As World War III rages, the scientists in Antarctica are thankful for the isolation – until a group of Chinese scientists arrive at the American research base in search of help. In their truck is a horrifying sight, the first ever murder victim in Antarctica. The potential for a geopolitical firestorm is great, and, with no clear jurisdiction, the Americans don’t know what to do. But they soon realize the Chinese scientists have brought far more with them than the body…

Within seventy-two hours, thirteen more lie dead in the snow, murdered in acts of madness and superhuman strength.

An extremophile parasite from the truck, triggered by severe cold, is spreading by touch. It is learning from them. Evolving. It triggers violent tendencies in the winter crew, and, more insidiously, the beginnings of a strange symbiotic telepathy.

A small group of survivors try to resist the siren call of the growing hive mind and stay alive long enough to solve the mystery of the symbiotic microbe’s origins. But the symbiote is more than a disease – it could be the key to shifting the balance of power in a time of war.

The survivors cannot let anyone infected make it to the summer season, when planes will arrive to take them – and potentially the symbiote – back to civilization.

Symbiote is available now – you can order your copy HERE

5: Top five books on extreme conditions

There are few tales more gripping than those of survival against the elements. In this article, Symbiote author Michael Nayak charts his favorite books about surviving the cold and the dark, such as The Terror by Dan Simmons, Infected by Scott Sigler, and more. 

My top five books on extreme conditions!

by Michael Nayak

There are few tales more gripping than those of survival against the elements! I love to read them, as well as write them… survival against the harsh cold in Antarctica is what my debut novel Symbiote is all about! So, courtesy of Fantasy Hive, here are my top five reads on extreme conditions… and survival in their midst! 

1. The Terror by Dan Simmons
   Any list about survival in extreme conditions has to include The Terror, by Dan Simmons. This chilling tale is set against the backdrop of the 19th-century Franklin Expedition to the Arctic. The crew of two icebound ships battle freezing temperatures, dwindling supplies, and isolation. As if that weren’t enough, they also face a supernatural predator, stalking them across the ice. I loved this one for the close pairing between historical detail and psychological horror, and of course, the shadow of an inexplicable, otherworldly threat.

2. Infected by Scott Sigler
   Infected is fast-paced sci-fi horror, set in the midst of a terrifying alien infection, which transforms its hosts into violent killers. The book follows different individuals that are battling both physical and mental horrors of the infection. Against the backdrop of this viral invasion, Sigler lingers on the theme of survival not only through the infected trying to resist the parasite’s control, but also the lens of the scientists and government agents racing to contain the epidemic. 

3. The Drift by C.J. Tudor
   I really enjoy reading C. J. Tudor’s work. She describes this work as having been a passion project, and that comes through in the post-apocalyptic world of The Drift, gripped by a deadly pandemic. The story flits between three perspectives, from characters trapped in different extreme environments: a snowstorm-stricken bus, an abandoned cable car, and a remote mountain lodge with a mysterious basement function. Each group struggles to survive against freezing conditions, limited resources, and a killer (or more than one killer) in their midst! Through the lens of a non-traditional “locked room mystery”, C. J. keeps the focus on human endurance, and the fragility of life in unforgiving circumstances.

4. The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King
   The cold isn’t the only extreme environment out there. A few wrong steps down the wrong trail in the Maine woods can be the start of a terrifying fight for survival. Especially when you’re just nine years old! Stephen King knows how to weave a tale around just a few key characters – he’s done it before with two characters in Gerald’s Game and Misery, but here, there’s just one, and yet this story hums with suspense. The book is all about the struggles of survival against the elements, and nails the psychological toll of isolation and fear on the mind of a young girl who doesn’t fully understand how close to death she is (though the reader certainly does!).

5. Symbiote by Michael Nayak
   Returning to the cold, I’ll end this list of survival in extreme conditions with my own debut novel, Symbiote, released February 11 from Angry Robot Books! This novel is an atmospheric sci-fi/horror thriller set in Antarctica, at the remote South Pole Station at the bottom of the world. This book was actually first written in Antarctica, when I was on the crew of South Pole Station a few years ago.

   In the extreme isolation of the South Pole, a group of scientists suddenly confronts a deadly symbiotic organism. The biological threat evolves rapidly, unleashing chaos and terror as it spreads within the isolated, confined environment of the small Antarctic station. It creates a hive mind intent on survival, forcing the characters to confront both the harsh cold environment and the terror of being hunted from within. The novel explores themes of survival, desolation, the psychological strain of isolation, the unique Antarctic subculture based on my real-world experiences… and, of course, the terrifying potential of biological threats ravaging extreme, closed systems. Brrrrrrrr!

Mikey was born in Los Angeles and now lives in Washington D.C.; he has worked as a planetary scientist, pilot and skydiving instructor, and most recently as a Program Manager with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). He has logged 1,000+ hours of flight time in 30+ aircraft including the F-16, T-38 and BE-76, is a US Air Force Test Pilot School graduate, and former NASA Space Shuttle engineer.

Sci-fi/horror novel Symbiote: links to here, including links to Barnes and Noble, Amazon, Target, Apple Books, and more. 

Website | Follow me on Twitter | Sign up for my monthly newsletter | Goodreads | Amazon