REVIEW: Symbiote by Michael Nayak
Debut novel Symbiote, from Michael Nayak, blends The Thing with 28 Days Later and a dash of Alien. It begins as the sun sets over Antarctica and the over-winter crew at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole station settle in for a long six months of night. However, upon intercepting two Chinese vehicles on a 700 mile traverse across the continent to the South Pole, our crew discover a grisly scene with far-reaching ramifications; the first murder in Antarctica. In this near-future, America and China are at a stalemate in the third World War. Besides obvious political tensions, what could force the Chinese scientists to attempt such a perilous journey across one of the deadliest terrains on the planet?
“The dream slides off in shiny fragments, littering the floor of his mind like a broken wine glass not yet swept up.”
Right from the start, Symbiote is laden with imagery that grabs your attention and immerses you in the heavy mood that blankets the South Pole station. Their season has quickly turned into something altogether unexpected – with a brutalised body frozen in the back of one of the Chinese trucks, and three Chinese scientists to keep isolated – stress begins to push on the cracks in the station. Our pivotal character, Rajan, is the only member of military personnel on the continent and is thrust into a precarious position of authority with the arrival of the murdered man.
Unbeknownst to the ‘polie’ crew, the dead man was infected with an extremophile microbe. Unseen and only active when temperatures drop significantly, it has already spread to Rajan and his crew before it is discovered. Through multiple POVs, we see the influence these microbes exert on the isolated humans. At first, feeling so hot they’re stripping off thermal layers in the middle of a -100F winter storm and galloping half naked through the snow. It makes them stronger, faster and more resilient. It also makes them angrier. This is where the book is reminiscent of 28 Days Later, invoking memories of the Rage virus that decimated a fictional Great Britain.
Nayak ratchets up the action quickly in Symbiote as one death follows another; one infected crew member becomes three, and the remaining crew struggle to grapple with what is happening as their world deteriorates around them. After the station doctor, Wei, identifies the microbes and theorises their susceptibility to variations in heat, the crew think they’ve got a handle on the infection. That is until the despair-fuelled recklessness of one crew member triggers a mutation in the microbes, transforming them into symbiotic organisms.
“Dread comes to roost in his heart, a malicious bird returning to an old nest.”
Rajan and his closest allies begin a fight for survival against not only the microbes but their former colleagues and the environment itself. Throughout Symbiote, the imaginative and beautifully descriptive language Nayak employs ensures you feel the tension and the desperation as the death toll rises and the temperature drops. The prose layers on a thick moodiness that pervades throughout the book. The main story is interspersed with extracts from supplementary sources that hint at a much wider catastrophe and at the end of the Author’s Note, Nayak mentions his intention to continue telling Rajan et al’s story, which is a welcome treat for those craving more. Angry Robot confirms a second novel can be expected early 2026. This is a fast-paced horror set at the extremes of the human condition, that will grab you by the throat and drag you along for the ride.
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