Symbiote, by Michael Nayak
6 Apr 2025The Book
Synopsis:
World War III rages, and the scientists at the South Pole are thankful for the isolation – until a group of Chinese scientists arrive at the American research base with a dead man in their truck. 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 others 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. With rescue impossible for months, it is learning from them. Evolving. It triggers violent tendencies in the winter crew, and, more insidiously… The beginnings of a strange symbiotic telepathy.
From an exciting new voice comes this propulsive SF-thriller, infused with authentic details about life in one of the world’s harshest, most mysterious landscapes, Antarctica.
My Review
Symbiote is a fast paced science fiction horror novel, written by Michael Nayak, and published by Angry Robot Books. A contagion thriller that takes each single step to increase the tension and that plays with the strengths and the particularities of the setting (the South Pole) in ways that only enhanced this excellent book.
2028. A U.S. research team is preparing to pass the next four months in the Amudsen-Scott South Pole Station; a desperate Chinese convoy arrives with three scientists and the mutilated corpse of the Antarctica's first murder. However, this is only the start of the madness at the station, which quickly descends into insecurity and violence, with a fast-mutating microbe which thrives with cold and that plays with the primal instincts of the host to control them. Chaos rapidly spreads amid the station, and isolation only adds fuel into the fire.
Nayak takes a bold approach to this novel, portraying the whole situation as a choral play, jumping through different perspectives on the base to give us a full picture of the outbreak, even giving us some insight into the parasite; the addition of some articles and conversations helps to complete the image. It is true that with a cast that includes so many characters, no one is particularly likeable, but Nayak manages to give us some brushstrokes about everybody.
The prose is sharp, devoid of frills, almost surgical in its approach, fitting excellently with this kind of blend between horror, science fiction and thriller. The pacing is fast, and Nayak keeps the reader in tension during the whole novel, giving us a taste of the worst and the best of humanity through their actions. The setting is really oppressive, and I feel we can appreciate how well the author knows it, playing perfectly with the strengths of such an special place as Antarctica.
While Symbiote is not a standalone novel, it is an excellent self-contained thriller, perfect for fans of Contagion and people that are looking for unique settings, violent moments and a reading that keeps on the edge of your seat. Michael Nayak debuts with an incredible novel which lets us craving for more!
The Author/s
Michael Nayak
My name is Mikey Nayak. I write science-fiction, horror and commercial thriller short stories and novels.
I’ve been a space shuttle engineer, Flight Director for multiple experimental spacecraft, a skydiving instructor, a planetary scientist at NASA Ames, Research Section Chief for the DoD’s largest telescope, instructor flight test engineer and instructor pilot. I’ve worked flight test for the prototype T-7A trainer jet, flown an X-plane, deployed to the South Pole as a US Antarctic Program Principal Investigator, managed air- and space-based special programs, and was a semi-finalist for the 2021 astronaut class. I’m a USAF Test Pilot School graduate, Rotary National Award for Space Achievement recipient, and have 1,000+ hours of flight time in 40+ aircraft including the F-16, T-38, EA500 and BE-76.
I hold a doctorate degree in Planetary Science from the University of California at Santa Cruz, where I was a National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellow. I hold additional graduate degrees in Earth Science, aerospace engineering and flight test engineering.
I’m also a researcher with a wide set of interest areas. I’m interested in inventive ways to apply techniques from the disciplines of astrophysics and planetary science to problems in Space Situational Awareness, Space Surveillance and Space Control. My research interests include fundamental physics methods to remotely identify characteristic satellite frequencies from multi-modal observations, radically innovative AI solutions for modern optical detection problems, and novel machine-assisted methods to speed progression of low-time pilots. Find out more about my life as a DARPA Program Manager here.