Polybius

According to Amazon, Collin Armstrong has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade, developing, writing, and producing material for outlets including 20th Century Fox, Discovery, and the LA Times Studios. His first publication, Polybius, has just been released by Gallery Books and touted by horror heavyweights like Richard Chizmar and Ronald Malfi. Searching for nostalgic small-town horror, I threw my change in for a delightful turn at Polybius. 

There was an urban myth circulating in the 1980s and 1990s about the U.S. government secretly working on a video game that would infiltrate the minds of the unsuspecting public. It was rumored to be a type of spy-craft where the game would read the player's thoughts and send subliminal messages to control the operator. Armstrong runs with this concept to bring Polybius to the good citizens of the fictional seaside town of Tasker Bay.

In the book's opening chapter, a liquidation firm is sent to clean out an office building. Inside, behind a discreet locked door, they find an unmarked arcade machine. Later, they sell it an auction and it ends up in Tasker Bay's arcade. Anyone that plays the mysterious game seems to experience hallucinations, murderous thoughts, and a tendency to mutilate people and animals. 

Armstrong introduces readers to a handful of important characters that must stop the town's decline into depravity and ruin. Andi is a young whiz-girl who works at the local arcade. Her friend, and later love interest, is Ro, the sheriff's son. Together, they must determine the game's origin, the secret behind the game's deadly messages, and, as tradition serves, convince the town's law enforcement that something unusual or supernatural is happening.

Polybius walks a balance beam of horror and science-fiction while marinating in 1970s/80s nostalgia. Think The Crazies, The Wizard, Wargames, and Deadly Friend blended with Stranger Things. At the root of the novel is a small-town mystery as the sheriff and town doctor dig into the root causes of the homicidal rage, while the kids embark on their own quest to discover the manufacturer. There are also some interesting tidbits about game coding back then, the brink of the internet (Usenet), and early psych ops. 

There's nothing to dislike about Polybius. While it doesn't break any new ground, the novel's character development, small-town charm, and rich nostalgia are worth the price of admission. You could do far worse. Polybius is an easy recommendation. Get it HERE.