Polybius
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- 14,99 €
Description de l’éditeur
“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…
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Armstrong's chilling debut, set in 1982 and featuring an arcade game with a disturbing impact on those who play it, impresses in its skillful combination of supernatural horror and believable characterization. Northern California's Tasker Bay is "a place where people spent their evenings and weekends, not where they made a living or contributed anything meaningful to the world." Its residents' unremarkable lives are upended after Thomas Mazzy's salvage company is assigned to scavenge what's been abandoned in a video game manufacturer's warehouse. Among the haul is a mysterious coin-operated game, Polybius, which Mazzy gives a new home at Tasker Bay's Home Video World, a rental shop. The multiple advanced features, including enhanced video and sound, and immersive play makes it incredibly popular, despite its dire effects on players, who find themselves losing track of time, seeing things that aren't there, and having violent thoughts. As the danger increases, culminating in horrific mutilations and murder, two socially awkward teenagers, Roman Kemp and Andi Winston, set out to investigate. If the premise feels familiar, it's because Armstrong is riffing on a well-known urban legend, and he manages to make the well-trod story sing. This is a promising start.
