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Sub Zero
The only thing colder than the Antarctic air is the icy chill of death…
Off the coast of McMurdo Station, in the frigid waters of the Southern Ocean, a new species of Antarctic octopus is unintentionally discovered. Specialists aboard a state-of-the-art DARPA research vessel aim to apply the animal’s “sub-zero venom” to one of their projects: An experimental painkiller designed for soldiers on the front lines.
All is going according to plan until the ship is caught in an intense storm. The retrofitted tanker is rocked, and the onboard laboratory is destroyed. Amid the chaos, the lead scientist is infected by a strange virus while conducting the specimen’s dissection.
The scientist didn’t die in the accident. He changed.
Off the coast of McMurdo Station, in the frigid waters of the Southern Ocean, a new species of Antarctic octopus is unintentionally discovered. Specialists aboard a state-of-the-art DARPA research vessel aim to apply the animal’s “sub-zero venom” to one of their projects: An experimental painkiller designed for soldiers on the front lines.
All is going according to plan until the ship is caught in an intense storm. The retrofitted tanker is rocked, and the onboard laboratory is destroyed. Amid the chaos, the lead scientist is infected by a strange virus while conducting the specimen’s dissection.
The scientist didn’t die in the accident. He changed.
230 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 23, 2019
509 people are currently reading
276 people want to read
About the author
Matthew James
44 books122 followersMATT JAMES is the international bestselling author of over thirty-five action-packed titles, including the fan-favorite Jack Reilly series, The Cursed Thief, and The Blood King. He specializes in globetrotting thrillers that fans of James Rollins, Steve Berry, and Ernest Dempsey will devour!
He lives twenty minutes from the beach in sunny South Florida with his amazing wife, three beautiful children, a lovable pitty, and an overly dramatic black cat.
Go to MattJamesAuthor.com and subscribe to his newsletter for early and exclusive news and updates! You will NOT be mercilessly spammed with junk mail. And don't forget to click the FOLLOW button on his Amazon page to receive new release alerts!
He lives twenty minutes from the beach in sunny South Florida with his amazing wife, three beautiful children, a lovable pitty, and an overly dramatic black cat.
Go to MattJamesAuthor.com and subscribe to his newsletter for early and exclusive news and updates! You will NOT be mercilessly spammed with junk mail. And don't forget to click the FOLLOW button on his Amazon page to receive new release alerts!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
November 12, 2019
Okay but not outstanding
This is a monster tale about a new species of octopus found in the Antarctic Ocean.
A retired tanker ship is retrofitted by the Navy and DARPA and sent to the Antarctic Ocean with a team of scientists in the hopes of discovering this octopus and using its venom as a pain blocker for soldiers.
Of course things don't go as planned and of course a deadly storm is headed right for the ship.
I was expecting more from this story. I usually really enjoy stores about the frozen southern part of our world but I found this book to be repetitious and fairly boring.
It was a good idea not executed very well.
This is a monster tale about a new species of octopus found in the Antarctic Ocean.
A retired tanker ship is retrofitted by the Navy and DARPA and sent to the Antarctic Ocean with a team of scientists in the hopes of discovering this octopus and using its venom as a pain blocker for soldiers.
Of course things don't go as planned and of course a deadly storm is headed right for the ship.
I was expecting more from this story. I usually really enjoy stores about the frozen southern part of our world but I found this book to be repetitious and fairly boring.
It was a good idea not executed very well.
April 30, 2020
Oh my goodness, the writing is ridiculously bad.
Bad grammar, odd changes in tense, endless waffling without relevance to the action taking place, logical errors in the plotting, unrealistic characters, repetition... Where was the editor? Or a beta reader?
I am willing to overlook a lot in my popcorn creature features, but I can‘t read this, sorry! DNF at 21%. Yikes.
Bad grammar, odd changes in tense, endless waffling without relevance to the action taking place, logical errors in the plotting, unrealistic characters, repetition... Where was the editor? Or a beta reader?
I am willing to overlook a lot in my popcorn creature features, but I can‘t read this, sorry! DNF at 21%. Yikes.
April 24, 2023
It really amazed me that the characters had such a sense of humor. I suppose that in a story with such serious subject matter and that was supposed to have had a non-stop creep factor, some humor was appropriate and even necessary, otherwise, we would have been left with stale, flat shadows of the people that were moving from one dangerous situation to another. This is a story about a monster, a new species, or at least a never-before-seen species, of octopi that dwelled in the Antarctic Ocean. A previously retired tanker ship is retrofitted by the Navy and DARPA and sent to Antarctic with a team of scientists in the hopes of discovering this octopus and using its venom as a pain blocker for soldiers. This gave the ship and the men a reason for being there, but in reality, it isn't like ONLY THIS octopus had venom that would block pain...this has actually been used in some form for several decades. Anyway, as you can imagine, things didn't go as planned and of course a deadly storm is headed right for the ship. There were a few things that went right for the crew in spite of the storm, but I didn't come away feeling really concerned about the main characters. As a 'zoo person", I was more concerned for the octopus:) This is where the previous humor set the story slightly off course. I really don't think that by the time the storm arrived and the octopus with it, that jokes would have been what was being exchanged among the men while they were supposed to be confronting horror and running in terror. What was an unusual experience for me, and what gave the story that extra boost, was seeing some of the events through the creature's perspective. That was brilliant and original on the author's part and was extremely well done. This book is certainly a read that is well worth the reader's time.
October 3, 2020
A not so great creature feature. Amusing a times but the ending is horrible.
October 22, 2019
This book started off better than it ended. Around chapter 20 it’s dragged for me and felt like it was on a repeat loop. A group of scientist and military are on the hunt for a rare octopus. The octopus infects the lead scientist which leads to him contaminating others of the crew with this alien virus.
March 28, 2021
Wie immer bei den Büchern vom Lucifer Verlag lässt sich auch »Sub Zero« wunderbar leicht weglesen.
Die Story fand ich ziemlich vorhersehbar, aber als es darum geht dabei zuzusehen, wie die Crew um ihr Leben kämpft und wie Seth Donovan alles dafür tut, immer mehr von ihnen seinem Schwarm – ich nenne es jetzt mal so – hinzuzufügen, konnte ich es trotzdem kaum beiseite legen.
Die Idee einer außerirdischen Invasion ist nicht neu, genauso wenig wie die Art und Weise, wie Donovan infiziert wird. Was dann später aus ihm und seinen Jüngern wird, war faszinierend und eklig zugleich, und als Captain House schließlich erkennt, was auf seinem Schiff überhaupt los ist, ist es schon fast zu spät. Aber der Mann ist ein Haudegen alter Schule und nicht bereit, sein Schiff und die Überreste seiner Mannschaft einfach so einem Monster zu überlassen. Schon gar nicht, als er erfährt, welches Geheimnis seine Tochter hütet, die ebenfalls mit an Bord ist.
Fazit: Für einen gemütlichen Leseabend durchaus geeignet. Man sollte aber keine ausgereifte Story oder im Gedächtnis bleibende Charaktere erwarten. Egal. Spaß macht das Buch trotzdem.
Die Story fand ich ziemlich vorhersehbar, aber als es darum geht dabei zuzusehen, wie die Crew um ihr Leben kämpft und wie Seth Donovan alles dafür tut, immer mehr von ihnen seinem Schwarm – ich nenne es jetzt mal so – hinzuzufügen, konnte ich es trotzdem kaum beiseite legen.
Die Idee einer außerirdischen Invasion ist nicht neu, genauso wenig wie die Art und Weise, wie Donovan infiziert wird. Was dann später aus ihm und seinen Jüngern wird, war faszinierend und eklig zugleich, und als Captain House schließlich erkennt, was auf seinem Schiff überhaupt los ist, ist es schon fast zu spät. Aber der Mann ist ein Haudegen alter Schule und nicht bereit, sein Schiff und die Überreste seiner Mannschaft einfach so einem Monster zu überlassen. Schon gar nicht, als er erfährt, welches Geheimnis seine Tochter hütet, die ebenfalls mit an Bord ist.
Fazit: Für einen gemütlichen Leseabend durchaus geeignet. Man sollte aber keine ausgereifte Story oder im Gedächtnis bleibende Charaktere erwarten. Egal. Spaß macht das Buch trotzdem.
April 15, 2020
This feels like the authors first book. So I was surprised to see they have written many others. There are mistakes and errors in the slow of the story that someone with multiple books under their belt should know to avoid and not do.
The biggest mistake was not explaining well enough why certain things couldn’t be done and opening up lines of thought and story branches that ultimately went no where and left the reader hanging.
It’s very much obvious to anyone who reads the book that something more was planned for Trip one of the main cast. With hints dropped that something was happening to him too and he knew more than he let on. But then that went no where and even the epilogue and standard horror book trope of “the enemy isn’t really gone” didn’t give any payoff.
The there was the “joining” of others to the villain. He gained all their knowledge and skills the book seemed to want to state from the start and then when others joined it seemed they gained that knowledge too as they acted as a hive mind of sorts. Yet at no point does this set up ever get used. They get trained fighters in their ranks but none of the villains ever use this gained knowledge. Fighting like wild animals.
There is so much set up in this book that has no payoff what so ever. It’s a book one would use to teach others about how not to write.
The only reason I’m rating it two stars is that some of the characters were alright and the premise behind it was really interesting and had a better author wrote this I imagine a very different more horrific terrifying experience that builds suspense much better.
Do yourself a favour, read right up to the point the villain takes over the bridge and then skip to like the last twenty pages. You honestly don’t need to read anything else between that.
The biggest mistake was not explaining well enough why certain things couldn’t be done and opening up lines of thought and story branches that ultimately went no where and left the reader hanging.
It’s very much obvious to anyone who reads the book that something more was planned for Trip one of the main cast. With hints dropped that something was happening to him too and he knew more than he let on. But then that went no where and even the epilogue and standard horror book trope of “the enemy isn’t really gone” didn’t give any payoff.
The there was the “joining” of others to the villain. He gained all their knowledge and skills the book seemed to want to state from the start and then when others joined it seemed they gained that knowledge too as they acted as a hive mind of sorts. Yet at no point does this set up ever get used. They get trained fighters in their ranks but none of the villains ever use this gained knowledge. Fighting like wild animals.
There is so much set up in this book that has no payoff what so ever. It’s a book one would use to teach others about how not to write.
The only reason I’m rating it two stars is that some of the characters were alright and the premise behind it was really interesting and had a better author wrote this I imagine a very different more horrific terrifying experience that builds suspense much better.
Do yourself a favour, read right up to the point the villain takes over the bridge and then skip to like the last twenty pages. You honestly don’t need to read anything else between that.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 23, 2025
Originally published on the book blog Creature From the Book Lagoon.
This is my first time reading this author’s work. The cover caught my eye right away. The plot blurb sounds right up my alley, too! I had no idea what to expect.
I had my fingers crossed that this would be a zombie story. And it was! Yay! Sorta. More alien parasite zombies. Oooooh, fun! I’m a big fan of alien parasites. These guys are nice and icky. 🙂 Totally The Strain meets The Faculty but on a ship in the Arctic vibe. Niiiiiice.
Loved the diverse and inclusive cast. Very happy to see the main character, the captain of the ship, is a person of color. There were also strong roles for female characters and LGBTQA+ representation. 😀
The plot is good. A little bit of set up and then straight to the alien action. There was a tense alien cat and mouse chase. The ending felt like it slowed down a little bit though.
The narrator is ok, but felt like a bad choice for this story? It (his voice) just didn’t seem to fit any of the characters very well. Plus, aside from the main character, everyone sounded exactly the same. :/
I like Sub Zero, but I didn’t love Sub Zero. It is a decent alien zombie on a ship story. However, the ending feels a little too long winded and the narrator just felt like an odd fit. I do enjoy the plot and the writing style. I would definitely read something else from this author. 🙂
This is my first time reading this author’s work. The cover caught my eye right away. The plot blurb sounds right up my alley, too! I had no idea what to expect.
I had my fingers crossed that this would be a zombie story. And it was! Yay! Sorta. More alien parasite zombies. Oooooh, fun! I’m a big fan of alien parasites. These guys are nice and icky. 🙂 Totally The Strain meets The Faculty but on a ship in the Arctic vibe. Niiiiiice.
Loved the diverse and inclusive cast. Very happy to see the main character, the captain of the ship, is a person of color. There were also strong roles for female characters and LGBTQA+ representation. 😀
The plot is good. A little bit of set up and then straight to the alien action. There was a tense alien cat and mouse chase. The ending felt like it slowed down a little bit though.
The narrator is ok, but felt like a bad choice for this story? It (his voice) just didn’t seem to fit any of the characters very well. Plus, aside from the main character, everyone sounded exactly the same. :/
I like Sub Zero, but I didn’t love Sub Zero. It is a decent alien zombie on a ship story. However, the ending feels a little too long winded and the narrator just felt like an odd fit. I do enjoy the plot and the writing style. I would definitely read something else from this author. 🙂
May 19, 2020
Lovely ; heart pumping adventure!
I enjoyed reading this story. It was nonstop from beginning to end. This story is about a naval expedition that runs into a mysterious sea creature that has its own agenda that may not be favourable for the human race. This was a cracking good read !
I enjoyed reading this story. It was nonstop from beginning to end. This story is about a naval expedition that runs into a mysterious sea creature that has its own agenda that may not be favourable for the human race. This was a cracking good read !
December 7, 2024
Hated this. Pissed me all the way off, and a large portion of that was the narrator, so it'd probably be better if you just read it. I feel like if the MC is a middle aged black man, they should've got a black reader
The tone and intonation are way off and it makes it hard to tell whether it's meant to be an intense scene or not. The character voices themselves are also awful. Like, almost every side character has the same like, nerdle voice. Like real cliche high pitched nerd voices, which makes it come off like they're all antagonists even though I am pretty sure they're not, but it sounds so insulting I can't help but assume they're being patronised by the narrator. And I'm also not 100% sure the scientists on this ship AREN'T being shown as vaguely antagonistic. In a story like this the tribalism is usually done away with in favour of banding together, but it's still very much ship vs scientists at least like, subtextually. There's also an older male character who's a friend of the protag, and like, yeah give him an old man voice. However the voice chosen was that of a 19th century Appalachian gold miner. All I could think of was Cookie from Atlantis: The Lost Empire. After this one I tried to start an unrelated book by a different author with a different narrator, which I DNF'd immediately because all the characters somehow sounded EXACTLY the same. Same nerds. Same old appalachian man. What are the odds?
As for the story itself, I was excited. It's a cross between my 3 favourite things: Antarctic horror, deep water horror, and octopuses. Unfortunately, it wasn't actually about ANY of those things. I started it because the book I ACTUALLY had picked out was an alien first contact story and I'm not really interested in first contact, so I wanted to go for something basic that I knew I liked but nope, also first contact. extremely disappointed.
The characters themselves, narration aside, weren't very good either. Lots of one-liners that cut the tension. Villain was cartoonish. Really, just nothing about this book was good.
2/10
The tone and intonation are way off and it makes it hard to tell whether it's meant to be an intense scene or not. The character voices themselves are also awful. Like, almost every side character has the same like, nerdle voice. Like real cliche high pitched nerd voices, which makes it come off like they're all antagonists even though I am pretty sure they're not, but it sounds so insulting I can't help but assume they're being patronised by the narrator. And I'm also not 100% sure the scientists on this ship AREN'T being shown as vaguely antagonistic. In a story like this the tribalism is usually done away with in favour of banding together, but it's still very much ship vs scientists at least like, subtextually. There's also an older male character who's a friend of the protag, and like, yeah give him an old man voice. However the voice chosen was that of a 19th century Appalachian gold miner. All I could think of was Cookie from Atlantis: The Lost Empire. After this one I tried to start an unrelated book by a different author with a different narrator, which I DNF'd immediately because all the characters somehow sounded EXACTLY the same. Same nerds. Same old appalachian man. What are the odds?
As for the story itself, I was excited. It's a cross between my 3 favourite things: Antarctic horror, deep water horror, and octopuses. Unfortunately, it wasn't actually about ANY of those things. I started it because the book I ACTUALLY had picked out was an alien first contact story and I'm not really interested in first contact, so I wanted to go for something basic that I knew I liked but nope, also first contact. extremely disappointed.
The characters themselves, narration aside, weren't very good either. Lots of one-liners that cut the tension. Villain was cartoonish. Really, just nothing about this book was good.
2/10
March 8, 2020
The book started out okay them it got worse and then just boring.
I didn't like how everything got kind of over explained in the endless inner monologues. Because of that not only found I the characters bland but began to dislike them.
Yes, im not in doubt who the good guys are or the super heroes...or the villain.
The plot itself could have redeemed the book somewhat but it didn't. Again everything got spelled out. And the 'monster' was disappointing.
In the end I stopped caring about what would happen around a quarter into the book. Skimmed the rest of the book because if not I would probably not pick it up again.
However, if you are not annoyed by the writing style like me, then it is probably a decent book.
I didn't like how everything got kind of over explained in the endless inner monologues. Because of that not only found I the characters bland but began to dislike them.
Yes, im not in doubt who the good guys are or the super heroes...or the villain.
The plot itself could have redeemed the book somewhat but it didn't. Again everything got spelled out. And the 'monster' was disappointing.
In the end I stopped caring about what would happen around a quarter into the book. Skimmed the rest of the book because if not I would probably not pick it up again.
However, if you are not annoyed by the writing style like me, then it is probably a decent book.
November 1, 2024
Interesting Prologue!
Matt's prologue was interesting with deep sea, 👽 written all over but down the line the science took a backseat and it became a movie in the sci-fi channel.
Fast paced but predictable till the climax and off course the expected epilogue.
First book I've read from the author and will try another of his books before a final judgement.
Edit - 4 years down the line I've not yet read another book from Matt but a chance reading of a free sample of one of his books in Greig Becks fabulous Mysterious Island 4 has rekindled interest and am now browsing Matt's titles. I had discovered this book during the Covid lockdown when I tried many diverse authors and books.
This review was on Amazon from June 2020. https://www.amazon.in/review/R1ATOV4B...
Matt's prologue was interesting with deep sea, 👽 written all over but down the line the science took a backseat and it became a movie in the sci-fi channel.
Fast paced but predictable till the climax and off course the expected epilogue.
First book I've read from the author and will try another of his books before a final judgement.
Edit - 4 years down the line I've not yet read another book from Matt but a chance reading of a free sample of one of his books in Greig Becks fabulous Mysterious Island 4 has rekindled interest and am now browsing Matt's titles. I had discovered this book during the Covid lockdown when I tried many diverse authors and books.
This review was on Amazon from June 2020. https://www.amazon.in/review/R1ATOV4B...
March 1, 2022
Not a bad read. Not a great one either, the whole story was just kind of... blah to me. There's nothing here that hasn't been done both better and worse in dozens of other novels of this genre. It reminded me of one of the old Dr Who episodes from the 80's - fun stuff but no feeling of dread or the tense atmosphere that the writer is probably shooting for.
There were a few bright spots but I didn't come away feeling unnerved or even really concerned about the main characters, probably because they were cracking jokes the same time they were supposedly fleeing in terror. If the stories' own heroes can't take the monsters seriously how is the reader expected to?
There were a few bright spots but I didn't come away feeling unnerved or even really concerned about the main characters, probably because they were cracking jokes the same time they were supposedly fleeing in terror. If the stories' own heroes can't take the monsters seriously how is the reader expected to?
October 11, 2021
This was a strange story. I thought it would have more to do with the squid so that was a bit disappointing
A meteor splashes down and a decade later a rare squid is caught by a research vessel - an alien residing in it. By accident, the lead scientist is infected and soon the whole crew is brought together as one entity.
Think Leviathan only on a ship instead of an underwater drilling station.
Good read with a lot of action. The narrator wasn't one I would have picked for the job but he spoke clearly.
A meteor splashes down and a decade later a rare squid is caught by a research vessel - an alien residing in it. By accident, the lead scientist is infected and soon the whole crew is brought together as one entity.
Think Leviathan only on a ship instead of an underwater drilling station.
Good read with a lot of action. The narrator wasn't one I would have picked for the job but he spoke clearly.
October 22, 2023
One would think the biggest threat in the Antarctic would be the bitter cold. No one on board is expecting to find a new species, one that will threaten the lives of everyone on board. This was a pretty fun read. Things take off rather quick and people are taken out one after the other. Told in multiple POVs, the story revolves around a ship Captain and his crew who encounter something unheard of, very much like the Thing. It’s actually pretty scary to think of what’s hiding in ice on this planet, hopefully nothing as wild or dangerous as what they run in to here.
August 3, 2020
This book was ridiculously bad written - it felt soooo amateurish!! There was a lot of waffling and a lot of "this is super high tech", but not a lot of substance. The plot took a lot to kick in and at the stage I got to, at 34% things only just got to start happening. I was very disappointed as the premise was very interesting.
April 11, 2023
Do yourself a huge favor and DO NOT waste any time reading this piece of garbage . Unbelievably terrible.
I forced myself to finish this …. not even sure how to classify it. Sure wish I would have stopped reading it.
Zero plot and character development . Just really bad writing . Bad Bad Bad. Other than that, I hated it !!
I forced myself to finish this …. not even sure how to classify it. Sure wish I would have stopped reading it.
Zero plot and character development . Just really bad writing . Bad Bad Bad. Other than that, I hated it !!
March 13, 2020
ReVengeance at it's best!
Goodness gracious me, what a story in the genre of Science Fiction.
Gripping throughout. An Octopus, a Doctor and a Ship Captain take you through a ride that is seldom called 'Smooth'.
Goodness gracious me, what a story in the genre of Science Fiction.
Gripping throughout. An Octopus, a Doctor and a Ship Captain take you through a ride that is seldom called 'Smooth'.
March 29, 2020
When I began reading Sub Zero, I wasn’t sure if I’d like it. It turned out to be an exciting read. The alien, the activities of Coalesce and even the House crew was fantastic. I truly enjoyed the story, the manner in which it was written and the ending was tucked and sweet.
April 17, 2020
A quick read with an interesting spin on zombies (sort of) and alien infestation. Fairly good characterization and the story moved along at a nice pace. If this was the first book in a series though, I don't know that I would search out the next book. Not a compelling read just a fair story.
March 6, 2021
Sub zero was one horror book I enjoyed a lot. It's been awhile since I got a good chill not want to put down book. I didn't give it five star's only because the author didn't explain how one character was doing after all he went through.
May 15, 2021
Fairly good read for its genre
While I thought it would be different, Sub Zero was not a bad book, just one I normally would not read. However, for those that enjoy aliens and zombies, then this book is for you.
While I thought it would be different, Sub Zero was not a bad book, just one I normally would not read. However, for those that enjoy aliens and zombies, then this book is for you.
April 7, 2023
Good story, good concept but some delivery issues in how the creature and host’s interact. That and the audiobook narration was not the best and it made me laugh more than it allowed me to become immersed.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 12, 2023
I really liked the way the story moved along. It was a good pace. My only complaint is that some of the main characters didn't make it. Half way through I had trouble putting the book down and wanted to know what happens next!!
April 19, 2023
interesting but long take on zombies
This book is an interesting, but long take on the zombie trope about what happens when a mysterious contagion is released aboard a Research/military vessel, and the group of plucky individuals that fight off the coming horde.
This book is an interesting, but long take on the zombie trope about what happens when a mysterious contagion is released aboard a Research/military vessel, and the group of plucky individuals that fight off the coming horde.
March 18, 2020
The Coalesce
This is a great book for teens on up. It grabs you right away and keeps grabbing and moving. Fast paced ocean novel.
This is a great book for teens on up. It grabs you right away and keeps grabbing and moving. Fast paced ocean novel.
April 10, 2020
Thinking about what this book could have been angers me.
May 24, 2020
Good read. Looking forward to the next book. Good alien story with some original ideas.
August 6, 2020
Started off strong but dragged on in the second half.
December 15, 2020
Great monster but I failed to really care about any of the other characters.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews