Title: Among the Living
Author: Tim Lebbon
Publisher: Titan Books
Genre: General Fiction (Adult), Mystery & Thrillers, Science-Fiction & Fantasy
Release Date: 13 February 2024
Price: Hardback only– US $16.99 (Paperback), $9.99 (eBook)
The following review contains mild spoilers. As the novel is a thriller with mystery elements, this review will only discuss details of the story in the most-general terms so as to inform readers without giving away important plot points.
My first experience reading Tim Lebbon’s writing happened when I received in the mail a book from his Aliens vs. Predator trilogy. I’ve been a passionate fan of both franchises since my childhood in the 1980s; immediately fascinated, I ordered the rest of The Rage War trilogy.
I learned quickly that Lebbon has a knack for hooking readers in the opening pages while building tension over longer story arcs that entangle and climax in a powerful finish. Tim Lebbon is a masterful storyteller, and one that shares a love of my favorite franchises. So when I got the chance to preview his upcoming science-fiction thriller, I pounced like a Xenomorph on a fallen Yautja warrior.
Synopsis
In the year 2063, climate change has ravaged the earth’s most fragile biomes, radically transforming ecosystems and exposing ancient spaces long buried under the icy tundra. As Among the Living begins, two teams descend upon a remote arctic island, one led by Dean and his team of illegal prospectors searching for rare earth materials; the other led by Dean’s estranged companion Bethan, a lifelong environmental activist, willing to take extreme measures to persevere what’s left of Earth’s changing climate.
But what is done cannot be undone; the danger that Dean’s team unearths threatens not only the lives of everyone on the island, but will end the world in brutal fashion. As time runs out, Dean and Bethan must find a solution and work together to stop the spread of this dark contagion.
Among the Living is a thrilling page turner, an adventure that never lets readers rest upon expectations. As terrifying as it is relevant, Tim Lebbon’s latest novel is an imaginative take on what is and what could be.
Praise for the Novel
From its opening pages, tension in Among the Living is razor sharp. It’s Indiana Jones meets The Thing, and readers must survive the ride. But what is most impressive is Lebbon’s ability to create characters readers care about, somehow establishing deep motivations while pushing the plot forward at breakneck speeds.
“The world has to be lucky every time,” Goyo had said when he’d told her his story, sitting beside a campfire in the north of Greenland, “and any of these new nasty diseases only has to be lucky once.”
Among the Living (2024)
An environmental activist willing to kill and willing to die for her beliefs. A man who lost his homeland to rising oceans and a changing environment. Another pained by what could have been in a passionate relationship run cold. These characters are complex and at times deeply relatable. When their lives are threatened or when painful decisions must be made, readers will hang on Lebbon’s every word.
Like most good eco-thrillers, the land itself becomes a kind of character, too. But Lebbon’s Among the Living does this better than most, as the thawing arctic island becomes both sacred land to be defend and terrifying predator that stalks the living. The toxic geysers release deadly heat and hungry polar bears trap and corner Lebbon’s characters while he pushes them through haunting liminal spaces that feel cinematic. The novel would lend itself quite well to a film adaptation.
Final Score
This book is just plain fun to read. The pacing is edge-of-your-seat, and the characters are compelling. While the novel lives up to its classification as a “thriller,” it is the weight of relevancy, resting on every page, which propels this novel into the horror genre. Having lived through the wildfire seasons of the west coast, grieved with those whose lives have been wrecked by all-too-frequent hurricanes, the threat of climate change is very real for me. I feel it in my bones. The notion that climate change’s biggest threat may be on the microscopic level, a danger we cannot so easily witness, is terrifying. Though the book is imaginative fiction and obviously takes the “what if” game to a supernatural level, the threat of disease and plague are real.
The opening and final acts of Among the Living are strongest by far. While the middle act is solid, I felt the tension sagged just a bit and left me somewhat restless. Thankfully the ending of the novel more than carries its weight and delivers big time on the novel’s premise.
Boss Rush Network gives Among the Living a four out of five star rating.
Tell us what you think! Will you be reading Among the Living? Share your reactions in the comments below or join the conversation on Boss Rush Network’s Discord and Facebook.
Featured Image: Titan Books
David Lasby is the Editor-in-Chief for Boss Rush Network. His favorite video games are The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, and the Aliens franchise. You can find him on Twitter to talk all things Nintendo, sci-fi / fantasy, and creative writing.
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