So, I'm a girl who loves "expedition" horror. Archaeology expeditions as depicted in Michael Rutger's The Anomaly, and in this case, a team on a cataloguing survey of an abandoned prison. The name of said prison is Gollitok, and if that in itself doesn't sound menacing, the story is even more perilous.
Through the entire novel, there is a sense of something not being right, and not just because the characters are saying it. There is a palpable feeling of dread as the story progresses through increasingly gruesome discoveries. This is an island prison that was really much more than just a prison. The various elements of strange phenomena and wildlife are very Lovecraftian in nature. There's something the "Bureau" did not disclose to the team, and some know more than others. This makes for a difficult time for the team in addition to the horrors that await them.
This is my first Najberg novel, and it will not be my last. Any story that keeps me filled with dread is a sure winner, and Gollitok proves he certainly has a talent for it.
About the book
In a post-nuclear Eastern Europe, Hammel E Varka departs for a remote island to join a survey team cataloguing the abandoned Gollitok prison in the hopes that he will redeem his family’s tarnished reputation. After the passage across the strait leaves a team member injured, Varka quickly realizes that this survey is far from routine and that what he thought he knew about the island was a cover for more horrifying truths. As his team presses deeper into the decaying facility, hidden agendas splinter the team, and they find themselves beset with dangers beyond their worst nightmares.Check out the book and read about the author on Goodreads.
This post is a part of Something Wicked Fall.
