This story is told in third person and follows two different groups visiting an isolated island in the Arctic with a small community of locals. One group consists of a group of prospectors looking for mineral deposit locations to sell to the highest bidder and the other consists of a group of environmental activists resolved to stop those types of activities. The motivations of the groups immediately put them at cross purposes and there are also ulterior motives at play since a member of each team has a prior relationship.

The first group uncovers a kind of contagion in a local cavern system and the race is on. It’s filled with thrills and horrors as the two groups squabble and try to survive, sometimes together and sometimes apart. There are plenty of flawed characters and at times, I was kind of rooting for the contagion. LOL.

However, I’m always happy to find a geologist main character so, of course I had to read this and it’s a bonus that I found it a suspenseful and fun read. Recommended to those that enjoy weird contagions, creature horror and local mythology.

Thank you to NetGalley and Titan Books for a copy provided for an honest review.

Having read Eden by Lebbon a few years back (and being absolutely obsessed,) I was beyond excited when I saw the synopsis for this one. The Arctic! Caves! Creeping dread and survival horror! Among The Living delivers all of that and more.

While I don’t think any of the main characters are relatable or likable, I was so invested in the atmosphere of this one that I couldn’t put it down. Right from the opening pages, the reader is thrust into a hostile environment and dropped into a terrifying cave that no human has entered for over 10,000 years…

This one is a must read for fans of Cold Storage by David Koepp, climate fiction, horror, bio-fiction, and climate fiction!

**Thank you to NetGalley and Titan Books for the eARC of this terrifying title!**

Back when I read Tim Lebbon's EDEN, I remember thinking how brilliantly executed the horror scenes were and wishing there were more of them.
I can tell you now that AMONGST THE LIVING fulfills that wish and adds a hell of a lot more to boot. It encapsulates so many elements.
It's a Tim Lebbon novel, so, if you're aware of his work, you already know you're in for pretty much a cinematic experience. However, this time, what really stood out for me was how well the backstory was woven in without losing any of the pacing. I appreciated that a lot. The backstory, in both character and setting, felt just right.

I was hooked from the creepy, unsettling start all the way to the panic-driven finale.

Old and new horror fans rejoice. You're in for quite the treat.

This one might even bring Tim a legion of new fans.

I'd love to see that happen.

Superb work.

And again Tim Lebbon mixes fantasy with horror very easily and this book is what comes from that birth… permafrost is melting and the secrets that are inside the earth are ready to come at us… this book was frightening in may ways, and the ending only made it more scary for me… but when you get there you’ll understand what I mean, I will just point it out, this is not a happy book, its serious, fast and sad, and just to let the cat out of the bag, don’t feel attached too much to a character, believe me! I am your friend!

I did like this book, I wasn’t disappointed, its somewhat reminiscent of “How High We Go in the Dark” so, people who loved that book will like this one.

Thank you Netgalley and Titan Books for the free ARC and this is my honest opinion.

Estranged friends Dean and Bethan meet after five years apart when they are drawn to a network of caves on a remote Arctic island. Bethan and her friends are environmental activists, determined to protect the land. But Dean’s group’s exploitation of rare earth minerals deep in the caves unleashes an horrific contagion that has rested frozen and undisturbed for many millennia. Fleeing the terrors emerging from the caves, Dean and Bethan and their rival teams undertake a perilous journey on foot across an unpredictable and volatile landscape. The ex-friends must learn to work together again if they’re to survive… and more importantly, stop the horror from spreading to the wider world.

I’ve long been a fan of the work of Tim Lebbon. I find he writes from a rather unique viewpoint, always offering an alternative take on things, constantly looking to give his readers something unexpected. For some unknown reason I had missed his last few novels (I think that’s because I’ve been reading crime fiction for the larger part), but when I had the chance to read his latest novel Among the Living, I seized the chance. Boy, am I glad I did.

The novel is set in the near future, featuring a small cast of memorable characters. The plot is fairly straightforward, but the manner in which the story unfolds is superb. It draws together contemporary themes such as climate concerns and environmental activism with body horror and a fast-paced thriller. Parts of it reminded me slightly of the Southern Reach trilogy of books by Jeff VanderMeer (although this does feel like a lazy comparison as Among the Living is so much more than a riff on these novels), but the body-horror aspect of the released virus strikes a strong chord, especially in the wake of the recent global pandemic we have all endured. Clearly Lebbon has researched the science behind the climate aspect, but this does not get in the way of his masterful storytelling. The pace is blistering, especially as the story reaches its climax, and the fate of the characters felt meaningful. This novel would make one hell of a film.

Lebbon has delivered another hit; a wonderfully prescient novel involving a great cast of characters, with a plot that has enough science as to sound totally believable. I had a fantastic time reading this and cannot recommend it enough.

I've adored Lebbon since reading The Silence in 2016- one of my top autobuy authors, I'm happiest in his wheelhouse of horror; expeditions, climate crisis and monstrous creatures. Expect all this and more!

Among The Living begins with a feasible scare, one I contemplate more often as time goes by- What might we discover as the world continues to change? In this case an ancient cave reopened by melting permafrost.

Lebbon sets a scary scene before our dodgy profiteers even reach the cave, descriptions of the treacherous landscape torn apart by environmental changes heightened the tension of a remote arctic setting.

Hot on the heels of our illegal prospectors, a group of environmental activists arrive too late to stop the disturbance of the eldritch evil below. With danger encroaching from all sides, polar bears included, the two parties must band together to end the nightmare they have released.

Written in third from multiple perspectives spanning less than 48 hours, Among The Living is another winning fast-paced high stakes action we can depend on from Lebbon.
The characters were well written and woven together seamlessly, all of them flawed and unlikeable but with a task so vital you've no other choice but to root for them.

I particularly liked experienced activist Goyo and his reflections on cordyceps and the endless possibilities in our world. Pick this up and find out for yourself, what's waiting in the cave?

Among the Living by Tim Lebbon is a wonderfully written tale that was incredibly hard to put down.
This novel was absolutely fantastic. I enjoyed every second of it and am now completely hooked on Tim Lebbon's writing. After I write this review I’m actually jumping on Amazon and getting The Silence.
The character development is incredible and I quickly became invested in the characters and their journey.
I thought the pacing was perfect and the writing itself was incredible.
A compelling horror-thriller that's very eerie, atmospheric with suspenseful pacing and strong characters.

Thank You NetGalley and Titan Books for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Thank you for the opportunity to preview Among The Living. A group of lone individuals go out in the deep caves for money. They seek minerals and other sources for commodities to sell. It’s dangerous but the payoff is worth it.
That’s till they find what may be the mother load. But everything has a price. What they find is not normal. Not human. And they may have just woke up an old spirit. And this will change the world they live in and the world we all inhabit. Survival will be the only way to live in the future but the cost can never be realized if they can’t kill something old and evil and live to see tomorrow.
4 stars

The probability of this book being a real life scenario is probably what gives it most of the fright factor. I just recently watched a documentary about the permafrost melting and the things being unleashed. The idea of this book being, what if, something SOMEHOW even worse could be unleashed as well really sent it home. I enjoyed the frosty cold atmosphere and horrors below with the illegal mining. Give this one a try!!!

From the New York Times bestseller and author of Netflix’s The Silence comes a terrifying horror novel set in a melting Arctic landscape. Something deadly has lain dormant for thousands of years, but now the permafrost is giving up its secrets…

Terrifying. Really well written and atmospheric. Legit gave me weird nightmares.

Thank you to @titanbooks and @netgalley for the advanced copy. I appreciate it ☺️

A group of illegal miners go deep into the earth to search for minerals. This takes place in the not-too-distant future. Climate change has melted areas of the earth that were previously frozen solid. Their goal is to check for minerals, then sell this information to groups that will come in and tear it apart (thus making things even worse). But when the group goes down into the earth...they find something unexpected. After the first group uncovers the thing (I’m being vague on propose here) another group that opposes illegal mining show up to stop them. Or rescue them. Or help them.

Or die in the attempt.

It’s been done before. Something deep in the earth that gets uncovered, and all sorts of badness occurs, but it works here (and what they find might not be what you expect). Super-fast paced and yeah, I needed to know how it was going to end. I flew through this one.

For some reason I’m drawn to these kinds of stories. They’re entertaining. And sometimes that’s exactly what I need. The mystery. The eerie vibes. The fact we know there is probably some crazy stuff deep down in the earth (both good and bad). The fact we know we’re destroying the earth. It’s believable. And I think that’s what makes it a bit scary.

The deciding factor for me in stories like this is what they find. It hinges on it being a good or not so good story. It can turn cheesy really quickly. But again, this one worked. I won’t say what it is they found (I wouldn’t try to find out because I went in blind and was happy I did), but if you like these kinds of stories, I say give it a go.

Despite the seasons, the melting Arctic landscape was changing - sinkholes opening up, geysers appearing, the permafrost melt accelerating, methane building up, and the changes were frightening. But what was about to take place was absolutely terrifying!

A group of profiteers led by Dean are illegally prospecting for rare earth minerals in a network of caves on an island in the Arctic, whilst at the same time a group of environmentalists led by Bethan are on their trail in an attempt to stop them. But something terrifying is afoot, something that Dean and his team discovered in the caves - a deadly contagion now unleashed when the permafrost started thawing due to the effects of global warming.

Dean and Bethan are former friends but haven’t spoken for 5 years, however, they have to join forces to in order to survive, fleeing across a volatile landscape, with Dean and his team traumatised by strange events they saw in the caves!

This was a scary, but not improbable scenario. After the pandemic that the whole world has recently experienced, it does make one wonder what horrors lie dormant beneath the permafrost, just waiting to be unleashed on an unsuspecting world.

Since the late nineties, the prolific Tim Lebbon has authored an extensive range of genre fiction, seamlessly moving between fantasy, science fiction and horror whilst experimenting with the full range of formats, including novellas and several short story collections. Along the way he has written for several legendary franchises, including Alien (2014), Hellboy (2006/2009), Predator (2017), Firefly (2020) and novelisations of successful films 30 Days of Night (2007) and The Cabin in the Woods (2012). Of Tim’s other notable fiction Dusk remains on my TBR list, which was also awarded the British Fantasy Society's prestigious August Derleth Fantasy Award for Best Novel back in 2006 which is on a par with snagging the Bram Stoker Award in the USA.

Over the years I have enjoyed dipping into Tim Lebbon’s fiction, further tips include Echo City (2010), Coldbrook (2012), The Silence (2015) and Relics (2017), and have always been impressed by the sheer imagination and variety of his plots. At one point he also dabbled in YA with the excellent Secret Journeys of Jack London trilogy (2011-13). In recent years Lebbon has been on a fine run of form and his most recent fiction Eden (2020) and The Last Storm (2022) rank amongst his very best work.

Both The Last Storm and Eden have the general theme of climate change (sometimes called ‘cli-fi’) and this continues in Among the Living. However, in this latest work the dustbowls and protected rainforests are abandoned in favour of a very-near future and unforgiving Arctic landscape, set on a remote island deep in the Arctic circle, where if a polar bear doesn’t finish you off the weather most certainly will. The story is populated by the types of characters which would not be out of place in those other two most recent works and stylistically Among the Living follows the same type of horror, blended with science fiction and action, blueprint which has made Lebbon’s recent output very solid and reliable page-turners.

As Among the Living is set slightly in the future Global Warming has speeded up and Arctic areas which have been frozen for thousands of years are thawing and various groups of miners are desperate to find whatever rare minerals might be hidden in the permafrost. The story revolves around two distinct groups of characters with different ideologies and end up clashing on the remote island, without realising there is a much more dangerous enemy than each other. This was an enjoyable and fast paced horror thriller, which throws in an environmental message, a slice of science and is surely inspired by John Carpenter’s The Thing. I particularly enjoyed the very dangerous landscape of the island, with the threat of geysers, landfalls or sinkholes being a constant threat in a land which is slowly terraforming due to Global Warming.

Although none of the characters were especially likable they were well drawn enough to understand the huge difference between the groups. The first to discover the caves were exploratory miners who sell the trace elements they discover to the highest bidder who then mine the area and after a few hours in the cave they think the jackpot has been struck. The second group (who are on the tail of the first) are environmental activists who will go to any lengths to prevent fracking, mining and have a history of violence in achieving the objectives. The water is muddied by the fact that various members of the groups have history and bad blood with each other.

In the early stages the cave descriptions were outstanding, eerie, claustrophobic and unsettling, particularly after the discovery of tied up bodies which might have been there for fifty thousand years. Initially you might expect a yeti or some other mythical creature, instead something much more dangerous is discovered, which is sentient, contagious, ancient, invisible and at which point Among the Living begins to motor.

As the action moved on there were some great action sequences including a polar bear fight, the characters turning against each other and the gripping manner in which the virus spread. As the body-count rose I did not lose any sleep over those who succumbed but had a lot of fun with the bigger picture and a virus which really did not take any hostages. A cool blend of horror, action, science and even speculative fiction.

First off I want to thank Netgalley and Titan Books for the ARC
Right off I want to say that the way he has wrote this world reminds me a lot of the movie The Thing, they are in very very cold temperatures and it he just writes cold so terrifying.I found this book to be very creepy and all around engaging read I don't want to say too much and spoil the book this is another good book by the author

Sucked me in from the first few pages! It's a very quick read, but it's a wild one that is for sure! I devoured this in about an hour, and just when I thought I knew what was going to happen, I found out I was wrong. Fun, grisly, well planned. Read this for sure if you have an intrest!!

Tim Lebbon’s Among The Living is set on a remote island in the Arctic. We follow two ideologically opposed groups who are forced to work together to stop the spread of an ancient disease that has been unleashed by melting permafrost.

One of the strongest aspects of the book were the descriptions of the disease itself, which were delightfully gory. The initial cave sequence where the disease is first found was creepy and intriguing. I also thought the hints of its history were fascinating. The story definitely reads more like a fast-paced thriller than it does a horror novel (even though the consequences of the disease getting loose are undeniably terrifying!).

It did feel like most of the characters were there just to carry the story forward though, rather than being fully fleshed out people whose backstories I cared about. The only notable exception to this was Goyo, who I was genuinely interested in. But that said, I loved the ending and wish more authors were bold enough to go there!

"Among the Living" daring leap into the realm of Ophiocordyceps unilateralis, attempting to breathe new life into a familiar virus. While the premise is intriguing and bears echoes of "The Last of Us," this novel falls short of its potential. The narrative struggles to find its footing, hindered by a sluggish pace that leaves me yearning for momentum. The characters, unfortunately, fail to strike a chord of relatability, and their interactions feel disjointed, lacking the cohesion needed to weave a compelling tale.

The backstories of protagonists Dean and Bethan, while potentially promising, ultimately serve as distractions rather than enhancements to the plot. These narrative detours disrupt the flow and leave readers questioning their relevance. In essence, the story feels like a collection of loosely connected threads rather than a tightly woven tapestry.

The book's summary, perhaps unintentionally, sets expectations higher than the narrative can deliver. The reality falls short; I was hoping for a more engaging experience. The execution of the storyline, coupled with the underdeveloped characters and misplaced backstories, leaves a void that the initial promise of the book fails to fill. Regrettably, the book fails to live up to its own hype, and I cannot recommend it to readers seeking a truly immersive experience in the post-apocalyptic genre.

I would like to express my gratitude to Titan Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Among The Living is a tour de force of environmental horror, seamlessly giving us a lot of scares, a lot of action sequences, and a lot of heart.

See in the near future, the effects of global warming have been steadily increasing. This causes death and hardships for humankind in general. Permafrost is thawing and what lies beneath those surfaces are ready to invade the planet and spread the disease it carries.

This novel brings together a group who exploits the environmental loss and another group of climate activists who will do anything to right the wrongs people have done to the earth.

Set on an island that is constantly changing due to the permafrost melting, these two groups will meet under the most horrific circumstances.

Whatever is discovered in a cave system on that island is intelligent, sentient, and wants to spread at all costs.

This is a fantastic novel that really sinks into your mind as it tells of the horrors that don't seem too far from our current reality. As our two groups of characters attempt to escape what it is they've unleashed, they soon find out that it might be too late as our biggest fears are realized with terrifying results.

Full of action, adventure, tension, and a life or death scenario from things buried for eans now unleashed, this is a must read novel. I highly recommend it.

I stopped after chapter 2 (18%) but it feels like a good set up and the writing is easy to read and follow. I haven’t read any of Lebbon’s work before, so I’m not sure how it compares.

Thank you to NetGalley and Titan for the ARC.

Chilling, atmospheric and terrifying, Among the Living, was a fast well written read that would make a great movie! Full of vivid descriptions, creepy and dangerous moments.

I love books set in cold unforgiving settings and this book fits the bill! A group of miners who illegally mine rare minerals have bitten off more than they can chew on an island in the Arctic. Led by Dean, they venture into a cave and make a shocking discovery that has remained hidden and frozen for thousands of years.

Bethan is part of a group of environmentalists who arrived at the remote island in the Arctic after Dean contacted Bethan. They once worked together but their friendship ended after a tragedy. Bethan and her group arrive as Dean and most of his crew have run out of the cave in terror. Once both groups are on the same page that a dangerous contagion has been awakened, they work together, against the odds, to survive and to stop the contagion from spreading.

WOWZA! This proved to be a fast and gripping read. I loved the atmosphere and the sense of danger that was seeping from the pages. Whew! I enjoyed how Lebbon took his characters from being rivals to being united in their fight to survive. I loved how the characters went through several emotions ranging from awe to disbelief, before settling into terror and determination. Not only do they have to survive the cold and the harsh terrain, but they are also up against something that is the stuff of nightmares.

I had no idea what I was getting into when I picked up this book. Upon finishing, I found myself thinking about the plot. The real horror in this book is the thought of a contagion getting loose and affecting the world. After the pandemic, this book is very relevant. It is also unsettling, gripping, and hard to put down!

I enjoyed the characters. Some are extremely brave, some are stubborn, some have some dense moments (Dean, I'm talking about you), and some have some moments of glory. Overall, a very enjoyable yet terrifying book. This was my first book by Tim Lebbon and I look forward to reading more of his books in the future.

Gripping, chilling, atmospheric and well written!