"Atrocity Engine" is a fun urban fantasy book by Tim Waggoner that mixes horror, humor, and adventure. It's about Neal Hudson, a Maintenance agent whose job is to hunt down signs of Corruption - a dark force that turns living beings into monsters. The story takes place in a world where the Multitude, these powerful enemies, are spreading Corruption all over. The book is full of action, adventure, and humor, with an antagonist that will give you goosebumps. The world-building is excellent, and the novel explores the mythos focused on the inevitable entropy of the universe and our mortality. It's a fun and creepy read that lets you peek into a different world.

4.5 stars
When I saw this book was described as Men In Black meets Hellraiser I knew this was a book for me and I very much enjoyed reading this.

The world is like ours but there is basically corruption (Entropy) seeping in trying to speed up the inevitable destriction of the universe and the way this entropy effects different things is one of the coolest things about this because anything could happen and it's always weird and disgusting.
There were also these things called Rift Scars which could cause very specific consequences to whoever touched one and that was really interesting.

Another part I enjoyed was the characters and I liked how in this book the partnership between Gina and Neal was kept platonic as I feel like a lot of books would have been adding some kind of romance which would have take away from the plot. I like their team work and also Neal's attitude in general. I also thought Brother Nothing was awesome!

The descriptions of the weird/disgusting/horrific things in this book were so well done, they were very easy to picture and made for a really vivid read.

Highly recommend!

Thank you Netgalley, Tim Waggoner and Aethon Books | Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Titles for the eArc of The Atrocity Engine.

Really enjoyed this book. It's well paced and a great balance between the science fiction/ horror elements .The pacing of this book starts off quick paced and doesn't mess about and keeps you reading until the end. Great fun read!

Fun and fast paced Dresden Files/ Men in Black irban fantasy. Great characters and a compelling plot. More please.

Really fun read in the Dresden Files style and fun characters and plot. Will be looking forward to more,

This was so much fun! I loved the urban fantasy world created and think this will make a great series. Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.

I have read a couple of Tim's books. I loved them. He takes an idea and turns it into a fever dream. I don't know where the idea for the Atrocity Engine came from, but it's wonderful.

We start with the main character, Neal. He works for an organization trying to keep the universe from being consumed. The story has a lot of detail about what is consuming the universe and its eventual end. I'll leave that to Tim.

The world-building in this one blows me away. It feels like an urban fantasy with incredible horror gore. If you've read Tim before, you know what I'm talking about.

I've seen the comparisons to the Cenobites, but I feel it leans more toward Dark City and the creatures within that universe. The description of one of the creatures, Brother Nothing, gives me Cenobite feelings, but the entirety of the story gives me Dark City feelings—at least in the descriptions of the Multitude.

I know the book is listed as book one. I'm more excited to see what happens with Neal in book two.

I don't write long reviews, and this is no different.

I enjoyed the hell out of this novel. It's fun and disturbing. It gives us a glimpse into a world dissimilar from our own.

Who knows, maybe that white van driving around town works for Maintenance. I see it all the time.

The Atrocity Engine checks a few unique boxes while excelling beyond expectations. It's Urban Fantasy Magical Realism with Horror because dumpster monsters can be terrifying if you get a look at the one in this book. Have a look at this beautiful cover. Those are people falling from a monstrous creation of Corruption, and our heroes are a unit of police not quite like we're used to on Earth.
Waggoner's universe is full of wonder. The way he leaves breadcrumbs tasty enough to keep us going was a real treat to read. I spent a little too much time highlighting quotes and bought the hardcover even though I gobbled this up on my phone already.
I hadn't read Tim Waggoner before, but now that I've seen how he can create an amazing setting and true to life characters, with a plot that doesn't quit, I'm hooked and ready for more.

The Atrocity Engine is a delightful fusion of frustrated, underpaid, essentially cosmic policemen just trying to prevent, you know, annihilation. I really enjoyed the world and a lot of the humor worked for me. This reminded me of a lot of early 2000's Sci Fi channel shows (think everything from Warehouse 13, Eureka, The Librarians, a little X Files...) which was a cozy throwback nostalgia blanket. I do think I went into this expecting more horror and gore which maybe makes me weird (?) but ended up enjoying the comedic aspects more.

Thank you netgalley for the ARC!

Review: This moved in fits and starts throughout. Begins with a bang then fades, then surges again only to mire in Ms. Speshuls footsteps. Pages of "Me, me, me" round out this budding narkys perspectives. I don't care what your feewings are about Daddy and Mummy and their money or where it came from or your guilt for driving a prius and living in a nice condo.

The action instances are great as are the various players. The back drop from which this is built is kinda ho-hum. This was really fun if a bit gruesome and then oh so boring as fuk.

The ending is a bit deus ex yet paves the way for another installment. Not sure I wanna keep riding this particular pony if Gina is still in the front seat.

Rating: 3.0/5

This jumps right into the weird and wild action without any context until later when you are desperate for it. Fast paced action.

A really gripping read, I thought the characters were intriguing and I'm going to look out for more by this author.

Thank you to @aethonbooks for making 'The Atrocity Engine' by Tim Waggoner available as an ARC on @netgalley

There's something about this book that transported me back to the early 2000s, when I would read things like Charlain Harris' The Southern Vampire Mysteries series. There's a certain trashy entertainment value that hits just the right spot, as long as you turn your brain off a bit.

That might seem like I'm damning this book with faint praise, but I'm not trying to. The Atrocity Engine isn't trying to be a mystery or a thriller (despite technically being categorised as a mystery and thriller, for some reason) - it's not trying to surprise or shock you - it's just trying to entertain you. And, well, maybe gross you out a bit, too.

Neal Hudson is a Maintenance agent, tasked with the job of seeking out signs of Corruption. It's the role of this organisation to slow down the eventual - inevitable - death of the universe, which is in the process of being consumed by the Gyre. Gina Sandoval, the daughter of an influential family, is the rookie that has been assigned as Neal's new partner. Not only do they have to get used to each other, but they're going to have to do so as a potential member of the Multitude - a group of extremely powerful beings working to speed up the end of the universe - enacts her plan to launch herself into this group's highest ranks, however many desecrated corpses she has to leave in her wake as she does so.

This book isn't scary but it definitely leans heavily on dark themes. There's murder, child sexual assault and death, animal abuse, and other similar topics. There's also a lot - a lot - of body horror. In other words, it's not exactly a 'light' read.

I hope this being an ARC means that there's still time for at least one more round of editing before it gets a final release, because there are a significant amount of grammatical errors throughout, as well as some small inconsistencies in the logic of certain scenes. There's also an egregious and totally out of place reference to a woman's "mammary shelf" that made no sense and haunted me for the rest of my reading experience. It just needs to go.

Rating: 3/5

Overall I enjoyed this book. It’s a fast-paced sci-fi / horror novel. The short length combined with the pace makes it a quick and entertaining read. The characters had unique personalities but I would’ve liked it have seen more character development and character backstories. The world building was great and very unique with the idea of entropic energy working to speed up the ultimate end of the universe. The idea of Maintenance working to slow the rate of decline of the universe by using fictional technologies to defeat sci-fi creatures was very reminiscent of Men in Black.

I thought the beginning was interesting and piqued my interest from the outset: “Neal stood at the edge of the playground, watching. Something was wrong here, very wrong. He just didn’t know what yet.” However, in the first chapter there was excessive descriptions of the characters right down to their exact clothing which slowed the pace a little.

There was severe body horror and gore which did fit well within the plot, but I felt that this aspect was unnecessarily frequent.

I would’ve liked to learn more about Neal’s backstory: Where did he originally hear about Maintenance? And why did he join? I understand that this is a series and it might come up later, but I still would’ve liked to have seen it in the first book to develop Neal’s character more.

I loved the scenes in the supernatural bar and marketplace. These two locations and their vivid descriptions really added to the overall setting and feel of the novel.

Ultimately, this book is a fun, easy read that is highly entertaining but is quite surface-level without any significant depth.

I've been going back and forth on what to rate this, and I've decided on 3.5 stars. It was wild and interesting from the beginning, definitely different from anything I've read. The premise is fun, the characters are likable, and there's plenty of action. I just feel like it needs a little more organization and to be cleaned up. There's a lot going on at all times. It was an entertaining read, and I'd highly recommend for those into gore, sci-fi, and body horror.

The Atrocity Engine is a cosmic sci-fi horror where we follow Neal Hudson in his work as a surveyor for Maintenance. His job includes surveying Ash Creek and collecting various data about alien creatures, demonic beings and doing his best not to get in trouble. He has worked alone for a couple months after his partner died on the job, but now his boss thinks he needs a new partner. Neal tries to convince his boss that he doesn’t need a new partner, but the richest family in Maintenance has specifically requested that their daughter be partnered with Neal.

I absolutely loved this book! I enjoyed the characters, the story line, the writing and the setting. The book didn’t explore the universe that much and we didn’t get to really know the characters. But I did enjoy this world and its characters, it got me hooked on this series and I will definitely continue the Atrocity Engine series.


Thank you to the author and Aethon Books for this ARC!

“Atrocity Engine” by Tim Waggoner fuses Urban Fantasy with horror, humor and adventure with shock and gore. And it works splendidly.

Neal Hudson, a cynical veteran agent of Maintenance Control, operates within a covert agency created to delay the inevitable: the Gyre draining the Omniverse. Like many of his fellow agents, Neal is overworked, overstressed, and underpaid. He usually follows his moral compass without thinking too much about advancing his career.

The agency deals with powerful adversaries known as Multitude—a deadly group of demigods spreading Corruption, a dark force that transforms living beings into monsters. Rachel, a Multitude ambitious apprentice, tries to build the Atrocity Engine to gain immense power, and maybe wipe out the whole solar system. Crazy, but no risk, no fun.

Neal gets paired with a new partner, Gina Sandoval, a rookie in her early twenties, fresh out of training and eager to gain experience. Their relationship is great; the author nailed the grizzled old agent and a fresh-faced rook dynamic. It develops into a genuine friendship devoid of romance. They both carry emotional burdens. Neal’s still mourning his last partner’s death, and Gina’s family? Let’s just say they’ve got a questionable reputation. Additionally, Gina’s father, Amador, once mentored Neal.

Their first case together is potentially world-ending, so the stakes are high. Once Waggoner gets the pieces moving, the story never slows down. It’s my second book by Tim and I’m impressed by his crisp writing and imaginative world-building.

I loved the mythos centered on the inevitable entropy of the universe and our mortality. There may be no inherent sense to life, but everyone can find a bit of sense for themselves. Or a case worth living for.

While I loved the ride, I must caution more sensitive readers that Atrocity Engine requires a strong stomach, as it‘s filled with gory violence and good guys getting wrecked. Happily, there’s also some humor and action to balance it out.

Gripping from start to finish, with an antagonist to make you shiver, and kinetic pacing, “Atrocity Engine” delivers pure, pulpy fun. It left me hungry for more. And as far as I know, the trilogy is already written.

Bring it on.

Rating: B

The Atrocity Engine was received from Netgalley as an eArc.

This book is like a comedic blend of Men in Black and Hellraiser, mostly elements of gore and horror, unfathomable monsters in the small setting of Ash Creek. Neal has worked for Maintenance for a few decades and recently before the start of the story, lost his partner, Pam, in a monster attack. Recently graduated rookie, Gina, is assigned to Neal as his new partner and learns life on the scene with him as they investigate horrible accidents and strange E-Energt spikes around the town.

However, don't take the description to mean it's solely light-hearted and silly. There are so many scenes of raucous screaming, torture, violence and gore that were incredibly well-crafted and refreshing against a backdrop of every modern horror being labelled "lovecraftian". It gave me everything I wanted in that department. It was so vivid and I felt completely immersed imagining the monsters and gory scenes, helped by the world-building, which puts the relatively normal town in a war against unfathomable evil. I got chills reading about Brother Nothing and his shining eyes.

The book mostly follows Neal and his new partner, Gina, who are agents at Maintenance. Whilst quite common in the comic space, I feel like books that have gadgets/evil entities and secret organisations are less common in novelisation and especially in horror. This was like if Cabin in the Woods' creators were the good guys instead of evil masterminds who want to resurrect gods. There's a database about every evil thing that existed and how to defeat most of them, guns that nullify evil, Men in Black-era evil-erasing devices, and everyone drives around in cleaning vans wearing suits. Neal was decently developed as a character, he was reliable, dedicated to his work but also supportive and fatherly to Gina. I did enjoy the scenes of him and Gina interacting but the story did jump around a lot and it made it hard to see the way everything was meant to come together at the end.

On this, I didn't think everything was so necessary in a first book - I can see it being developed and used for a second and third if the characters return, but outside of that it did feel like there were pages spent on topics that were not that important (like Gina's family history). The book also had multiple typos through it and even one chapter where the fancy J overlapped the words. I hope these are cleaned up for the final book.

Overall, quite a refreshing and enjoyable story from a very prolific horror author! Thanks for the arc.

This author’s latest series opener is filled with humor, gore, action, and some interesting characters. Gina and Neal are new partners, with Gina being very new to the Maintenance business and Neal mentoring, when strange things start happening, and poor Gina is thrown in the deep end. This has a very campy feeling to it, and even so, you still take it a little bit seriously. The humor balances out the gore (and there’s a lot of gore) very well, and even while wincing I am still amused. But if you have a too vivid imagination, it’ll be even worse. LOL! I enjoyed this well-written, fun, a little dark urban fantasy, and I’d love to read another in the series. Recommend. I was provided a complimentary copy which I voluntarily reviewed.

I received a free ARC, and this review is voluntary

The synopsis is more or less accurate. It's a fun book, with an original story. However, the tagline of "Hellraiser meets Men in Black," I'll have to disagree with. It was more Men in Black with the action, but there weren't any themes of Hellraiser that I noticed. Instead, I felt the author created a new system, with its own rules and intricacies, which made for a better story.

Overall, I thought it was a good book, and I look forward to seeing a continuation of the plot.