfirst the team goes from wanting to do their job properly to only wanting to get off the island alive. I can’t say enough about this book I absolutely loved it there is an isolated location, monsters and possibly even ghost this really is a truly awesome horror story that I definitely recommend. Even though it is only the end of January I don’t see another horror story topping this one is my favorite for the year because I haven’t loved a book this much in a very long time. So so so freaking good! Please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review I want to think wicked house publishing and NetGalley for my free arc copy.

Imagine a world where the nuclear bombs did indeed destroy us all. The slim remnants of society are trying to rebuild. Enter, Hammel E Varka, a surveyor leading a team on a top secret mission to investigate the Gollitok. But as the team finds things that don't line up with the official report, they begin to wonder what is really going on at the island.

A deeply atmospheric, post-apocalyptic horror, Gollitok does nothing short of send chills down your spine. The characters are well written, the setting is immersive, and the terror is palpable. It starts a slow, eerie chill that builds into a terrifying cacophony. The story is told over the course of three days, and as such, this is definitely a slow burn horror. It takes a while for the payoff but I promise, as the tension builds and builds, the ending is worth it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wicked House Publishing for this ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily and all views expressed are my own.

Gollitok by Andrew Najberg takes place in a post-nuclear Eastern Europe. We don't know the full details on what exactly happened and it is sparced with some details throughout the novel.

The story revolves around Hammel Varka, who is sent on a mission to a remote island with an abandoned political prison. Varka and his team are sent to investigate the strange happenings on the island. The time frame is unclear, but we know it takes place in the future.

The set up and bleak atmosphere is intriguing, but I felt I was out of my element as a reader or I'm not the right reader for this novel. It has a science fiction/video game feel that left me wanting more character development and I had trouble picturing the layout of the island. As I said, I'm probably the wrong reader for the target audience.

At times I did feel gripped to the story with the impending danger and other times it felt clunky. The ending left me unsatisfied and if a follow up novel is written, I'll be taking a pass.

The tension between the character's and the turns left me wanting more. The big reveal was obvious from the start.

Overall many readers are providing more positive reviews and it is probably just me as a reader.

Thank you Netgalley and Wicked House Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Hammel and his team go to survey an abandoned prison. Along the way there are mishaps that start to occur and unforeseen danger that they were not expecting. The there are secrets hidden deep within the prison that they find terrifying. Not only does the team have to survive the horrors that lay within the prison, but they also have to survive each other. An electrifying horror story, with twists and turns that will keep the reader invested into the plot with appealing characters.

Disclaimer: Thank you NetGalley and Wicked House Publishing for this review copy and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Gollitok was a horror book about Hammel as he leads a expedition crew to an abandoned prison and Hammel soon finds out that this is not going to be an easy trip. The book I sadly did not enjoy reading liked I hoped to and was confusing for me to read and I did not like the characters in this book. This book does have great horror parts and the author does a good job with descriptions in this book. Overall this book was just not for me but if you like horror with some sci fi then I would suggest you give this one a try. Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for this book in exchange of my honest review.