This book checked all of the boxes for me. Space exploration, cosmic horror, Cthulhu Mythos, sentient AI, fast paced action, all topped off with existential dread!

I will happily read anything by Jonathan Maberry. That being said, Necrotek was a lot to take on during the last weeks of school. Science gone horribly wrong and humanity on the edge will never be light reading. It took me a while to clear my mind enough to really start following this story.

There are a lot of people to keep track of but really only three that you need to really watch. Of these three, none of them quite had the personality I was hoping would pull me all the way in. Even without a strong main, the story itself was enough to keep me reading far later in the night than I probably should have.

The best part of this book was that the tension never quite let up. From the quick flashes of people being affected by the experiment gone wrong (in plain language-teleportation)…(Not really, but basically) to the increasingly weird and ominous voices to the truly classical horror that is behind it all, the plot just keeps moving with enough curves to keep me on my toes.

I went back and forth between 4 and 5 stars because I was feeling a little unfinished. I was left with the feeling that I was missing something or had missed something. I have a long road trip ahead and I may have to take another read of this one. The digital version and not the physical one I just bought. This is a hefty book. The mere fact that I am anxious to reread it so soon helped me to decide.

Many have fallen, nations destroyed, but earth itself is in imminent danger from a force, an ancient battalion of Shoggoths serving the Outer Gods there will be Shoggoths’ chimeras up against the NecroTeks.
Lost, a crew the Lost Souls, and an ai with consciousness are the last hope.
A terror ancient and of present danger descending upon the characters amidst this cosmic tale with the dead awakening and necromancy cycling, a phenomena ensuing with a metamorphosis afoot in an epic tale.
A grande cosmic extravaganza undertaken with a band of warriors named lost souls embracing necrotek in this first instalment in a brave bold new world beyond the known Jonathan Maberry has crafted with cosmic war, horror, mechanical monstrosities and ancient gods.

An odyssey with all the needed ingredients and elements laid down with the great orchestrations of a well crafted author into a prose that was a joy and ease to read, along with all the cosmic philosophy, the complexities and aspects that come with it, masterful laid down with care and clarity.
Something just getting started with this first book that will have you waiting with great joy for its continuation, of which the author is crafting at this moment.

This would convert well to screen and hope someone does adapt it and do a good job of it.
By the time he has written and published the second instalment I will have hoped to read and completed Hyperion, Dune, and The Foundation.

NecroTek by Jonathan Maberry

I had the pleasure of delving into this title as an ARC, and from the moment I picked it up, I was captivated. Initially drawn by its intriguing premise, which evoked images of a Lovecraftian twist on the classic sci-fi horror of Alien, I found myself immersed in a narrative that far exceeded my expectations.

The tale begins with a catastrophic mishap on launch day for a revolutionary teleportation device, resulting in the entire space station, along with its inhabitants, being flung to the farthest reaches of the universe. What follows is a gripping saga of survival, as 12,000 souls grapple with the terrors of unfamiliar dimensions, cosmic warfare, and the unsettling revelation of life beyond death.

However, while the horror elements initially drew me in, it was the intricate web of interpersonal relationships that truly stole the show. Each character, no matter how briefly introduced, is imbued with depth and humanity, inviting the reader to empathize with their struggles and sacrifices. This emotional investment lends weight to every twist and turn of the plot, elevating the stakes to dizzying heights.

What truly sets NecroTek apart, though, is its masterful blend of familiar tropes into something wholly original. From echoes of Farscape's accidental voyages across the cosmos to the eerie resonance of Event Horizon's interdimensional travel, the narrative deftly weaves together elements from a myriad of science fiction classics. Yet, it is the infusion of Lovecraftian horror that gives the story its uniquely chilling edge, elevating it to a league of its own.

In essence, NecroTek is a love letter to the genre, a thrilling amalgamation of its most iconic elements brought to life with Maberry's signature flair. With its pulse-pounding action, richly drawn characters, and spine-tingling atmosphere, it's no surprise that I found myself eagerly anticipating the next installment. Without a doubt, this is a stellar addition to the pantheon of science fiction classics, deserving of every bit of its five-star rating.

"NecroTek Forever!"

The entire solar system is watching as Asphodel Station conducts its first official use of the WarpLine gun (think the transporter array from Star Trek but not) ... and then disappears. Flung far away, to the other side of the cosmos, the personnel aboard the station find themselves caught up in an ancient war against Lovecraftian monstrosities that serve the destructive Outer Gods. And their only hope of surviving is an alien technology that resurrects the dead and harvests their souls.

So, maybe it goes without saying that Jonathan Maberry's NecroTek is kind of dark, and at times feels stiflingly oppressive, with even those slim shards of hope offered with a seriously aching catch. This all fits in wonderfully, of course, with the ethos of cosmic horror, wherein the universe and the immortal deities as old as time itself (if not older) that are dwelling amongst the stars are cold and uncaring, and oftentimes violently so.

Maberry certainly doesn't skimp on the violence. Asphodel Station's reappearance amidst an impossible stellar constellation is shockingly horrific as the space station and its denizens reestablish their dimensional bearings. Maberry's descriptions of the effects of the WarpLine gun recall the urban legends of the Philadelphia Experiment, with bodies becoming fused to the bulkheads, or skeletons and internal organs being transported away from beneath skin and muscle to leave the tragic victim little more than a puddle of collapsed, oozing flesh. To say that this first use of the WarpLine gun goes awry is to seriously undersell the negative effects suffered by the unfortunates aboard Asphodel. Maberry takes the transporter accident from Star Trek: The Motion Picture and magnifies it, thinking, "OK, now, how can I make it a thousand times worse?" Take, for instance, the young couple skipping the celebrations of the WarpLine gun's ribbon cutting for a romp in the metaphorical hay, only to find themselves coitus interruptus by way of vivisection and parts of their bodies shot into space. Even Asphodel's AI is not immune to the tragic malfunction of the WarpLine gun and begins suffering from schizophrenic breakdowns, at times sounding like it's transmitting straight from Matthew Bartlett's nightmarish version of Leeds, MA. You know you're in a bad way when the computer starts reciting funereal prayers unprompted.

Faster than you can say conflict escalation, the station and its military contingent find themselves under assault by a fleet of Shoggoths, the erstwhile amorphous, protoplasmic monsters from H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos. They've already destroyed all sentient life in the system Asphodel Station has materialized in, and they'll be damned if they're gonna allow the puny humans that now find themselves stuck there a chance to catch their breath. Maberry feels much the same about his readers, driving the plot forward with countless action beats both aboard the station and amongst the aerial hot-dogs taking the fight to the stars, pushing the crew of the Lost Souls naval contingent to the titular alien NecroTek technology that will either save them or damn them, or a little bit of both.

NecroTek is both captivating and exhausting in equal measure, but it's exhausting in a good way. Maberry has crafted here a marathon read, one that keeps the adrenaline pumping rapidly as both his characters and readers are thrust into one high-octane confrontation after another. At times it does feel a bit much, and I found myself wishing there were a quicker way through, but that, I suppose, is war. And make no mistake, NecroTek is first and foremost a war story, albeit one with monsters, ghosts, and gigantic, loud, boisterous alien technology that wouldn't be out of place in a Transformers movie, if only the Autobots found themselves fighting tentacled kaiju on a dead alien world. In short, it's a Jonathan Maberry book -- whatever delineations exist between genres are broken down in a brash everything including the kitchen sink approach, and then pureed in a blender until smooth and yummy. I mean, where the hell else are you going to find giant robots fighting even bigger monstrosities in a galaxy far, far away, all wrapped up in a horrifyingly bloody cocoon of cosmic horror? And this is just book one, for Cthulhu's sake! I can't even imagine what might be coming our way in the sequel.

The first in a new series, this sci-fi book will keep you in the action! This has very LoveCraft energy.

NecroTek by Jonathan Maberry was received directly from the publisher and I chose to review it. This book was not well written. Granted I got an ARC so it may change by final publication, but the copy I read seemed to jump around, going nowhere. I skimmed way too much while reading it. I say this loving sci fi books and horror books, which this is kind of both genres. If you are a devout Maberry fan, certainly give this a read.

3 Stars

Weird unique and pretty cool sci-fi book. Thanks for the arc! I found it pretty nice so I appreciate it