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Artifact
In an isolated Alaskan town, the local sheriff uncovers a secret lab where generative A.I. and bioprinting have unleashed grotesque, living anomalies—and now, something monstrous is loose.
Sheriff Colton Graves prefers the quiet life in Raven’s Rest, Alaska, a remote town accessible only by tunnel and home to a hardy mix of locals and secrets buried in the ice. But when a camel wanders down Main Street—its head grotesquely sprouting a dozen eyes—Colton knows his quiet days are over. The bizarre incident leads him to NovaGen, a nearby research facility constructed inside a Cold War bunker, buried in the mountains above town. There, a trail of blood and eerie silence hints at something far more sinister than an escaped animal experiment.
With his deputies—the sharp-witted Tali and rookie Ethan—Colton recruits a few trusted locals, including the unshakable Marit, Tali’s sister, the intimidating ‘Grizz’ Norval, and Edgar ‘Old Red’ Rydell, an aging man plagued by demons from when he worked at the bunker during its covert cold war days.
Together, they investigate the abandoned lab. What begins as a search for missing scientists soon reveals chilling pools of blood without bodies, cryptic warnings left behind, a bloody six-fingered handprint, and the revelation of a new a generative A.I. capable of printing living organisms. As they descend deeper into the lab, it becomes clear that the answers they seek may come at a terrifying cost—and that what was made in the dark may not be content to stay there.
New York Times and #1 Audible bestselling author, Jeremy Robinson, reclaims his title as one of the best Michael Crichton successors, with this harrowing blend of suspense, science, and survival. ARTIFACT takes readers into a frozen abyss where innovation and nightmare collide.
Sheriff Colton Graves prefers the quiet life in Raven’s Rest, Alaska, a remote town accessible only by tunnel and home to a hardy mix of locals and secrets buried in the ice. But when a camel wanders down Main Street—its head grotesquely sprouting a dozen eyes—Colton knows his quiet days are over. The bizarre incident leads him to NovaGen, a nearby research facility constructed inside a Cold War bunker, buried in the mountains above town. There, a trail of blood and eerie silence hints at something far more sinister than an escaped animal experiment.
With his deputies—the sharp-witted Tali and rookie Ethan—Colton recruits a few trusted locals, including the unshakable Marit, Tali’s sister, the intimidating ‘Grizz’ Norval, and Edgar ‘Old Red’ Rydell, an aging man plagued by demons from when he worked at the bunker during its covert cold war days.
Together, they investigate the abandoned lab. What begins as a search for missing scientists soon reveals chilling pools of blood without bodies, cryptic warnings left behind, a bloody six-fingered handprint, and the revelation of a new a generative A.I. capable of printing living organisms. As they descend deeper into the lab, it becomes clear that the answers they seek may come at a terrifying cost—and that what was made in the dark may not be content to stay there.
New York Times and #1 Audible bestselling author, Jeremy Robinson, reclaims his title as one of the best Michael Crichton successors, with this harrowing blend of suspense, science, and survival. ARTIFACT takes readers into a frozen abyss where innovation and nightmare collide.
450 pages, Paperback
First published August 26, 2025
770 people are currently reading
1087 people want to read
About the author
Jeremy Robinson
167 books2,637 followersJeremy Robinson is the New York Times bestselling author of seventy novels and novellas, including Apocalypse Machine, Island 731, and SecondWorld, as well as the Jack Sigler thriller series and Project Nemesis, the highest selling, original (non-licensed) kaiju novel of all time. He’s known for mixing elements of science, history and mythology, which has earned him the #1 spot in Science Fiction and Action-Adventure, and secured him as the top creature feature author. Many of his novels have been adapted into comic books, optioned for film and TV, and translated into thirteen languages. He lives in New Hampshire with his wife and three children. Visit him at www.bewareofmonsters.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 171 reviews
October 9, 2025
There is just something about J. Robinson putting emotions on paper: awkward and profoundly strange. And of course, the whole "monstrous hybrid experiments that spiraled out of control and killed people"-Great touch!
September 23, 2025
This is an outstanding book by Jeremy Robinson. This all begins with what appears to be a mutant camel walking through town. If that is not strange enough, the town is located in Alaska in mid winter. This story is centered around NovaGen and their usage of “bio printing” with AI. Their greed creates the next level of Hell. The Sheriff, Colton Graves, has the blessing/curse of being able to feel the emotions of others. This makes him a great sheriff but at the same time he suffers from sensory overload due to this gift. After seeing the results of NovaGen visit his town he enlists a group of special people to investigate and rescue if necessary.
There is never a dry moment in the literature. To say the emotions were like a rollercoaster would be understating their intensity. There is gore, aberrations, deceit, compassion, terror, distrust and a plethora of action. This is definitely a read that is hard to put down and has one incredible ending.
There is never a dry moment in the literature. To say the emotions were like a rollercoaster would be understating their intensity. There is gore, aberrations, deceit, compassion, terror, distrust and a plethora of action. This is definitely a read that is hard to put down and has one incredible ending.
November 20, 2025
Mr. Robinson's keeping it way to real in this mind bending Sci-Fi tale of horror. AI on steroids. RTC.
Read
September 7, 2025I didn’t hate my time with this book. I appreciated the autism representation even though I thought it was harped on way too much, I get it sensory overload is a bitch, I’ve been living with the crippling migraines it induces, trust me I KNOW, but it got so repetitious. The whole AI is a double edged sword type of deal was also I reflection I could understand.
There were a few moments in the book that felt like they were a little forced and only there to make the characters relatable to younger people and they wouldn’t have made me question what I had read if the author hadn’t included a spiel about AI at the end of the book. A spiel in which he states that he tries to stay out of the AI debate and that he uses AI (specifically Chat GPT and Midjourney) supposedly only for covers, social media posting and organization, as the younglings say; press x to doubt.
There were a few moments in the book that felt like they were a little forced and only there to make the characters relatable to younger people and they wouldn’t have made me question what I had read if the author hadn’t included a spiel about AI at the end of the book. A spiel in which he states that he tries to stay out of the AI debate and that he uses AI (specifically Chat GPT and Midjourney) supposedly only for covers, social media posting and organization, as the younglings say; press x to doubt.
November 18, 2025
alternative title: forget spiderman, this is TICKMAN
you guys liked this lmao??? genuinely, again, a book that was so irritating that during a 30 hour cross country move it sent me into a diatribe that set the cats off from slumber to yowling. the autism depiction was about as accurate and flattering as dr. faketism in the good doctor, as usual an unnecessary shoehorned and extremely cringey romance subplot, humor and metaphors that felt like they were written by middle school fedora soy edgelords, the depictions of laboratory scientists as soulless evil demons proving that the author has never interacted with real scientists before. ugh!!!
oh and reading in the author's note that homeboy uses generative AI for cover art, audio, and music for his books and marketing sometimes? YUCK!
BOOOOOO 🍅🍅🍅
you guys liked this lmao??? genuinely, again, a book that was so irritating that during a 30 hour cross country move it sent me into a diatribe that set the cats off from slumber to yowling. the autism depiction was about as accurate and flattering as dr. faketism in the good doctor, as usual an unnecessary shoehorned and extremely cringey romance subplot, humor and metaphors that felt like they were written by middle school fedora soy edgelords, the depictions of laboratory scientists as soulless evil demons proving that the author has never interacted with real scientists before. ugh!!!
oh and reading in the author's note that homeboy uses generative AI for cover art, audio, and music for his books and marketing sometimes? YUCK!
BOOOOOO 🍅🍅🍅
December 13, 2025
I thought this book was entertaining and relevant up to a point. Didn't really like any of the characters but no deal breakers.
But everyting was kinda ruined afterwards by the authors note. Turns out the author of this book is quite AI positive and made the cover using AI. Also uses AI to lot of other things too. Well, at least he was honest about it. Not gonna read any more of his stuff though.
But everyting was kinda ruined afterwards by the authors note. Turns out the author of this book is quite AI positive and made the cover using AI. Also uses AI to lot of other things too. Well, at least he was honest about it. Not gonna read any more of his stuff though.
August 27, 2025
You know when you start a book and you find a camel walking down the road in Alaska, that it is going to be a fun, interesting adventure. You also know that when that camel has twelve eyes, you are embarking on a wild ride like only Jeremy Robinson can provide. This story is so good! There is such a great cast of characters that are well portrayed and draw you into each of their lives. The action is intense and non-stop, and it makes you just want to keep reading so you can find out what happens.
So step up, hold on and enjoy the ride!
So step up, hold on and enjoy the ride!
December 1, 2025
3.5, a fun concept but im rly not convinced autism works like that, he's like a fucking X-Men character
September 28, 2025
If you are a fan of Michael Crichton, Artifact is a book that you will love! I actually think it’s better than anything Crichton wrote. Yes, I said what I said.
Artifact has all you expect from a Jeremy Robinson novel - fast paced action, brilliant insightful story, real characters with heaps of humour, and lots of gruesome moments. It also has deep introspective emotions that leave you thinking long after the moment has gone. I think this book would rate as one of his best!
In my humble opinion, of course 💙
Artifact has all you expect from a Jeremy Robinson novel - fast paced action, brilliant insightful story, real characters with heaps of humour, and lots of gruesome moments. It also has deep introspective emotions that leave you thinking long after the moment has gone. I think this book would rate as one of his best!
In my humble opinion, of course 💙
January 26, 2026
Not the worst thing I’ve ever read, but definitely not above average. The opening spends an absurd amount of time doing almost nothing, and that dead space could have been used to deepen the characters, make the town feel alive, or give the eventual chaos some emotional weight. Instead, when the bodies start dropping, they feel oddly hollow. Too many deaths that should have mattered just… didn’t.
Most of the characters are painfully one-dimensional, which makes it hard to care about their fates, and by the end the metaphors spiral into the absurd. At a certain point it feels less like symbolism and more like overindulgence, as if every idea had to be pushed past its breaking point for emphasis.
There’s a solid concept here, and I really love the idea. Plus there are flashes where the story hints at something more effective, but it never quite gets there.
Most of the characters are painfully one-dimensional, which makes it hard to care about their fates, and by the end the metaphors spiral into the absurd. At a certain point it feels less like symbolism and more like overindulgence, as if every idea had to be pushed past its breaking point for emphasis.
There’s a solid concept here, and I really love the idea. Plus there are flashes where the story hints at something more effective, but it never quite gets there.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 17, 2025
Excellent…. I didn’t want this book to finish, I enjoyed every minute wish it had been a longer book.
February 24, 2026
An entertaining enough novel, but in light of the author's note I don't trust that the book is written by the author. He says he's committed to supporting human artists, but admitted to using AI to generate book covers and other material, hired a person later, and when that person was turning in AI images he just went back to using generative AI rather than, you know, hiring an actual, not-scammy artist that he claims to be committed to suporting. Ergo: I don't trust that this is actually the author's creative output and will not read any of his other books.
October 22, 2025
The story was great, characters not so much. For example, EVERYONE has autism, oh and it gives you special powers, but only when paired with a tick bite, or something? I found the injected love story unnecessary. Also, the part where he actually had to KILL HIS WIFE'S CLONE was totally glossed over. Just my humble opinion, of course. I still enjoyed most of it and learned to ignore the silly characters (oh, everyone is also a soldier).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 18, 2025
For the audiobook.
It's relatively cookie cutter, but a decent listen. Lots of Reddit cursing and reditisms - which I hate like "twat waffle" type humor. Childish and boring, makes me think of an obese nerd in a star wars shirt who knows everything about politics and is snarky for no reason.
THe sheriff basically has autism as his superpower, and it seems ridiculous, like he's some type of Star Trek Betazoid empath. Lo and behold, the author states he got diagnosed with autism at 40 or 50 - can't remember, I was laughing too hard. I wonder if someone in his life finally gaslit him enough to get the final verdict.
The women are all badasses and fine with their sexuality, of course, and one's even a LESBIAN keeping it a secret in a small town. WOW!!!
Glad it wasn't longer and even more glad it didn't have Will Wheaton in it.
It's relatively cookie cutter, but a decent listen. Lots of Reddit cursing and reditisms - which I hate like "twat waffle" type humor. Childish and boring, makes me think of an obese nerd in a star wars shirt who knows everything about politics and is snarky for no reason.
THe sheriff basically has autism as his superpower, and it seems ridiculous, like he's some type of Star Trek Betazoid empath. Lo and behold, the author states he got diagnosed with autism at 40 or 50 - can't remember, I was laughing too hard. I wonder if someone in his life finally gaslit him enough to get the final verdict.
The women are all badasses and fine with their sexuality, of course, and one's even a LESBIAN keeping it a secret in a small town. WOW!!!
Glad it wasn't longer and even more glad it didn't have Will Wheaton in it.
Read
August 31, 2025DNF a little over 50% in. it's just not keeping my interest.
January 26, 2026
You could save a lot of time and effort from reading this book by just watching any action movie from the past 20 years. You will literally get the same level of entertainment and enjoyment in way less time.
The initial premise is really interesting with the idea of generative AI being able to 3D print actual life forms, but the idea so quickly devolves into Jurassic Park’s theme of science going too far and creating human killing monsters (Ciphers/BioCons are just Raptors.). Then it jumps to being Terminator with its passable human duplicates (Ethan and Voss are just T-1000’s) with absolutely zero explanation of how NovaGen goes from beings with thousands of artifacts (extra toes and stuff) to flawless human replication.
The absolute only redeeming quality of this book is the story of Ethan and his relationship with the other characters especially the sheriff. All of the other characters are textbook tropes (tough lesbian, goofy pothead, nerdy Asian, irreverent old guy) and every scene is a cliche that I’ve seen in a thousand movies. Gathering the crew like Fast and Furious, people dying meaninglessly like Scream (even with the only POC character dying first!), avoiding the monster like Alien, evil corporation like RoboCop.
The entire book is far too campy for me to take it seriously, and it’s trying to pass itself off as serious like I’m not going to realize the tropes and cliches. Oh and I forgot the Inception style ending where it ends before you know whether Ethan is real or not. Ending the book with my final eye-roll of an otherwise eye-roll filled book.
The initial premise is really interesting with the idea of generative AI being able to 3D print actual life forms, but the idea so quickly devolves into Jurassic Park’s theme of science going too far and creating human killing monsters (Ciphers/BioCons are just Raptors.). Then it jumps to being Terminator with its passable human duplicates (Ethan and Voss are just T-1000’s) with absolutely zero explanation of how NovaGen goes from beings with thousands of artifacts (extra toes and stuff) to flawless human replication.
The absolute only redeeming quality of this book is the story of Ethan and his relationship with the other characters especially the sheriff. All of the other characters are textbook tropes (tough lesbian, goofy pothead, nerdy Asian, irreverent old guy) and every scene is a cliche that I’ve seen in a thousand movies. Gathering the crew like Fast and Furious, people dying meaninglessly like Scream (even with the only POC character dying first!), avoiding the monster like Alien, evil corporation like RoboCop.
The entire book is far too campy for me to take it seriously, and it’s trying to pass itself off as serious like I’m not going to realize the tropes and cliches. Oh and I forgot the Inception style ending where it ends before you know whether Ethan is real or not. Ending the book with my final eye-roll of an otherwise eye-roll filled book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 28, 2025
Fun read, Artifact created nightmares and placed them in the one place I’d never go to visit, let alone live!
The story carried an 80’s-like feel, but with various references of other movies and such. I don’t know many people on the spectrum, but this tale had a crew, making things slightly funny. And serious and emotional.
The story carried an 80’s-like feel, but with various references of other movies and such. I don’t know many people on the spectrum, but this tale had a crew, making things slightly funny. And serious and emotional.
December 6, 2025
This is the book I needed for my 7 book 1 star slump. Artifact deserved 5 stars, but I felt the action parts were weak despite the awesome plot and setting. This novel was perfect other than that. I too have no real opinion about AI, but LOVED the questions and situations brought up by the author I will l b reading more by Jeremy Robinson
January 20, 2026
Genuinely loved the concept of this book, but do wish it had been done as something other than the standard "monster escapes the lab and must be contained" formula. This concept could have been expanded into a piece of hard hitting sci fi. That said, it was entertaining for what it is and i'll rate it as such.
March 6, 2026
I enjoyed the heck out of the main plot. Kept me engaged and wanting to know more. A sci fi thriller. Unfortunately, the two subplots were a bit distracting and clunky for me. I haven't read this author before and I think his writing style takes some getting used to. But the story!
October 31, 2025
Jeremy does it again. His books always hook me from start to finish with a well written creepy story. RC is the man and I love his narration.
January 15, 2026
A thriller that meets expectations. Nothing unexpected.
January 22, 2026
Whooo Dandy. What a fun read.
Artifact by Jeremy Robinson.
Mid Winter in a small Alaskan town.
Someone’s been using AI and they are making Monsters.
Rollicking Adventure Horror.
Artifact by Jeremy Robinson.
Mid Winter in a small Alaskan town.
Someone’s been using AI and they are making Monsters.
Rollicking Adventure Horror.
January 17, 2026
Had some cringe worthy portions, but overall I really enjoyed it.
Had a mix of everything. Humor, spooks, ???, lonely sheriff sad vibes, and some twists. I was interested most of the time.
Had a mix of everything. Humor, spooks, ???, lonely sheriff sad vibes, and some twists. I was interested most of the time.
February 19, 2026
What a slog. While being a pretty obvious ripoff of Season 4 of True Detective and a million other research station-in-cold place-doing-bad-things cliches... it had potential. But, the author was so intent on ramming some kind of autistic-superhero/ forced love interest combo in our protagonist, that there was literally no actual character development (this is not a dig at autism, it's a dig that the author doesn't seem to know anything about it and so devalues it into a kind of Rainman aesthetic). The casual misogyny and extremely outdated references also didn't play well with creating any kind of atmosphere. Lastly, if you are the sheriff of a small town in Alaska and discover an obviously lab-created and likely dangerous creature, plus the lab which the animal came from is empty except for the evidence of bloody homicide... you... call... your... boss. You do not just round up a few stereotyped pals, cock a few guns, and not tell any townspeople they may be in danger. You don't ignore the fact that you should bring in outside help to find the missing scientists or examine the animal in a sterile setting as friggin' evidence... and on and on and on.
I can suspend disbelief in many, many cases. I looooove to suspend disbelief. But, not when it's just so... dumb.
I did not finish. I made it about 50% but a meteor could strike anytime or something, and I figure it's not worth it to force myself through.
I can suspend disbelief in many, many cases. I looooove to suspend disbelief. But, not when it's just so... dumb.
I did not finish. I made it about 50% but a meteor could strike anytime or something, and I figure it's not worth it to force myself through.
September 18, 2025
Artifact
This book is really well written...Different from what Mr. Robinson generally writes, but all the same, really good...Hope this isn't a future of what's to come
This book is really well written...Different from what Mr. Robinson generally writes, but all the same, really good...Hope this isn't a future of what's to come
January 2, 2026
We are not starting 2026 strong. It was a great idea at first but definitely didn't hold up. Too much was added into the story to make it enjoyable. I wish it would have continued on with the original idea and didn't mess around with the added backstories of all of the characters.
October 19, 2025
Solid 4 stars. Reads like an awesome high suspense scifi action movie.
September 1, 2025
Now that's a story!
I loved everything about it, characters so interesting and cool, a great location, a mystery and lots of action, heart, and monsters, both human and other. I gobbled this up in big gulps.
I loved everything about it, characters so interesting and cool, a great location, a mystery and lots of action, heart, and monsters, both human and other. I gobbled this up in big gulps.
February 17, 2026
The story would appear to be a warning about the possible ramifications of generative AI as well as the moral implications of its widespread use. In spite of that, the author openly admits in the credits to using generative AI extensively in his work, for his writing as well as for his cover art and illustrations. The lack of self-awareness might be funny if it weren't so depressing. Do better, Mr. Robinson.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 171 reviews