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geekwayne's review
4.0
'Nightlife: Hazardous Material' is a short novel from part of another series. It works fine as a standalone novel and isn't too bad.
Jarrod Foster is a struggling graphic artist. Meaning he is out of money and desperate to take any kind of job, including demolition of old buildings. On one job, he discovers a hidden treasure of old arcade games. But why are they hidden and boarded up in a wall, and why has someone written 'Die demon, die' near one called Polybius?
Jarrod ignores all the rules of horror and takes the weird video game home and puts it in his house. He thinks he can sell it and make money, but not before the game attempts to consume him by making him play the game and do dangerous stuff.
It all might tie in to events from years ago, and the articles and reports strewn between some chapters give glimpses of what has happened, and what might happen to Jarrod.
It's a creepy story that's not so much grotesque and surprising, as it is subtle and frightening. Jarrod seems to be aware of what is happening, and seems to be powerless to battle against it. A lot happens in a short page count, and I had fun looking up the game Polybius after I finished reading the book. Strange and creepy fun.
I received a review copy of this ebook from Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books, Pocket Star, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.
Jarrod Foster is a struggling graphic artist. Meaning he is out of money and desperate to take any kind of job, including demolition of old buildings. On one job, he discovers a hidden treasure of old arcade games. But why are they hidden and boarded up in a wall, and why has someone written 'Die demon, die' near one called Polybius?
Jarrod ignores all the rules of horror and takes the weird video game home and puts it in his house. He thinks he can sell it and make money, but not before the game attempts to consume him by making him play the game and do dangerous stuff.
It all might tie in to events from years ago, and the articles and reports strewn between some chapters give glimpses of what has happened, and what might happen to Jarrod.
It's a creepy story that's not so much grotesque and surprising, as it is subtle and frightening. Jarrod seems to be aware of what is happening, and seems to be powerless to battle against it. A lot happens in a short page count, and I had fun looking up the game Polybius after I finished reading the book. Strange and creepy fun.
I received a review copy of this ebook from Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books, Pocket Star, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.
beckylej's review
3.0
Jarrod Foster makes ends meet doing cleanup jobs in and around New York City. Working hand in hand with hazardous materials like asbestos and other things most won't deign to go near, he and his boss handle the tough stuff readying places for renovation or tear down. Their latest job is an old Brooklyn roller rink with a dark and sinister past. Of course Jarrod and his boss aren't aware of the crime that happened there, not until they find the sealed arcade room.
Jarrod wasn't around then, but his boss remembers the massacre that took place all those years ago. The arcade killings shocked the nation, giving rise to more anti video game propaganda. The crime has been all but forgotten over thirty years on, but everyone's about to get a big reminder.
Nightlife: Hazardous Material is a prequel in Matthew Quinn Martin's series featuring The Division. Readers were introduced to them in 2013 with the release of Nightlife, which takes place somewhat concurrent to the events of "Hazardous Material" (there's a brief mention). I, however, have not yet read Nightlife. Admittedly, some readers might find this e short confusing as an intro to the world. I found it intriguing instead. It's a taste, just a sip of the premise bound in a nice and neat tale about a character who's down on his luck and becomes wrapped up in something truly terrifying.
I imagine if you've read Nightlife, "Hazardous Material" will be a nice little chance to tide yourself over until the release of the sequel in June. It's my understanding that Nightlife has a bit of a cliffhanger ending and that folks have been waiting for As the Worm Turns to find out what happens. (I'll be diving into them both shortly.) If you're new to the stories "Hazardous Material" is out now for just .99 and June will see all three installments released as one in Nightlife: Night Terrors.
Jarrod wasn't around then, but his boss remembers the massacre that took place all those years ago. The arcade killings shocked the nation, giving rise to more anti video game propaganda. The crime has been all but forgotten over thirty years on, but everyone's about to get a big reminder.
Nightlife: Hazardous Material is a prequel in Matthew Quinn Martin's series featuring The Division. Readers were introduced to them in 2013 with the release of Nightlife, which takes place somewhat concurrent to the events of "Hazardous Material" (there's a brief mention). I, however, have not yet read Nightlife. Admittedly, some readers might find this e short confusing as an intro to the world. I found it intriguing instead. It's a taste, just a sip of the premise bound in a nice and neat tale about a character who's down on his luck and becomes wrapped up in something truly terrifying.
I imagine if you've read Nightlife, "Hazardous Material" will be a nice little chance to tide yourself over until the release of the sequel in June. It's my understanding that Nightlife has a bit of a cliffhanger ending and that folks have been waiting for As the Worm Turns to find out what happens. (I'll be diving into them both shortly.) If you're new to the stories "Hazardous Material" is out now for just .99 and June will see all three installments released as one in Nightlife: Night Terrors.
nightxade's review
4.0
I recently ready Harlan Ellison's I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream. It's a book about a crazy AI that traps a small group of humans within a chaotic, psychotic world, driving them all kinds of crazy with its mind games. I tried the video game based on the book, but quickly decided it wasn't my cup of tea. Other video games from books that I will avoid at all costs: Polybius.
Nightlife: Hazardous Materials is a novella set in Martin's supernatural horror world that we first saw in Nightlife (reviewed by Mogsy and I here). A prequel of sorts, and though seemingly unrelated beyond the title, there is at least one name readers of Nightlife might recognize. I had thought we'd see some of the scary monsters from Nightlife, but Hazardous Materials offers something far more frightening by subtly expanding his world well beyond monsters in the sewers.
It introduces the main protagonist, Jarrod Foster, a down on his luck young man scraping for cash with a job clearing out abandoned buildings no one else will touch. As he and his boss make their way through one such place, they discover a vintage arcade--the site of a mass shooting decades before. Martin intersperses news stories of other such shootings, grounding his work in reality, while slowly letting the creepy factor in, even before Jarrod finds the mysterious game called Polybius and falls under its spell.
I've always wanted to have an actual arcade system, but Hazardous Materials has made me think twice about that thanks to Martin's ability to tease out a spine-tingling mystery that leaves me very much wanting to know how deeply the darkness of Martin's urban horror world runs.
With thanks to Matthew Quinn Martin and Pocket Star for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
www.bibliosanctum.com
Nightlife: Hazardous Materials is a novella set in Martin's supernatural horror world that we first saw in Nightlife (reviewed by Mogsy and I here). A prequel of sorts, and though seemingly unrelated beyond the title, there is at least one name readers of Nightlife might recognize. I had thought we'd see some of the scary monsters from Nightlife, but Hazardous Materials offers something far more frightening by subtly expanding his world well beyond monsters in the sewers.
It introduces the main protagonist, Jarrod Foster, a down on his luck young man scraping for cash with a job clearing out abandoned buildings no one else will touch. As he and his boss make their way through one such place, they discover a vintage arcade--the site of a mass shooting decades before. Martin intersperses news stories of other such shootings, grounding his work in reality, while slowly letting the creepy factor in, even before Jarrod finds the mysterious game called Polybius and falls under its spell.
I've always wanted to have an actual arcade system, but Hazardous Materials has made me think twice about that thanks to Martin's ability to tease out a spine-tingling mystery that leaves me very much wanting to know how deeply the darkness of Martin's urban horror world runs.
With thanks to Matthew Quinn Martin and Pocket Star for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
www.bibliosanctum.com
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