Polybius

By: Collin Armstrong

Narrated by: Rachanee Lumayno

“If you’re a fan of Stephen King and Stranger Things, then this is the book for you.” —Richard Chizmar, New York Times bestselling author

Stranger Things meets The Walking Dead in this chilling horror novel based on the terrifying urban legend about a video game created by the government for psychological warfare.

October, 1982. Forced to move to the quiet seaside town of Tasker Bay by her mother, the only thing on high schooler Andi’s mind is saving up enough money to return to her old stomping grounds in Silicon Valley. Her self-taught skills with all things electronic make her a perfect fit for a job at the dingy local arcade where she can tune out from life and bankroll her eventual escape.

Pining over the distant and aloof Andi is Ro, the son of Tasker Bay’s sheriff, who begins spending more time at the arcade. Despite promising herself she wouldn’t get attached to anyone in town, Andi finds herself opening up to the thoughtful, like-minded Ro.

With Polybius—a new bleeding-edge game of unknown origin arrives—the shop is suddenly overwhelmed with players fighting for time on the machine. Seemingly overnight, a virus-like epidemic grips Tasker Bay while a violent coastal storm rolls in, isolating it from the outside world. People begin experiencing fits of anger, paranoia, and hallucinations—no one can be trusted. After a grisly act of violence goes unsolved, the town descends into chaos. Is the arrival of this mysterious game and the disorder in Tasker Bay a coincidence? Convinced the dire situation is somehow linked to Polybius, Andi and Ro desperately search for clues that might stop the spread before they, too, begin experiencing side effects…

Fun story, until the end

No spoilers, but there was a lot more that could have been done with the game, and the characters. The narration was overly enunciated to the point of being distracting at times.

Still a fun read though

Cool idea and you can fix the narration!

This foot my horror/found items niche so had to try it. Yes, the narration is odd but I found a way to make it better - speed it up to 1.2. It was a lot better!

Good book

I really like the premise of the novel and how I could visualize everything that was happening. However I feel like the ending kinda sold short. The ending seemed rushed and unfinished

Polybius Wins, Flawless Victory.

For some odd reason, I love the remake of “the crazies”. The idea of a nefarious agent causing a town to implode fascinates me. This is “the crazies”. And that if more than fine with me. I do wish the narrator had a little more umph with some of darker moments. But that doesn’t change the concept or idea. Some don’t like the ending. But the ending makes sense to me. Thus, why I titled my review the way I did.

the story was interesting, as long as you ignore the awful narration

I fully enjoyed the story, but would have been much better if it weren't for the horrendous narration. The person who read it actually sculpted dialogue in a negative way, making conversation was normal sound boring and stilted. If the author gets a chance, I would advise finding a better narrator and re-recording the story.