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Necrotek #2
Cold War: A NecroTek Novel
From New York Times bestselling and award-winning author Jonathan Maberry, Cold War is an action-packed sci-fi thriller full of weird science, kick-ass heroes, humor, passion, heroism, and sacrifice!
In NecroTek, Asphodel space station was accidentally teleported to the far side of the galaxy, where they became embroiled in a never-ending war against ancient cosmic horrors.
But there is much more to the story …
On Earth, scientists uncover an alien spacecraft buried for millions of years beneath Antarctic ice. Inside are terrible secrets and a creature desperate to escape.
Soon the scientists studying the Artifact begin to have terrifying dreams, driving many of them to madness and acts of shocking violence. Dr. Evie Cronin and her team struggle to find answers, fully aware that they may only be found out among the stars. Their investigation brings them to the orbit of Jupiter moments before the WarpLine gun misfires. Destiny is a vicious and devious thing.
On Asphodel Station, the newly created ghost-driven NecroTek fighting machines are engaged in a desperate battle for survival against the deadly shoggoth fleets. But a new and far more dangerous race of creatures is poised to attack, both with their own fleets and with nightmares forced into the minds of the dwindling human defenders.
The group of scientists from Antarctica and the survivors on Asphodel are pitted against an unstoppable enemy. If they fail, Asphodel Station will fall, and the Outer Gods will be free to wage a war of conquest across the galaxy—to Earth itself.
In NecroTek, Asphodel space station was accidentally teleported to the far side of the galaxy, where they became embroiled in a never-ending war against ancient cosmic horrors.
But there is much more to the story …
On Earth, scientists uncover an alien spacecraft buried for millions of years beneath Antarctic ice. Inside are terrible secrets and a creature desperate to escape.
Soon the scientists studying the Artifact begin to have terrifying dreams, driving many of them to madness and acts of shocking violence. Dr. Evie Cronin and her team struggle to find answers, fully aware that they may only be found out among the stars. Their investigation brings them to the orbit of Jupiter moments before the WarpLine gun misfires. Destiny is a vicious and devious thing.
On Asphodel Station, the newly created ghost-driven NecroTek fighting machines are engaged in a desperate battle for survival against the deadly shoggoth fleets. But a new and far more dangerous race of creatures is poised to attack, both with their own fleets and with nightmares forced into the minds of the dwindling human defenders.
The group of scientists from Antarctica and the survivors on Asphodel are pitted against an unstoppable enemy. If they fail, Asphodel Station will fall, and the Outer Gods will be free to wage a war of conquest across the galaxy—to Earth itself.
1 pages, Audio CD
Published October 14, 2025
24 people are currently reading
2711 people want to read
About the author
Jonathan Maberry
518 books7,781 followersJONATHAN MABERRY is a NYTimes bestselling author, #1 Audible bestseller, 5-time Bram Stoker Award-winner, 4-time Scribe Award winner, Inkpot Award winner, comic book writer, and producer. He is the author of more than 50 novels, 190 short stories, 16 short story collections, 30 graphic novels, 14 nonfiction books, and has edited 26 anthologies. His vampire apocalypse book series, V-WARS, was a Netflix original series starring Ian Somerhalder. His 2009-10 run as writer on the Black Panther comic formed a large chunk of the recent blockbuster film, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. His bestselling YA zombie series, Rot & Ruin is in development for film at Alcon Entertainment; and John Wick director, Chad Stahelski, is developing Jonathan’s Joe Ledger Thrillers for TV. Jonathan writes in multiple genres including suspense, thriller, horror, science fiction, epic fantasy, and action; and he writes for adults, teens and middle grade. His works include The Pine Deep Trilogy, The Kagen the Damned Trilogy, NecroTek, Ink, Glimpse, the Rot & Ruin series, the Dead of Night series, The Wolfman, X-Files Origins: Devil’s Advocate, The Sleepers War (with Weston Ochse), Mars One, and many others. He is the editor of high-profile anthologies including Weird Tales: 100 Years of Weird, The X-Files, Aliens: Bug Hunt, Out of Tune, Don’t Turn out the Lights: A Tribute to Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, Baker Street Irregulars, Nights of the Living Dead, Shadows & Verse, and others. His comics include Marvel Zombies Return, The Punisher: Naked Kills, Wolverine: Ghosts, Godzilla vs Cthulhu: Death May Die, Bad Blood and many others. Jonathan has written in many popular licensed worlds, including Hellboy, True Blood, The Wolfman, John Carter of Mars, Sherlock Holmes, C.H.U.D., Diablo IV, Deadlands, World of Warcraft, Planet of the Apes, Aliens, Predator, Karl Kolchak, and many others. He the president of the International Association of Media Tie-in Writers, and the editor of Weird Tales Magazine. He lives in San Diego, California. Find him online at www.jonathanmaberry.com
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
October 25, 2025
“Vast, shambling shapes, flowed or crawled or scuttled on legs greater than a giant redwood tree. Beings like squids with hundreds of tentacles that slapped onto the pavement and pulled the incalculably massive things along. Centipedes as long as freight trains wound through the complexity of alleys, and clinging to each of their chitinous segments were smaller creatures, like hairless apes with glaring cyclops faces. Nearly beyond the range for vision was a darker gray-green mass of something that glistened like spoiled meat, raising tentacles whose undersides were lined with row upon row of fanged suckers.”
“It was a starship of incredible size, a mechanical leviathan, impossibly powerful. Black as the world that spawned it, shaped like a saucer, with bulges above and below. Thousands of gunports ringed the ship, and between each port was a broader, flatter gun barrel from which it fired star-fighters. It launched thousands of them into the space.”
“… and then the air was filled with the sound of scuttling feet. Many, many of them, coming at them from both sides.”
This is the second book in the NecroTek series. It’s not absolutely necessary to read the first book before reading this one, but if you don’t you’ll miss some important aspects of the backstory. In brief, in the first book a space station was transported to a galaxy where it became involved in a war being fought by old gods and resurrected warriors. That space station is also featured in this book, but the first part of the book is set in Antarctica, where an alien spacecraft is discovered. The two parts of the book eventually converge.
I’ve always loved creature features, and this book has some really inventive beasties. It also has nightmares, philosophy, emotion and exciting battles. The book doesn’t end with a cliffhanger, but there is certainly room for a third book.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
“It was a starship of incredible size, a mechanical leviathan, impossibly powerful. Black as the world that spawned it, shaped like a saucer, with bulges above and below. Thousands of gunports ringed the ship, and between each port was a broader, flatter gun barrel from which it fired star-fighters. It launched thousands of them into the space.”
“… and then the air was filled with the sound of scuttling feet. Many, many of them, coming at them from both sides.”
This is the second book in the NecroTek series. It’s not absolutely necessary to read the first book before reading this one, but if you don’t you’ll miss some important aspects of the backstory. In brief, in the first book a space station was transported to a galaxy where it became involved in a war being fought by old gods and resurrected warriors. That space station is also featured in this book, but the first part of the book is set in Antarctica, where an alien spacecraft is discovered. The two parts of the book eventually converge.
I’ve always loved creature features, and this book has some really inventive beasties. It also has nightmares, philosophy, emotion and exciting battles. The book doesn’t end with a cliffhanger, but there is certainly room for a third book.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
September 7, 2025
Dark, creative, and with some breath-taking action sequences, when this story hits it hits hard. I loved the first book in the series and was excited to see where the story went, and while I enjoyed the overall story and the new ideas and elements it introduced there were some stumbling blocks for me in getting there.
The characters continue to be interesting, though not particularly complicated. Each has one or two things that define them, and they tend to stick to those things. As a whole cast it is fun, but as individual characters they feel more like they exist to serve the narrative than to have complex inner journeys. Those inner journeys that do happen all feel well-trodden, with nothing particularly unexpected. The world-building expands, and I like the additions that are made, on Earth and in space. The writing is pretty heavy-handed and overly dramatic, written almost in a cinematic way. It isn’t subtle about anything, but it keeps a sense of tension and action through the story, even when there isn’t a lot going on. This is aided by the sections being quite short, sometimes only a paragraph, intended to be a kind of “quick cut” or stinger scene that ratchets up the readers’ suspense. The writing also makes the few action scenes quite delicious and fun, whether they be full-on military sci-fi space battles or have the feel of a horror-soaked video game. The writing is blunt and almost clunky, but it is endearing in its honesty and commitment to the audacity of this story, which needs writing to match.
What really pulled everything apart for me was the pacing. The story moves between two timelines, one immediately following the events of the last book and one a year earlier taking place at an archaeological dig in Antarctica. The novel starts with great action scenes, one in each location, and the energy is high right from the start. But then it fizzles out and the remainder of the first 60% of the book was just really slow. Not a whole lot of anything happened, certainly not enough to warrant the pages that brought us there. The real problem with the slow pacing is it exaggerated for me how thinly drawn some of the characters are, how often there are literal exposition dumps where one character sits a bunch of other characters down and just explains thigs at them, and how certain important story elements are remarkably convenient and deus-ex-machina-y. This is an unbelievable story already in the best kind of ways, but so many things happen that, even in this world, feel contrived, convenient, and unlikely. Here’s the thing… if the pacing was faster, and moved at a similar clip as the first novel in this series, then all of these small flaws can be easily glossed over because you’re having so much fun. Here the lackluster pacing made them all stand out and it didn’t do the story any favors. It made me think too much about the events being depicted and them become less and less likely (even given the sci-fi premise), and the characters’ actions became more and more out of narrative necessity than anything internally coherent or interesting. Cut half of the pages from that front half of the book, or add in another action set piece or two, and I wouldn’t have time to pick things apart. Once the two storylines converged at around 60% of the way in things picked up, though, and the story ends with some really exciting and tense set pieces that certainly outdo the earlier ones in the book, which were also good. A definite crescendo, in that regard.
I certainly still recommend this story. I had fun reading it, and the ideas in it are wild. Some of the attempts to bring in more philosophically heavy ideas felt unwieldy and not particularly sophisticated, but I appreciated them all the same, adding something to this story this isn’t always so explicit in this genre. The story has a lot of everything, from a wonderful imagining of elder and outer god mythology to wild technology and military squadrons to characters trying to survive in a physically and emotionally impossible environment to ghosts powering alien-mecha-kaijus to something literally called a God Machine. I like the over-the-top quality of the writing and the story, all the pieces work, somehow, which is impressive. The story ends with a tease for what could be a third book, and all complaints aside I am still interested enough to be on the lookout for that if it and when it comes around, so that tells you something.
I want to thank the author, the publisher Blackstone Publishing, and NetGalley, who provided a complimentary eARC for review. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The characters continue to be interesting, though not particularly complicated. Each has one or two things that define them, and they tend to stick to those things. As a whole cast it is fun, but as individual characters they feel more like they exist to serve the narrative than to have complex inner journeys. Those inner journeys that do happen all feel well-trodden, with nothing particularly unexpected. The world-building expands, and I like the additions that are made, on Earth and in space. The writing is pretty heavy-handed and overly dramatic, written almost in a cinematic way. It isn’t subtle about anything, but it keeps a sense of tension and action through the story, even when there isn’t a lot going on. This is aided by the sections being quite short, sometimes only a paragraph, intended to be a kind of “quick cut” or stinger scene that ratchets up the readers’ suspense. The writing also makes the few action scenes quite delicious and fun, whether they be full-on military sci-fi space battles or have the feel of a horror-soaked video game. The writing is blunt and almost clunky, but it is endearing in its honesty and commitment to the audacity of this story, which needs writing to match.
What really pulled everything apart for me was the pacing. The story moves between two timelines, one immediately following the events of the last book and one a year earlier taking place at an archaeological dig in Antarctica. The novel starts with great action scenes, one in each location, and the energy is high right from the start. But then it fizzles out and the remainder of the first 60% of the book was just really slow. Not a whole lot of anything happened, certainly not enough to warrant the pages that brought us there. The real problem with the slow pacing is it exaggerated for me how thinly drawn some of the characters are, how often there are literal exposition dumps where one character sits a bunch of other characters down and just explains thigs at them, and how certain important story elements are remarkably convenient and deus-ex-machina-y. This is an unbelievable story already in the best kind of ways, but so many things happen that, even in this world, feel contrived, convenient, and unlikely. Here’s the thing… if the pacing was faster, and moved at a similar clip as the first novel in this series, then all of these small flaws can be easily glossed over because you’re having so much fun. Here the lackluster pacing made them all stand out and it didn’t do the story any favors. It made me think too much about the events being depicted and them become less and less likely (even given the sci-fi premise), and the characters’ actions became more and more out of narrative necessity than anything internally coherent or interesting. Cut half of the pages from that front half of the book, or add in another action set piece or two, and I wouldn’t have time to pick things apart. Once the two storylines converged at around 60% of the way in things picked up, though, and the story ends with some really exciting and tense set pieces that certainly outdo the earlier ones in the book, which were also good. A definite crescendo, in that regard.
I certainly still recommend this story. I had fun reading it, and the ideas in it are wild. Some of the attempts to bring in more philosophically heavy ideas felt unwieldy and not particularly sophisticated, but I appreciated them all the same, adding something to this story this isn’t always so explicit in this genre. The story has a lot of everything, from a wonderful imagining of elder and outer god mythology to wild technology and military squadrons to characters trying to survive in a physically and emotionally impossible environment to ghosts powering alien-mecha-kaijus to something literally called a God Machine. I like the over-the-top quality of the writing and the story, all the pieces work, somehow, which is impressive. The story ends with a tease for what could be a third book, and all complaints aside I am still interested enough to be on the lookout for that if it and when it comes around, so that tells you something.
I want to thank the author, the publisher Blackstone Publishing, and NetGalley, who provided a complimentary eARC for review. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
May 12, 2025
I would like to thank Blackstone Publishing and Jonathan Maberry for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
5 Stars
"On Earth scientist discover evidence of what looks like an alien spacecraft, the first discovery of its kind, the implications are...astounding. Inside are impossible secrets and a creature of unfathomable horror has just woken up.
Terrifying dreams and an even more haunting reality follow those scientists as they try and discover the secrets within the spacecraft. Dr. Evie Cronin and her team struggle to find answers, knowing luck isn't on their side and haunted at night by something they can't quite remember during the day. Eventually their investigation brings them to the orbit of Jupiter moments before the WarpLine gun misfires. Destiny is a vicious and devious thing.
On Asphodel Station, humans and the NecroTek fighting machines are engaged in a desperate battle for survival against the deadly shoggoth fleets. But a new and far more dangerous race of creatures is poised to attack.
The group of scientists from Antarctica and the survivors on Asphodel are pitted against an unstoppable enemy. If they fail, Asphodel Station will fall, and the Outer Gods will be free to wage a war of conquest across the galaxy—to Earth itself."
Necrotek: Cold War lifted the bar for what I consider good Science Fiction.
It was a riveting and enthralling tale from the first page and I kept being drawn back in for the next discovery. I will admit this title seemed to be crafted specifically for me. It had all my favorite things regarding cosmic horror. The absolute sense of dread you get when you realize the enormity of the enemy, the impossibility of it all, and still having to keep going on with daily life. How do people handle that, how does anyone?
I love that this book also tries to answer some of these more science based analytical/philosophical questions regarding first contact and the impact that would have not only on us as humans but in a faith/political way as well. The impact it would have on religion as a hole was a level of care in this novel I wasn't expecting but was very happy to have had included. It made the whole discovery feel real, the enormity of it all. The theoretical suddenly banished in the name of a new truth.
"And what little faith I've managed to retain after all that's happened is like a small candle in a fierce wind. That sounds like poetry, but I assure you it's not."
The other section of this novel takes place on Asphodel Station. This section I didn't feel as strongly attached to at first but as the book went along I started to see the fully formed idea and ended up loving it and the characters just as much as the section taking place on Earth. (I also came into this without reading the first novel so all of these characters were new to me). It was a pleasant surprise the way the two sides of the narrative came together and I have to say I did not see that twist coming, but I was literally gripping the edge of my couch when it did.
Another pro and a surprising one (for me) at that were the NecroTeks. I am not a huge fan of mechs or mech fighters etc. It's usually not my jam but this was done in such a cool way I could not deny I was hooked on the concept immediately. These guys added a whole different layer to the fighting and desperation of the fights and how bad the odds have been stacked. It was a great addition and I think really struck home the enormity of the situation everyone was facing out there.
The horror elements were really where this novel shines. I absolutely love the build up of tension and the way the different Lovecraftian monsters were introduced and bled through different parts of the setting. It really created this sense of the characters always being watched and never quite safe. That threat stayed with the characters until the end and really made me root for them despite the odds and the absolute level of terror/horror that was actually going on by the end of the novel really made that tension worth the effort.
I feel like I could talk for another hour about how much and how many different parts of this novel I liked. It's a true testament that my husband is also now feeling the brunt of my praises as I can't stop talking about it and how he'll definitely need to buy the audiobook when it becomes available.
I would absolutely recommend this to anyone who likes:
-Cosmic horror
-Xenobiology
-Lovecraftian lore
-First Contact scenarios
-LGBT Romance
-Science-Fiction
"Hell is empty, all the devils are here."
5 Stars
"On Earth scientist discover evidence of what looks like an alien spacecraft, the first discovery of its kind, the implications are...astounding. Inside are impossible secrets and a creature of unfathomable horror has just woken up.
Terrifying dreams and an even more haunting reality follow those scientists as they try and discover the secrets within the spacecraft. Dr. Evie Cronin and her team struggle to find answers, knowing luck isn't on their side and haunted at night by something they can't quite remember during the day. Eventually their investigation brings them to the orbit of Jupiter moments before the WarpLine gun misfires. Destiny is a vicious and devious thing.
On Asphodel Station, humans and the NecroTek fighting machines are engaged in a desperate battle for survival against the deadly shoggoth fleets. But a new and far more dangerous race of creatures is poised to attack.
The group of scientists from Antarctica and the survivors on Asphodel are pitted against an unstoppable enemy. If they fail, Asphodel Station will fall, and the Outer Gods will be free to wage a war of conquest across the galaxy—to Earth itself."
Necrotek: Cold War lifted the bar for what I consider good Science Fiction.
It was a riveting and enthralling tale from the first page and I kept being drawn back in for the next discovery. I will admit this title seemed to be crafted specifically for me. It had all my favorite things regarding cosmic horror. The absolute sense of dread you get when you realize the enormity of the enemy, the impossibility of it all, and still having to keep going on with daily life. How do people handle that, how does anyone?
I love that this book also tries to answer some of these more science based analytical/philosophical questions regarding first contact and the impact that would have not only on us as humans but in a faith/political way as well. The impact it would have on religion as a hole was a level of care in this novel I wasn't expecting but was very happy to have had included. It made the whole discovery feel real, the enormity of it all. The theoretical suddenly banished in the name of a new truth.
"And what little faith I've managed to retain after all that's happened is like a small candle in a fierce wind. That sounds like poetry, but I assure you it's not."
The other section of this novel takes place on Asphodel Station. This section I didn't feel as strongly attached to at first but as the book went along I started to see the fully formed idea and ended up loving it and the characters just as much as the section taking place on Earth. (I also came into this without reading the first novel so all of these characters were new to me). It was a pleasant surprise the way the two sides of the narrative came together and I have to say I did not see that twist coming, but I was literally gripping the edge of my couch when it did.
Another pro and a surprising one (for me) at that were the NecroTeks. I am not a huge fan of mechs or mech fighters etc. It's usually not my jam but this was done in such a cool way I could not deny I was hooked on the concept immediately. These guys added a whole different layer to the fighting and desperation of the fights and how bad the odds have been stacked. It was a great addition and I think really struck home the enormity of the situation everyone was facing out there.
The horror elements were really where this novel shines. I absolutely love the build up of tension and the way the different Lovecraftian monsters were introduced and bled through different parts of the setting. It really created this sense of the characters always being watched and never quite safe. That threat stayed with the characters until the end and really made me root for them despite the odds and the absolute level of terror/horror that was actually going on by the end of the novel really made that tension worth the effort.
I feel like I could talk for another hour about how much and how many different parts of this novel I liked. It's a true testament that my husband is also now feeling the brunt of my praises as I can't stop talking about it and how he'll definitely need to buy the audiobook when it becomes available.
I would absolutely recommend this to anyone who likes:
-Cosmic horror
-Xenobiology
-Lovecraftian lore
-First Contact scenarios
-LGBT Romance
-Science-Fiction
"Hell is empty, all the devils are here."
November 12, 2025
The second book in the NecroTek series can be read without reading the first, but you'll be lacking important background.
The first half is split between the folks stranded on the space station and an exploratory team in Antarctica who have discovered a massive spaceship. Both groups are haunted by nightmares so involved that there are multiple suicides.
The enemy in both cases are servants of the Elder Gods, and l feel myself losing sanity points with every page I read.
This is quite a horror story combined with scifi setting and elements featuring massive space battles along with hands on fights as well.
The first half is split between the folks stranded on the space station and an exploratory team in Antarctica who have discovered a massive spaceship. Both groups are haunted by nightmares so involved that there are multiple suicides.
The enemy in both cases are servants of the Elder Gods, and l feel myself losing sanity points with every page I read.
This is quite a horror story combined with scifi setting and elements featuring massive space battles along with hands on fights as well.
December 24, 2025
Audiobook (20 hours) narrated by Ray Porter
Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
Award winning Ray Porter, narrated the first and second books of this new series.
The narration and audio is flawless.
Cold War is the second novel of the NecroTek Series by Jonathan Maberry.
While not as exciting as the first novel, an absolute win of a space fantasy.
The world and characters are fantastic and realistic. I am hoping for a third installment or a side quest in this universe.
Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
Award winning Ray Porter, narrated the first and second books of this new series.
The narration and audio is flawless.
Cold War is the second novel of the NecroTek Series by Jonathan Maberry.
While not as exciting as the first novel, an absolute win of a space fantasy.
The world and characters are fantastic and realistic. I am hoping for a third installment or a side quest in this universe.
December 9, 2025
I'm going to bow to author Michael Patrick Hicks because his description of this book is perfect: "COLD WAR reads a lot of like THE THING meets Transformers by way of PACIFIC RIM if it were told by H.P. Lovecraft after watching ALIENS on an unending loop"
Overall, I enjoyed this one more than the first installment. There was probably just as much set-up and backstory here as in the first one, but it grabbed me a lot harder this time around. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say this is likely both the novel that Maberry has been building his career to write, and also say it's his most ambitious novel to date. He's literally blending military action (both hand-to-hand and space battles), various religions, tying in plot lines started in his Joe Ledger series (specifically KILL SWITCH), and building on Lovecraftian themes and mythos (with a healthy dose of IN THE MOUNTAINS OF MADNESS specifically). There's a LOT going on here, and the pacing, for the most part, is relentless.
Uncharacteristically, I did find times where the writing got a touch clunky. Maberry often has to provide info dumps in his stories, and he's usually very adept at it, however there were quite a few "as you know, Bob" sections in this book. As I said, not a usual thing for Maberry.
But there was one thing that, unfortunately, pulled me out of the novel...fifteen times. Maberry's overuse of "impossible/impossibly" was shocking here. Yes, he's dealing with a lot of "gosh!" science, and he's manifesting Lovecraftian themes into the real world, but frankly, averaging one "impossible" thing roughly every 37 pages of a 500+ page novel? It takes all the power out of that word, and quite frankly, makes it very obvious that all these impossible things are actually quite possible.
Overall, I loved this book—as I do virtually everything Maberry writes. He's easily one of my favourite authors, and one of the "don't care what I'm reading, drop it and read the new book" authors. And this one is mostly fantastic.
But it did have more than its share of flaws.
Overall, I enjoyed this one more than the first installment. There was probably just as much set-up and backstory here as in the first one, but it grabbed me a lot harder this time around. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say this is likely both the novel that Maberry has been building his career to write, and also say it's his most ambitious novel to date. He's literally blending military action (both hand-to-hand and space battles), various religions, tying in plot lines started in his Joe Ledger series (specifically KILL SWITCH), and building on Lovecraftian themes and mythos (with a healthy dose of IN THE MOUNTAINS OF MADNESS specifically). There's a LOT going on here, and the pacing, for the most part, is relentless.
Uncharacteristically, I did find times where the writing got a touch clunky. Maberry often has to provide info dumps in his stories, and he's usually very adept at it, however there were quite a few "as you know, Bob" sections in this book. As I said, not a usual thing for Maberry.
But there was one thing that, unfortunately, pulled me out of the novel...fifteen times. Maberry's overuse of "impossible/impossibly" was shocking here. Yes, he's dealing with a lot of "gosh!" science, and he's manifesting Lovecraftian themes into the real world, but frankly, averaging one "impossible" thing roughly every 37 pages of a 500+ page novel? It takes all the power out of that word, and quite frankly, makes it very obvious that all these impossible things are actually quite possible.
Overall, I loved this book—as I do virtually everything Maberry writes. He's easily one of my favourite authors, and one of the "don't care what I'm reading, drop it and read the new book" authors. And this one is mostly fantastic.
But it did have more than its share of flaws.
October 20, 2025
Where do I even begin? I thought the first book in the series was good, but this one absolutely exceeded everything I was expecting! Listen, I LOVE space horror. I mean, I REALLY love it. Alien and Event Horizon absolutely ruined me in the best way possible. I have been chasing the high of watching those movies for the first time for as long as those movies have been out. So I’ve been jonesing for something that can come remotely close. Friends, the Necrotek trilogy is it. Jonathon Maberry is a phenomenal writer (one of my favorites if I’m being honest), but this trilogy has made a new mark in me that I don’t think will ever be equalled.
The characters we met before were all amazing, especially Soren and Lady Death, but in this new book, we get to meet Evie and Jenny, who really brought a different level to the story. Maberry built upon the trauma that Bianca and her team experienced, and added something wholly different with what Evie and Jenny’s team experienced in Antarctica. I knew that we were working with two separate but very close timelines, but reading the alternating timelines was like waiting for trains to collide. It had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. But it wasn’t all action and killing aliens. There were great interpersonal stories too, which tied both timelines together beautifully by the end. And the addition of a new type of alien was, quite honestly, chef’s kiss. Reading a description of them doesn’t do this story justice. And while I did have a feeling I knew what was going to happen in the end, it still kept me turning the pages to watch it all go down. This book was amazing. I’m bummed that the next one will be the last, but I genuinely cannot wait to read it!
Huge thanks to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for sending me this ARC for review! All of my reviews are given honestly!
The characters we met before were all amazing, especially Soren and Lady Death, but in this new book, we get to meet Evie and Jenny, who really brought a different level to the story. Maberry built upon the trauma that Bianca and her team experienced, and added something wholly different with what Evie and Jenny’s team experienced in Antarctica. I knew that we were working with two separate but very close timelines, but reading the alternating timelines was like waiting for trains to collide. It had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. But it wasn’t all action and killing aliens. There were great interpersonal stories too, which tied both timelines together beautifully by the end. And the addition of a new type of alien was, quite honestly, chef’s kiss. Reading a description of them doesn’t do this story justice. And while I did have a feeling I knew what was going to happen in the end, it still kept me turning the pages to watch it all go down. This book was amazing. I’m bummed that the next one will be the last, but I genuinely cannot wait to read it!
Huge thanks to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for sending me this ARC for review! All of my reviews are given honestly!
December 2, 2025
This review was originally published at FanFiAddict.
Jonathan Maberry sends readers back to frontlines of the far-flung star system of Shadderal in his second NecroTek novel, Cold War. The action kicks off a bit closer to home, though, with the discovery of an alien vessel by a team of Antarctic researchers a year prior to the WarpLine Disaster as covered in the previous book.
Evie Cronin’s find of the millennia dovetails with the preparation of Asphodel Station for the WarpLine experiment to transpose matter across the stars (think Star Trek’s transporter technology), and the two events eventually converge across time and space. In between is all kinds of military sci-fi action and Lovecraftian horror as Cronin’s team, which eventually grows to include hired shooters, learns that the artifact has a shapeshifting passenger. The alien construct begins wreaking havoc with the researchers’ dreams, pushing some to suicide, while conflict brews in their waking lives, between one another and with the creature out on the ice.
Over in orbit of Shadderal, the stranded survivors aboard Asphodel brace themselves against further attacks by Shoggoth warships, while their NecroTek allies continue to learn and adapt to their newfound post-death powers. If you missed out on NecroTek, the souls of Asphodel’s dead fighter pilots were put into alien technology, essentially turning them into robotic kaijus that can alter their shape at will.
If it isn’t clear by now, Maberry’s latest series has a lot of big, crazy ideas, borrowing from a hodgepodge of various science fiction and horror properties and mixing them all up in an insane blender before giving them a fresh coat of paint. Cold War reads a lot of like The Thing meets Transformers by way of Pacific Rim if it were told by H.P. Lovecraft after watching Aliens on an unending loop. I don’t envy whoever has to write the book’s synopsis for this series because trying to explain how all this works together without sounding like a mental patient high on ‘shrooms feels like an impossible task. It does make for a pretty fun read, though, and one with plenty of high-octane action.
And while the action scenes are pretty damn kinetic and fiery, it’s really the human element that grounds it all and makes the story digestible. The burgeoning love story between Cronin and a mercenary, Jennifer Spears, is worth the price of admission alone. Their attraction felt real and well-developed, escalating naturally into mutual love and trust, even as they both face the insanity of the Antarctic and, later, far worse.
As with NecroTek, I still find Dr. Lars Soren’s theories of cosmic philosophy intriguing and wish that Maberry probed them a bit deeper and in more challenging ways. As mankind moves deeper into the stars and spreads across space, new cultures and beliefs are bound to form. And what of Earth’s religions when they move beyond the confines of our planet and inevitably come into contact with extraterrestrial cultures and alien religions? Placing the Bible and mankind’s relationship to God and Earth, for instance, on a world in which no human has stepped foot on, if taken literally shows that it “is either inaccurate or insufficiently broad in scope.” One can’t help but wonder, when placed in Soren’s shoes and flung far across the cosmos and constantly under the threat of eldritch horrors, what exactly would Jesus do in the face of Lovecraft’s Great Old Ones, whose existence (in the context of these particular stories) predate all of Earth’s religions. The plurality of Lovecraft’s pantheon of Elder Things and Outer Gods certainly give lie to God’s demand that there shall be no other gods before Him (and which in its own phrasing acknowledges that there are, in fact, other gods besides Him anyway, particularly given the very long line of gods and religions that predated Him and His in reality).
Of course, religious philosophy is hardly the provision of books involving city-sized transforming robots and shapeshifting aliens fighting marines, but it’s certainly interesting to think about. I’m pretty sure most of us are here for the gonzo violence and pulp horrors, even if I, personally, wonder what Christopher Hitchens’ take might be on all this. I’m sure that would be one hell of a lecture! I suppose that’s something to think about while I wait for NecroTek 3 to release.
Jonathan Maberry sends readers back to frontlines of the far-flung star system of Shadderal in his second NecroTek novel, Cold War. The action kicks off a bit closer to home, though, with the discovery of an alien vessel by a team of Antarctic researchers a year prior to the WarpLine Disaster as covered in the previous book.
Evie Cronin’s find of the millennia dovetails with the preparation of Asphodel Station for the WarpLine experiment to transpose matter across the stars (think Star Trek’s transporter technology), and the two events eventually converge across time and space. In between is all kinds of military sci-fi action and Lovecraftian horror as Cronin’s team, which eventually grows to include hired shooters, learns that the artifact has a shapeshifting passenger. The alien construct begins wreaking havoc with the researchers’ dreams, pushing some to suicide, while conflict brews in their waking lives, between one another and with the creature out on the ice.
Over in orbit of Shadderal, the stranded survivors aboard Asphodel brace themselves against further attacks by Shoggoth warships, while their NecroTek allies continue to learn and adapt to their newfound post-death powers. If you missed out on NecroTek, the souls of Asphodel’s dead fighter pilots were put into alien technology, essentially turning them into robotic kaijus that can alter their shape at will.
If it isn’t clear by now, Maberry’s latest series has a lot of big, crazy ideas, borrowing from a hodgepodge of various science fiction and horror properties and mixing them all up in an insane blender before giving them a fresh coat of paint. Cold War reads a lot of like The Thing meets Transformers by way of Pacific Rim if it were told by H.P. Lovecraft after watching Aliens on an unending loop. I don’t envy whoever has to write the book’s synopsis for this series because trying to explain how all this works together without sounding like a mental patient high on ‘shrooms feels like an impossible task. It does make for a pretty fun read, though, and one with plenty of high-octane action.
And while the action scenes are pretty damn kinetic and fiery, it’s really the human element that grounds it all and makes the story digestible. The burgeoning love story between Cronin and a mercenary, Jennifer Spears, is worth the price of admission alone. Their attraction felt real and well-developed, escalating naturally into mutual love and trust, even as they both face the insanity of the Antarctic and, later, far worse.
As with NecroTek, I still find Dr. Lars Soren’s theories of cosmic philosophy intriguing and wish that Maberry probed them a bit deeper and in more challenging ways. As mankind moves deeper into the stars and spreads across space, new cultures and beliefs are bound to form. And what of Earth’s religions when they move beyond the confines of our planet and inevitably come into contact with extraterrestrial cultures and alien religions? Placing the Bible and mankind’s relationship to God and Earth, for instance, on a world in which no human has stepped foot on, if taken literally shows that it “is either inaccurate or insufficiently broad in scope.” One can’t help but wonder, when placed in Soren’s shoes and flung far across the cosmos and constantly under the threat of eldritch horrors, what exactly would Jesus do in the face of Lovecraft’s Great Old Ones, whose existence (in the context of these particular stories) predate all of Earth’s religions. The plurality of Lovecraft’s pantheon of Elder Things and Outer Gods certainly give lie to God’s demand that there shall be no other gods before Him (and which in its own phrasing acknowledges that there are, in fact, other gods besides Him anyway, particularly given the very long line of gods and religions that predated Him and His in reality).
Of course, religious philosophy is hardly the provision of books involving city-sized transforming robots and shapeshifting aliens fighting marines, but it’s certainly interesting to think about. I’m pretty sure most of us are here for the gonzo violence and pulp horrors, even if I, personally, wonder what Christopher Hitchens’ take might be on all this. I’m sure that would be one hell of a lecture! I suppose that’s something to think about while I wait for NecroTek 3 to release.
December 24, 2025
An enjoyable mashup of Lovecraftian horrors, military combat and high tech. The technology is not very believable and, no surprise, the situation is borderline absurd, but that is not what these kinds of books are about. They are mostly escapist entertainment, and this one is a bit better than most. The action is almost constant and, on another positive notes, none of the characters are jerks- or do things that are really stupid. Note that this is apparently the second book in the series and I did not read the first one... but you quickly can come up to speed so that the other books are not necessary to enjoy this one.
On the more critical side, this reads like a comic book or Marvel movie. The dialogue is what you would imagine a 16 year old would write if they are trying to sound like an adult, snarky language trying to sound cool. These characters are supposedly scientists with multiple degrees or soldiers with no spouse. No family people here. Unfortunately, like the Marvel universe, there are swarms of warrior woman. I knew many people when I was in the military, both in different branches and different specialties, but the setup in this book is atypical and unrealistic. Science Fiction from the 50's, 60's frequently seem dated, reflecting the moors of the period. Unfortunately, an updated version of this is prevalent in today's writing... mandatory strong woman everywhere. The one relationship that is gone into some (awkward) details is between two of these stereotyped manly woman who, surprise, surprise, are lesbian. Of course they are having a baby via medical intervention. The love scenes and some of the dialogue made my eyes cross. As mentioned, felt like a 16 year old might have written it- the pick up lines and much of their dialogue was what a HS student would use. I remember reading John Varley's Gaia series in the 70's and the lesbian characters seemed fresh. Now, nearly 40 years later they are climbing out of the woodwork and themselves have become a stereotype- and authors can't or are unable to move on back to more realistic characterizations of people and organizations.
But that aside, the book is fun. If you want a thinking man's Science Fiction with ton's of action and doses of Lovecraftian horror, but also some deep philosophy, I would try the Sun eater series by Christopher Ruocchio- it's far better written and much deeper philosophically. However, if you just want an enjoyable romp with your brain on pause, this book should fit the bill.
On the more critical side, this reads like a comic book or Marvel movie. The dialogue is what you would imagine a 16 year old would write if they are trying to sound like an adult, snarky language trying to sound cool. These characters are supposedly scientists with multiple degrees or soldiers with no spouse. No family people here. Unfortunately, like the Marvel universe, there are swarms of warrior woman. I knew many people when I was in the military, both in different branches and different specialties, but the setup in this book is atypical and unrealistic. Science Fiction from the 50's, 60's frequently seem dated, reflecting the moors of the period. Unfortunately, an updated version of this is prevalent in today's writing... mandatory strong woman everywhere. The one relationship that is gone into some (awkward) details is between two of these stereotyped manly woman who, surprise, surprise, are lesbian. Of course they are having a baby via medical intervention. The love scenes and some of the dialogue made my eyes cross. As mentioned, felt like a 16 year old might have written it- the pick up lines and much of their dialogue was what a HS student would use. I remember reading John Varley's Gaia series in the 70's and the lesbian characters seemed fresh. Now, nearly 40 years later they are climbing out of the woodwork and themselves have become a stereotype- and authors can't or are unable to move on back to more realistic characterizations of people and organizations.
But that aside, the book is fun. If you want a thinking man's Science Fiction with ton's of action and doses of Lovecraftian horror, but also some deep philosophy, I would try the Sun eater series by Christopher Ruocchio- it's far better written and much deeper philosophically. However, if you just want an enjoyable romp with your brain on pause, this book should fit the bill.
December 31, 2025
The insanity and complex storytelling of Jonathan Maberry’s incredible NecroTek series continues in 2025 with the impressive and deeply intense sequel Cold War.
Plot Synopsis:
In NecroTek, Asphodel space station was accidentally teleported to the far side of the galaxy, where they became embroiled in a never-ending war against ancient cosmic horrors.
But there is much more to the story …
On Earth, scientists uncover an alien spacecraft buried for millions of years beneath Antarctic ice. Inside are terrible secrets and a creature desperate to escape.
Soon the scientists studying the Artifact begin to have terrifying dreams, driving many of them to madness and acts of shocking violence. Dr. Evie Cronin and her team struggle to find answers, fully aware that they may only be found out among the stars. Their investigation brings them to the orbit of Jupiter moments before the WarpLine gun misfires. Destiny is a vicious and devious thing.
On Asphodel Station, the newly created ghost-driven NecroTek fighting machines are engaged in a desperate battle for survival against the deadly shoggoth fleets. But a new and far more dangerous race of creatures is poised to attack, both with their own fleets and with nightmares forced into the minds of the dwindling human defenders.
The group of scientists from Antarctica and the survivors on Asphodel are pitted against an unstoppable enemy. If they fail, Asphodel Station will fall, and the Outer Gods will be free to wage a war of conquest across the galaxy—to Earth itself.
Jonathan Maberry once again delivers an impressive read with his outstanding and complex Cold War. Featuring an intense, character driven story that takes its protagonists to hell and back, Cold War was a powerful, horror-laden science fiction novel that refuses to let you go. I loved this book so much, and it gets a very easy five-star rating from me, and I have recently featured it on my recent favourite sequels and audiobooks lists of 2025.
To see the full review, click on the link below:
https://unseenlibrary.com/2025/12/31/...
For other exciting reviews and content, check out my blog at:
https://unseenlibrary.com/
Plot Synopsis:
In NecroTek, Asphodel space station was accidentally teleported to the far side of the galaxy, where they became embroiled in a never-ending war against ancient cosmic horrors.
But there is much more to the story …
On Earth, scientists uncover an alien spacecraft buried for millions of years beneath Antarctic ice. Inside are terrible secrets and a creature desperate to escape.
Soon the scientists studying the Artifact begin to have terrifying dreams, driving many of them to madness and acts of shocking violence. Dr. Evie Cronin and her team struggle to find answers, fully aware that they may only be found out among the stars. Their investigation brings them to the orbit of Jupiter moments before the WarpLine gun misfires. Destiny is a vicious and devious thing.
On Asphodel Station, the newly created ghost-driven NecroTek fighting machines are engaged in a desperate battle for survival against the deadly shoggoth fleets. But a new and far more dangerous race of creatures is poised to attack, both with their own fleets and with nightmares forced into the minds of the dwindling human defenders.
The group of scientists from Antarctica and the survivors on Asphodel are pitted against an unstoppable enemy. If they fail, Asphodel Station will fall, and the Outer Gods will be free to wage a war of conquest across the galaxy—to Earth itself.
Jonathan Maberry once again delivers an impressive read with his outstanding and complex Cold War. Featuring an intense, character driven story that takes its protagonists to hell and back, Cold War was a powerful, horror-laden science fiction novel that refuses to let you go. I loved this book so much, and it gets a very easy five-star rating from me, and I have recently featured it on my recent favourite sequels and audiobooks lists of 2025.
To see the full review, click on the link below:
https://unseenlibrary.com/2025/12/31/...
For other exciting reviews and content, check out my blog at:
https://unseenlibrary.com/
October 17, 2025
Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy to review on Netgalley:
Wow! This raised my excitement about this series more than I expected. While I loved the first book and the conflict after being flung across the universe and facing cosmic horrors! (They are real!!), Cold War brought in what was happening on earth prior to the events in book 1 and that is what really hooked me.
The new characters and the discovery and tragedy in Antarctica pivoted this book more to a near future cosmic horror story and the consequences of what that would mean on earth. I loved Evie and her grappling with keeping control of a scientific discovery from the world military powers. Then Jenny and the Jokers show up (descendants of Rogue team?) and they just kicked ass everywhere.
Once the two timelines and narratives came together, the book, and action, just didn't stop. I loved the link back to a certain plot in the Joe Ledger series as well and Jonathan Maberry does this spectacularly as he links and weaves his other series into each other into an expanded universe that gives those extra details for those who have read them but doesn't take away from the story for those new to Maberry's writing.
There better be a book 3! I need to know what happens on Earth and how all our heroes make it back, if they do.
I can't recommend this book high enough!!
Wow! This raised my excitement about this series more than I expected. While I loved the first book and the conflict after being flung across the universe and facing cosmic horrors! (They are real!!), Cold War brought in what was happening on earth prior to the events in book 1 and that is what really hooked me.
The new characters and the discovery and tragedy in Antarctica pivoted this book more to a near future cosmic horror story and the consequences of what that would mean on earth. I loved Evie and her grappling with keeping control of a scientific discovery from the world military powers. Then Jenny and the Jokers show up (descendants of Rogue team?) and they just kicked ass everywhere.
Once the two timelines and narratives came together, the book, and action, just didn't stop. I loved the link back to a certain plot in the Joe Ledger series as well and Jonathan Maberry does this spectacularly as he links and weaves his other series into each other into an expanded universe that gives those extra details for those who have read them but doesn't take away from the story for those new to Maberry's writing.
There better be a book 3! I need to know what happens on Earth and how all our heroes make it back, if they do.
I can't recommend this book high enough!!
November 13, 2025
Okay first the good. If you are a fan of the Joe Ledger books, then this entry into the Neceotek series (I hope…) will be very interesting. Lots of Easter eggs from the “Kill Switch” and a very large portion of the book hinges on that ground work. Mayberry keeps expanding his writing into the “Outer Gods” mythos without directly tying it to any one entity. Lots of high stakes action sequences that had me having to force myself to close the book and go to sleep.
Now the bad, when the book wasn’t high flying, and action packed, I found myself having a hard time getting through some of the chapters. Unlike other Maberry books I found this one a very slow burn through the first half, but then it picked up.
As for the end? It better not be the end. Lots of hanging threads that need to be pulled into shape.
Overall it was fun
Now the bad, when the book wasn’t high flying, and action packed, I found myself having a hard time getting through some of the chapters. Unlike other Maberry books I found this one a very slow burn through the first half, but then it picked up.
As for the end? It better not be the end. Lots of hanging threads that need to be pulled into shape.
Overall it was fun
December 31, 2025
I don't always include books that I DNF in my read count, but this one is a chunker and I got halfway before callin it quits so I'm counting it.
Everything I loved about the first one, turned bloated and boring in this sequel.
The first book was smart, action-packed, thoughtful, and as scary as it was sci-fi. Ray Porter knocked it out of the park! But in this second book, there's sexual content I definitely don't like and did not see coming, the action is super boring and spread out, and all the philosophical stuff in between is boring, redundant, or nonsensical. Where the first book was able to establish high stakes that felt real, this one has me rolling my eyes. Not to mention, I don't feel that Maberry did his female characters any justice.
Even the dulcet tones of Ray Porter cannot spur me forward with this book.
Everything I loved about the first one, turned bloated and boring in this sequel.
The first book was smart, action-packed, thoughtful, and as scary as it was sci-fi. Ray Porter knocked it out of the park! But in this second book, there's sexual content I definitely don't like and did not see coming, the action is super boring and spread out, and all the philosophical stuff in between is boring, redundant, or nonsensical. Where the first book was able to establish high stakes that felt real, this one has me rolling my eyes. Not to mention, I don't feel that Maberry did his female characters any justice.
Even the dulcet tones of Ray Porter cannot spur me forward with this book.
November 4, 2025
Scientists have discovered an alien spaceship on Earth where inside are terrible secrets and a creature looking to escape. Soon horrifying nightmares start causing some to commit suicide. On Asphodel Station the ghost-driven fighting machines and other fighters are in a desperate fight for their survival and all the civilians against the deadly shoggoth fleets and to make matters worse a new and more dangerous race has joined the fight. The epic battles that follow may spell the end for them and Earth itself. Can they survive, what will the cost be or could a surprise ally help turn the battle in their favour? Another great tale by Maberry and I highly recommend that fans of the Sci-fi genre read the series.
October 23, 2025
As the second book in the Necrotek series, the story contains a good bit of rehash from Book 1. The novel aspect was the discovery of the Artifact on earth. This portion of the story was all new and well crafted. Then the story transfers to Asphodel and continues the story from Part 1. Although there was some good writing and introduction of new characters, it felt like just more of Part 1. With Vampires, which gave it a Joe Ledger vibe.
If it wasn't Mayberry with Ray Porter's narration, it would not have been quite as enjoyable.
If it wasn't Mayberry with Ray Porter's narration, it would not have been quite as enjoyable.
December 31, 2025
Absolutely brilliant in every way., this second part of the Necrotek series expands and even improves on the excellent first part. Partly set in Antarctica and in a galaxy far, far away, the further story of the people and Necroteks in Asphodel is scary, thrilling and thought provoking, and also peppered with Maberry's excellent sense of humour as well. The parts in Antarctica bring to mind Who Goes There and The Thing, the tension and fear really comes through. I can hardly wait for book three
October 23, 2025
Absolutely brilliant space horror thriller with hints to other Mayberry novels. This book reminds me of a mix between Babylon 5 meets Event Horizon and Spectral. Tension is throughout the book and never a dull moment. I enjoy Mayberrys writing style
November 6, 2025
Great 40K Necron book !
December 2, 2025
Jonathan Maberry does it again!!!
By that I mean he has produced another rip roaring story to entertain us all.
As a storyteller he is up there with the best and long may it continue.
By that I mean he has produced another rip roaring story to entertain us all.
As a storyteller he is up there with the best and long may it continue.
December 25, 2025
think I liked book one better, but good read
December 31, 2025
It’s more of a 4.5 ⭐️ rounded up, due to the pacing. There was one storyline that seemed like nothing happened… but it’s Jonathan Maberry and I’m always down to listen to his ramblings. 🤣
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