Books (and movies) where scientific experiments have taken a deadly turn are super creepy because … it really seems like it could happen. And ooh, those books are best read in the dead of night, in an old creepy house where every noise makes you jump. Here are a few of faves we recently read.
– TANYA PATRICE –
The Troop, Nick Cutter
This book is definitely for fans of the horror genre and not for the squeamish. It’s my first experience with author Nick Cutter, and it won’t be my last. In The Troop, a group of teenage scouts are on a trip with their scoutmaster – on a deserted island no less – when they encounter a man who has an insatiable appetite. That man – he’s escaped from a research facility and will eat just about anything to satisfy his hunger. That’s pretty much all you need to know going in.
The author is very descriptive, and I listened to the audiobook narrated by Corey Brill which made the book seem even creepier. Don’t try to eat while reading this – there are some scenes where I juts had to put my food away, or gag on it. So yeah – also this book is not for the squeamish.
Watchers, Dean Koontz
From a top secret government laboratory come two genetically altered life forms. One is a magnificent dog of astonishing intelligence. The other, a hybrid monster of a brutally violent nature. And both are on the loose
Watchers won a 2019 Audie (Audiobook) Award for Best Male Narrator so of course I listened to the narration by Edoardo Ballerini. I read a review that said (of Ballerini), “Whether the characters are human, monsters, animals, or NSA agents, the life and depth of emotion he brings out in them is unparalleled.” And I wholeheartedly agree. This book is not perfect, with the near inst-love between Nora and Travis who adopt the brilliant canine, but for once I didn’t seem to mind.
– KIM –
Wilder Girls, Rory Power
A ‘Tox’ has taken over the island where the Raxter School for Girls is located. Slowly infecting the woods surrounding the school, turning animals mad or killing them, it eventually seeps into the school and infects the girls. They all live with some kind of mutant affect on their bodies.
The science experiment in this one lies not at the beginning of infection but in the treatment of it- which goes very wrong. I loved the characters tough spirits and their sometimes sideways bond with one another. Mixed reviews on this one come from the ending- which could have been totally bad ass but instead kind of just ends leaving you wondering. I do hope this means more will be coming, but we’ll see!
Permafrost, Alastair Reynolds
Nominated for a 2020 Locus Award in the novella category and a 2020 Audie Award nominee for Science Fiction, Permafrost is one that really gets you thinking.
In 2080 there is a group of scientists living near the Arctic Circle. The world has all but been obliterated by a Permafrost. The research team is using time travel to go back in time and plant some important seeds which they will find in the future. They’re trying to do this without causing anymore wrinkles in history, but things go very wrong.
The book addresses paradoxes, mind/body occupancy by another being, and time travel which is being done with the use of MRI machines. A really interesting little book that mostly left me wanting more explanation, more about the relationships of the scientists, and more about the how and why of it all.
Have you read any of these books? Or any books with “science experiments gone wrong?”
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