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Black Site
For fans of H.P. Lovecraft and Alien comes a new work of cosmic terror!
Inside an abandoned mining station, in the depths of space, a team of scientists are seeking to unravel the secrets of humanity’s origin. Using cutting-edge genetic cloning experiments, their discoveries take them down an unimaginable and frightening path as their latest creation proves to be far more than they had bargained for.
Black Site is a short story of approximately 10,000 words.
Inside an abandoned mining station, in the depths of space, a team of scientists are seeking to unravel the secrets of humanity’s origin. Using cutting-edge genetic cloning experiments, their discoveries take them down an unimaginable and frightening path as their latest creation proves to be far more than they had bargained for.
Black Site is a short story of approximately 10,000 words.
51 pages, ebook
First published May 9, 2017
4 people are currently reading
80 people want to read
About the author
Michael Patrick Hicks
38 books510 followersMichael Patrick Hicks is the author of several horror books, including the Salem Hawley series and Friday Night Massacre. His debut novel, Convergence, was an Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Finalist in science fiction, and his short stories have appeared in more than a dozen anthologies.
You can find Michael’s books on Amazon in print, ebook, and audiobook at http://viewauthor.at/MichaelPatrickHicks.
Connect with Michael at:
Website: http://michaelpatrickhicks.com
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/michaelpatri...
You can find Michael’s books on Amazon in print, ebook, and audiobook at http://viewauthor.at/MichaelPatrickHicks.
Connect with Michael at:
Website: http://michaelpatrickhicks.com
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/michaelpatri...
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
May 24, 2017
When a bunch of clones search for the origins of human life through genetic experiments, they uncover something far older and more sinister...
Black Site is a sf horror novella with Lovecraftian overtones and one hell of a read. Alpha and his fellow clones were innocently dabbling with genetic manipulation when they accidentally unleash a life form from the dawn of the universe. Awesomeness ensues.
As impressed as I was with Revolver, Black Site is even better. It has that claustrophobic feeling that the Alien movies share as well as an undercurrent of insanity. MPH has crafted a brutal horror tale here. Four out of five stars.
Black Site is a sf horror novella with Lovecraftian overtones and one hell of a read. Alpha and his fellow clones were innocently dabbling with genetic manipulation when they accidentally unleash a life form from the dawn of the universe. Awesomeness ensues.
As impressed as I was with Revolver, Black Site is even better. It has that claustrophobic feeling that the Alien movies share as well as an undercurrent of insanity. MPH has crafted a brutal horror tale here. Four out of five stars.
January 25, 2021
** Edited as review is now live on Kendall Reviews! **
A story so good, I read it twice!
I actually did.
My sincere apologies to Michael Patrick Hicks. I originally read this in November of 2019 and submitted a review to Gavin. Somewhere in CyberSpace, it decided to hitchhike on a different plain and … gone. By the time Gavin realized he didn’t have it (KR: Apologies), I’d already (like a schmuck!) deleted the review and couldn’t find it in my sent folder.
So, my apologies.
If you’ve followed along with any of my reading/reviewing adventures, you’ll know two things. 1) I love Michael’s work. B) I love sci-fi horror.
What I liked: This is a very quick read, as it is a short story that originally appeared in an anthology. Michael has made it a stand-alone tale so that you can discover some of his work and this would be a great place to dive in. ‘Black Site’ follows a group of scientists attempting to unlock one of mankind’s unknown questions – where did we come from.
Hicks does a great job of creating a ton of tension with a short page count and I loved the ideas he put in here about where we come from and what that means.
What I didn’t like: I understand Hicks had a limited word count, but I still wish we could’ve learned more about the characters in this story. I’m staying vague as I don’t want to play spoiler but each character doesn’t get much space to grow.
Why you should buy this: Hicks is one of the best writers out there and this is a great example of the scope of storytelling he is capable of. ‘Black Site’ may be a quick read but it has a ton of story stuffed into it and reading it was a very cinematic experience.
A story so good, I read it twice!
I actually did.
My sincere apologies to Michael Patrick Hicks. I originally read this in November of 2019 and submitted a review to Gavin. Somewhere in CyberSpace, it decided to hitchhike on a different plain and … gone. By the time Gavin realized he didn’t have it (KR: Apologies), I’d already (like a schmuck!) deleted the review and couldn’t find it in my sent folder.
So, my apologies.
If you’ve followed along with any of my reading/reviewing adventures, you’ll know two things. 1) I love Michael’s work. B) I love sci-fi horror.
What I liked: This is a very quick read, as it is a short story that originally appeared in an anthology. Michael has made it a stand-alone tale so that you can discover some of his work and this would be a great place to dive in. ‘Black Site’ follows a group of scientists attempting to unlock one of mankind’s unknown questions – where did we come from.
Hicks does a great job of creating a ton of tension with a short page count and I loved the ideas he put in here about where we come from and what that means.
What I didn’t like: I understand Hicks had a limited word count, but I still wish we could’ve learned more about the characters in this story. I’m staying vague as I don’t want to play spoiler but each character doesn’t get much space to grow.
Why you should buy this: Hicks is one of the best writers out there and this is a great example of the scope of storytelling he is capable of. ‘Black Site’ may be a quick read but it has a ton of story stuffed into it and reading it was a very cinematic experience.
June 14, 2017
Black Site is one look at what happens when you tempt fate by opening Pandora's box. The story has the claustrophobic feel of Alien or a similar sci-fi horror movie. Alpha and his crew are looking for what made us human and self aware in the universe. Little did he know when you look too hard something may be looking back. Thru more iterations than we can count the cloning process was used to explore and experiment. Cloning has a certain appeal, until I read a story like this and see how crazy and sideways it can go.
May 10, 2017
Clones!?!
I love Michael Patrick Hicks' writing. He always puts in that twist that you know is coming, you just never know where/how.
I saw a couple scenes in here that reminded me of the Aliens movies. It was creepily awesome!
I originally read this short in, CLONES: The Anthology
I love Michael Patrick Hicks' writing. He always puts in that twist that you know is coming, you just never know where/how.
I saw a couple scenes in here that reminded me of the Aliens movies. It was creepily awesome!
I originally read this short in, CLONES: The Anthology
June 5, 2018
Excellent. original science fiction combined with horror story.
A black site operation is being used for the explicit purpose of finding and producing a being that represents the origins of man. This experiment goes awry when it is realized the beginnings of mankind may stretch into the beginnings of the universe and beyond.
Loved the fast pace and one thrill after another.
Live everything by Mr. Hicks!
A black site operation is being used for the explicit purpose of finding and producing a being that represents the origins of man. This experiment goes awry when it is realized the beginnings of mankind may stretch into the beginnings of the universe and beyond.
Loved the fast pace and one thrill after another.
Live everything by Mr. Hicks!
June 23, 2017
An effective short story that anyone who's a fan of the 'In space nobody can hear you scream' kind of atmosphere. The author as usual has quite the knack for describing violence and eerie settings. The ideas behind the reasons for cloning are somewhat far fetched but that's half the fun. What this story really lacks that some of the author's better work utilises so effectively is a sympathetic character. It's fun watching characters with little more than a 'subject' name and personality get picked off one by one, and the mind games involved up the ante, but in the end I'm not left caring for anyone much.
April 29, 2025
Interesante relato. Recomendable : Si
Cómo lo menciona el autor es un relato corto, tiene la capacidad de crear un entorno, personajes, antecedentes, trama, intriga, suspenso, climax y desenlace en 10,000 palabras.
Ojalá se convierta en una novela de mayor longitud.
Cómo lo menciona el autor es un relato corto, tiene la capacidad de crear un entorno, personajes, antecedentes, trama, intriga, suspenso, climax y desenlace en 10,000 palabras.
Ojalá se convierta en una novela de mayor longitud.
April 27, 2021
Michael Patrick Hick's Black Site is a dark and violent look into the dangers of man's hubris when left unchecked. I really enjoyed this and had a lot of fun reading it, but a couple things pulled me out of the story.
First, I didn't quite understand the connection between the Lovecraftian Old God and human evolution. I get that the characters probably wouldn't know this, as the story unfolds in a 24-hour period, but as someone who was trying to piece everything together, I was confused.
Secondly, Hicks introduces some ambiguity in at the very end of the story that makes the reader question what's actually happening at the end. In general, I'm fine with this sort of thing, but it felt a little tacked on at the end here. I would have liked to have seen it fleshed out more throughout the story.
Overall, I really did like this story. The quibbles I mentioned above pulled me out briefly, but they didn't detract from my overall enjoyment.
First, I didn't quite understand the connection between the Lovecraftian Old God and human evolution. I get that the characters probably wouldn't know this, as the story unfolds in a 24-hour period, but as someone who was trying to piece everything together, I was confused.
Secondly, Hicks introduces some ambiguity in at the very end of the story that makes the reader question what's actually happening at the end. In general, I'm fine with this sort of thing, but it felt a little tacked on at the end here. I would have liked to have seen it fleshed out more throughout the story.
Overall, I really did like this story. The quibbles I mentioned above pulled me out briefly, but they didn't detract from my overall enjoyment.
May 23, 2022
Wow, a fast read but very interesting, sad and out of the box. It made me think, most books I read don't do that.
July 19, 2021
Michael Patrick Hicks brings us the bio-horror tale, Black Site. It’s a blend of science fiction and horror that takes place on an abandoned mining colony, in a lab. All of the characters were vat-grown from manipulated DNA taken from “Papa.” Alpha is the oldest, the most similar to Papa, and seemingly the leader. He’s worried about the latest clone, Victor. The whole point of the project is to work backwards through human DNA to find the original progenitor to all life on Earth. Whenever Alpha is near Victor, his head hurts, and Victor doesn’t look all that human. Soon he decides that it would be a very good idea to terminate Victor’s life.
I was a little unhappy with how the only female character–Echo–was treated. As the only female naturally she’s sleeping with our main character Alpha, and she has the usual soft-heartedness. However, I do like the fact that there’s an aspect of, ugh, these two are basically clones of the same person (just with a few tweaks) and yet they’re having sex. It’s one of those random things you have to wonder about when dealing with genetic experimentation.
While I love what eventually turns out to be going on, and why, it comes a little too easily. Alpha comes up with a fairly complex explanation of what Victor is with very little information to work with at first, which was just kind of, “huh?”
Luckily the setting and the plot and the events that happen are all really interesting. I’m glad I read this book.
Original review posted on my blog: https://www.errantdreams.com/2021/07/...
I was a little unhappy with how the only female character–Echo–was treated. As the only female naturally she’s sleeping with our main character Alpha, and she has the usual soft-heartedness. However, I do like the fact that there’s an aspect of, ugh, these two are basically clones of the same person (just with a few tweaks) and yet they’re having sex. It’s one of those random things you have to wonder about when dealing with genetic experimentation.
While I love what eventually turns out to be going on, and why, it comes a little too easily. Alpha comes up with a fairly complex explanation of what Victor is with very little information to work with at first, which was just kind of, “huh?”
Luckily the setting and the plot and the events that happen are all really interesting. I’m glad I read this book.
Original review posted on my blog: https://www.errantdreams.com/2021/07/...
May 10, 2017
Not Kindle Unlimited but got it from the writer for possible review {originally part of an anthology called Clones by various writers}.
This was a very short very odd story that reminded me of the saying that we are made of star stuff; but are we the only 'beings' that were? There is no way to tell any more; between the blurb and it being a short story that is harder to do than usual. Very odd but that thought did make me think.
This was a very short very odd story that reminded me of the saying that we are made of star stuff; but are we the only 'beings' that were? There is no way to tell any more; between the blurb and it being a short story that is harder to do than usual. Very odd but that thought did make me think.
May 16, 2017
I was lucky enough to get an early read of Hicks's latest work and man am I a lucky guy. Black Site hits all of my horror and scifi sweet spots, blending terror with high tech wizardry and the ensuing moral implications. The world faded away as I fell into the space tale of man's hubris gone terribly wrong. And that cover. Wow. For once, you CAN judge a book by its cover. Black Site is a surefire can't miss.
October 13, 2022
RECENSIONE A CURA DEL BLOG "GLI OCCHI DEL LUPO"
Cosa ha causato il big bang?
Com’è iniziata la vita sul nostro pianeta?
Da dove vengono gli umani?
E cosa c’è nel resto dell’universo?
Sono queste le domande che un team di scienziati si pone, all’interno del laboratorio segreto che hanno allestito nello spazio.
All’interno di questa miniera abbandonata stanno, infatti, effettuando una serie di esperimenti di clonazione e di genetica nella speranza di ricreare il primo essere umano, una scoperta che rivoluzionerebbe la scienza così come noi la conosciamo. Ma giocare con la natura non è sempre una scelta saggia, e purtroppo i nostri cari scienziati lo scopriranno presto, a loro spese, quando si accorgeranno che il frutto dei loro esperimenti è tutto fuorché umano.
“Noi stiamo cercando
l’antenato diretto dell’uomo.
Penso che ciò che abbiamo trovato
sia molto, molto,
più di questo.”
“Black site” è un breve racconto fantascientifico abbastanza inquietante.
La storia solleva interrogativi che tutti, almeno una volta nella vita, ci siamo posti. Perché anche se sappiamo tutti che l’universo è nato dal big bang e poi c’è stato il brodo primordiale e poi i microorganismi si sono evoluti e via dicendo, ma riflettendoci bene la domanda sorge spontanea: cosa c’era prima del big bang? Possibile che l’universo fosse solo un grande ammasso di gas dispersi? E se ci fosse stato altro? E poi chi lo dice che siamo i primi e unici abitanti dell’universo? Chi ci dice che là fuori non ci sia altro? Insomma, interrogativi a cui molto probabilmente non troveremo mai delle risposte, e forse a volte è meglio non indagare troppo: si potrebbero avere brutte sorprese!
Una lettura breve ma molto interessante.
Cosa ha causato il big bang?
Com’è iniziata la vita sul nostro pianeta?
Da dove vengono gli umani?
E cosa c’è nel resto dell’universo?
Sono queste le domande che un team di scienziati si pone, all’interno del laboratorio segreto che hanno allestito nello spazio.
All’interno di questa miniera abbandonata stanno, infatti, effettuando una serie di esperimenti di clonazione e di genetica nella speranza di ricreare il primo essere umano, una scoperta che rivoluzionerebbe la scienza così come noi la conosciamo. Ma giocare con la natura non è sempre una scelta saggia, e purtroppo i nostri cari scienziati lo scopriranno presto, a loro spese, quando si accorgeranno che il frutto dei loro esperimenti è tutto fuorché umano.
“Noi stiamo cercando
l’antenato diretto dell’uomo.
Penso che ciò che abbiamo trovato
sia molto, molto,
più di questo.”
“Black site” è un breve racconto fantascientifico abbastanza inquietante.
La storia solleva interrogativi che tutti, almeno una volta nella vita, ci siamo posti. Perché anche se sappiamo tutti che l’universo è nato dal big bang e poi c’è stato il brodo primordiale e poi i microorganismi si sono evoluti e via dicendo, ma riflettendoci bene la domanda sorge spontanea: cosa c’era prima del big bang? Possibile che l’universo fosse solo un grande ammasso di gas dispersi? E se ci fosse stato altro? E poi chi lo dice che siamo i primi e unici abitanti dell’universo? Chi ci dice che là fuori non ci sia altro? Insomma, interrogativi a cui molto probabilmente non troveremo mai delle risposte, e forse a volte è meglio non indagare troppo: si potrebbero avere brutte sorprese!
Una lettura breve ma molto interessante.
June 25, 2020
This was a really fun, short read. I didn't know what to expect and I was really glad that I went into it blind. It was certainly something I haven't read before.
November 17, 2022
Uno sci-fi horror che coniuga davvero bene le atmosfere di Alien con un'eco lovecraftiana incredibilmente vivida. Avrei voluto che fosse un romanzo lungo.
July 15, 2024
I’ve been a fan of Mr. Hicks work for a long time.
This short does not disappoint.
This short does not disappoint.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews