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Amalgam #1
Contact
An off-world mining company scrambles to launch an operation and stake its claim first after a deep space satellite scan reveals a large vein of unidentifiable metal on an exomoon light years away.Except it’s not a vein of metal at all. And when they reach it, something monstrous and hungry emerges to feed.Something insatiable.The fight for survival has begun, and the odds of living are low and dropping quick.“OMFG it was EPIC!!! The whole book was ‘holy sh%t!’ after ‘holy sh%t!’ and even some iconic ‘you gotta be f#@$ing kidding me’s!!!’ in there. Your creature is friggin outstanding! I mean so frickin sick and original! Like a friggin … mutated alien blob hydra! Perfection! It made my heart pound and I almost crapped my pants in one scene. You f#@$ing rule!” - Brad Tierney, Uber Kick@$$ Amazon and Goodreads Reviewer
148 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 23, 2021
50 people are currently reading
213 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
December 23, 2021
I loved this book and it felt like I was watching a movie. The characters are great and the relationships feel real. Not only that, but the monster was epic, adding to the sense of hopeless. Duke was able to flesh out the characters with smooth dialog and action. The violence was brutal and visceral, reminding the reader they were reading horror.
October 17, 2021
Maynard Creed, in the aftermath of a messy divorce, finds a place on the Ross 128b mining colony, searching for a large payout, but instead of the vein of metal that was expected, a mysterious object poses a threat to the colony’s population.
(WARNING: This review contains minor spoilers.)
I received this book in exchange for an honest review. I thank Mike Duke for giving me the opportunity.
I always welcome sci-fi horror, and AMALGAM scratched that itch with its solid foundation and excellent alien design. The plot was simple enough, with a mining colony attempting to reach metal within an exomoon, but instead they discover something different, thus unleashing a hungry force that proceeds to go on a rampage. There were delightful descriptions of mayhem and body horror, reminding me of various films and games of the same vein, and how mindlessly fun they can be to experience. If anything, I’d love to see Duke’s creation on a screen, because that would be something. Unfortunately, though, as a standalone novel it had its issues, as well as some aspects that niggled at me, especially the jarring use of language when “rape” was utilised as a metaphor.
Add to that a few inconsistencies along with misleading tidbits of information – most notably a character that was set up to be relevant but wasn’t due to being shelved and never again returning to the page – consequently posing questions it didn’t answer. Obviously Duke plans a series, but I always prefer a book to stand on its own legs regardless if there’s more to follow. Let’s face it, not everyone will commit to sticking with it long term, especially with the wait that comes in between books.
In conclusion: In AMALGAM, Maynard discovers something unusual while on the job, leading to a rescue mission and the ultimate fight for survival. There were elements I liked, especially when it came to the monster and action, but I found several problems that overshadowed everything else. With various details that amounted to nothing, it just seemed like wasted potential, even if these factors come into play later on in the series.
Notable Quote:
Awakened, it would never stop searching. Never stop hunting its prey.
© Red Lace 2021
Blog ~ Twitter
(WARNING: This review contains minor spoilers.)
I received this book in exchange for an honest review. I thank Mike Duke for giving me the opportunity.
I always welcome sci-fi horror, and AMALGAM scratched that itch with its solid foundation and excellent alien design. The plot was simple enough, with a mining colony attempting to reach metal within an exomoon, but instead they discover something different, thus unleashing a hungry force that proceeds to go on a rampage. There were delightful descriptions of mayhem and body horror, reminding me of various films and games of the same vein, and how mindlessly fun they can be to experience. If anything, I’d love to see Duke’s creation on a screen, because that would be something. Unfortunately, though, as a standalone novel it had its issues, as well as some aspects that niggled at me, especially the jarring use of language when “rape” was utilised as a metaphor.
Add to that a few inconsistencies along with misleading tidbits of information – most notably a character that was set up to be relevant but wasn’t due to being shelved and never again returning to the page – consequently posing questions it didn’t answer. Obviously Duke plans a series, but I always prefer a book to stand on its own legs regardless if there’s more to follow. Let’s face it, not everyone will commit to sticking with it long term, especially with the wait that comes in between books.
In conclusion: In AMALGAM, Maynard discovers something unusual while on the job, leading to a rescue mission and the ultimate fight for survival. There were elements I liked, especially when it came to the monster and action, but I found several problems that overshadowed everything else. With various details that amounted to nothing, it just seemed like wasted potential, even if these factors come into play later on in the series.
Notable Quote:
Awakened, it would never stop searching. Never stop hunting its prey.
© Red Lace 2021
Blog ~ Twitter
August 9, 2022
Fast paced sci fi horror with an awesome alien creature going on a rampage in a desolate space mining station. Im definately picking up the next 2 books in the series to find out what happens next.
August 12, 2021
Hell yeah! What an an action packed, wild ride! I'm not usually a huge sci-fi horror fan but every now and then I come across a gem like this. The creature/alien in this book is so awesome and badass! With Mike's descriptions I could see this monstrosity so clearly when reading and it got my heart pounding and made me feel breathless. I can't wait for book 2 because this is going to be one hell of a series. 4.5/5 amalgam skulls 💀
May 18, 2024
I enjoyed the first half of this. It essentially gave me the same vibes as my adored Alien movies.
However I felt the second half was fumbled pretty badly.
Earlier in the book, they gave us multi-POV. They showed us Jenna the medical doctor and the pleasure robot she cared for. They made a big deal over how the robot was a previous combat model and wasn't as delicate as she looked.
But when Jenna was stuck on the ship, with an alien being roaming the corridors, waiting for rescue from Maynard and the others the author just.. skips this. It was nearly an two hour timeskip where we didn't know what Jenna was doing, if she was surviving, what the alien was doing, etc, etc. Which might have made sense if the entire book was entirely from Maynard's POV. But it isn't.
Not only that, but the combat model robot doesn't do anything. You get an scene where it shows it powers down to await further instructions. I know this is a series and it might do something in book 2 but for book 1 the entire thing felt.. useless. Like the first half was written by one person and the second half by someone else.
What was the point of multi-POV if you're not gonna show Jenna surviving when shit hits the fan? and what was the big deal about the robot and talking about what the robot could do if the robot doesn't even come into play?
However I felt the second half was fumbled pretty badly.
Earlier in the book, they gave us multi-POV. They showed us Jenna the medical doctor and the pleasure robot she cared for. They made a big deal over how the robot was a previous combat model and wasn't as delicate as she looked.
But when Jenna was stuck on the ship, with an alien being roaming the corridors, waiting for rescue from Maynard and the others the author just.. skips this. It was nearly an two hour timeskip where we didn't know what Jenna was doing, if she was surviving, what the alien was doing, etc, etc. Which might have made sense if the entire book was entirely from Maynard's POV. But it isn't.
Not only that, but the combat model robot doesn't do anything. You get an scene where it shows it powers down to await further instructions. I know this is a series and it might do something in book 2 but for book 1 the entire thing felt.. useless. Like the first half was written by one person and the second half by someone else.
What was the point of multi-POV if you're not gonna show Jenna surviving when shit hits the fan? and what was the big deal about the robot and talking about what the robot could do if the robot doesn't even come into play?
April 15, 2022
A mining operation in space discovers an unknown element. One man slides into a monstrous discovery that has a hunger like no other and in space … there is no place to run and the nearest assistance is up to one year away …
Mike Duke has achieved a pulse-pounding, nail-biting thrilling space horror read. I slammed my eyes shut at one point then realized I couldn’t read with them closed. Lol. This is a fully immersive read with a creature so terrifying!!! I cringed at every descriptor. Definitely top tier writing and a must read for anyone who loves space horror!
Mike Duke has achieved a pulse-pounding, nail-biting thrilling space horror read. I slammed my eyes shut at one point then realized I couldn’t read with them closed. Lol. This is a fully immersive read with a creature so terrifying!!! I cringed at every descriptor. Definitely top tier writing and a must read for anyone who loves space horror!
August 19, 2021
I’m a huge fan of the SF/horror combo (the Alien franchise, etc.), so I was really looking forward to Mike Duke’s AMALGAM: BOOK ONE: CONTACT. Unfortunately it only somewhat lived up to that anticipation. Our story takes place in 2177 on a mining colony on an exomoon. Maynard Creed is one of a number of miners trying to reach an unidentified vein of high-density metal within the exomoon in hopes of a large payout. When it turns out to be alien technology instead of a resource, and Maynard discovers something unusual within it, everything goes sideways. Soon he and his fellow employees are trying their best to get rid of a rampaging monster that eats everyone in sight. Hopefully he’ll also be able to save his girlfriend, Jenna, who’s on board the nearby station.
I started out seriously not liking Maynard, largely because he referred to his ex-wife taking him to the cleaners in the divorce as her “raping” him. Comparing every trouble to rape is seriously obnoxious. I never ended up liking him, but at least he’s decent apart from that. He’s an interesting character who is a bit blunt and rude, but who stands up and does the right thing under pressure. There’s an excellent scene in which he very nearly loses his mind, which is great because he isn’t a trained soldier and shouldn’t be calm about dealing with an alien attack.
Jenna at one point describes Savannah, a “Sex-Synth” who comes to her clinic (Jenna is a doctor), as being “voluptuous” and having hair that “tickled at the top of her breasts.” It’s very much a men-writing-women moment, because women rarely view each other this way. Especially when we’re talking about a doctor doing the observing, and it’s someone she already seems familiar with.
Unfortunately there are too many red herrings (in terms of resources that are baldly described up front and then ignored later), and too many plot holes (mostly involving the creature’s intelligence and ability to absorb people’s memories and knowledge). If you want a few details, check the spoiler section at the bottom of this review.
The action elements are the best parts of this book. There’s some fun combat, lots of weaponry, interesting actions on the alien’s part, and so on. The combat is fun and intense, interspersed with tense periods of sweat-filled quiet as characters try to avoid or outwit the alien rather than just outrunning it. I don’t think I’ll read the rest of the series, but I can see that decision depending heavily on the reader’s individual preferences.
Content note: painful death and dismemberment.
SPOILER WARNING:
I started out seriously not liking Maynard, largely because he referred to his ex-wife taking him to the cleaners in the divorce as her “raping” him. Comparing every trouble to rape is seriously obnoxious. I never ended up liking him, but at least he’s decent apart from that. He’s an interesting character who is a bit blunt and rude, but who stands up and does the right thing under pressure. There’s an excellent scene in which he very nearly loses his mind, which is great because he isn’t a trained soldier and shouldn’t be calm about dealing with an alien attack.
Jenna at one point describes Savannah, a “Sex-Synth” who comes to her clinic (Jenna is a doctor), as being “voluptuous” and having hair that “tickled at the top of her breasts.” It’s very much a men-writing-women moment, because women rarely view each other this way. Especially when we’re talking about a doctor doing the observing, and it’s someone she already seems familiar with.
Unfortunately there are too many red herrings (in terms of resources that are baldly described up front and then ignored later), and too many plot holes (mostly involving the creature’s intelligence and ability to absorb people’s memories and knowledge). If you want a few details, check the spoiler section at the bottom of this review.
The action elements are the best parts of this book. There’s some fun combat, lots of weaponry, interesting actions on the alien’s part, and so on. The combat is fun and intense, interspersed with tense periods of sweat-filled quiet as characters try to avoid or outwit the alien rather than just outrunning it. I don’t think I’ll read the rest of the series, but I can see that decision depending heavily on the reader’s individual preferences.
Content note: painful death and dismemberment.
SPOILER WARNING:
September 19, 2021
Space horror is a love of mine. From the Aliens series, Event Horizon and the Dead Space games, there's always something to find. But when it comes to books, sadly it's limited. So, thank the cosmos or Mike Duke and Amalgam. Which is the perfect title for this the first in his new series. Equal parts The Blob and Dead Space, Amalgam Book One, is a short thrill-ride that is perfect for any fans of this genre. I'd have given it 5 stars, but the book ended!
April 19, 2023
I wanted a fairly intense space horror and this book delivered! The splatter and gruesome level is pretty extreme in the story, but I loved it! There’s a whole series to check out if you need more alien mayhem in your life!🪐
February 27, 2024
You know that creepy-ass scene in the movie Slither where Michael Rooker's character is assimilating all the townsfolk into his mass?
This book made me think of that. Only in space. With a hungry alien who is also quite pissed off.
And this is why, children, we don't open up weird shit and just put it back where we found it.
This book made me think of that. Only in space. With a hungry alien who is also quite pissed off.
And this is why, children, we don't open up weird shit and just put it back where we found it.
April 15, 2022
Amazing story. A very well written and action packed horror/Sci fi hybrid. This book reads like a movie and is great with the creature details. This is the kind of Sci Fi that I love!
December 15, 2021
The prologue to this from the author states he wrote it because of a lack of books such as Alien and The Thing, which also happen to be two of my favourites. The story here is very familiar, with a mining colony on a planet attempting to get into an unknown material which then leads to an all consuming alien running havoc.
My issues with the book aren't related to the alien, which is satisfying, if not wholly original, albeit the repeated use of the word gelatinous did seem unnecessary, but more the other characters and some inconsistencies.
The main character has a minor backstory about his divorce and the poverty causing him to take the well paid mining job, but the reference to his wife "raping him" in the divorce case seemed a pointlessly crass and unfortunate term, and the scene about the court room here seemed both unnecessary and unrealistic. It's one that almost read from another book.
There was also a number of scenes introducing us to a sex synth, a robot prostitute for "the men" of the station, (is this the 1960s?) which again, seemed rather crass. When she walks into see the female doctor, she describes her like a 16 year old boy would, again it seemed really out of place and uncomfortable. For a short book, there is quite a bit dedicated to her, how she is actually built around a fighting android so she can take a beating etc, but it is all a red herring and she is not used later in the book. So then you have an alien outbreak book, where this sex synth is basically Bishop from Alien, but then she goes to sleep waiting for something to happen whilst the alien causes mayhem and she is not used. She might be in the second book of the series I presume, but then based on this I probably wont be reading that so it seemed bizarre and somewhat cringey to include her here with those details.
There are also some inconsistencies on the alien. It absorbs people and their knowledge and there are a few great scenes with this, especially when it overrides the spaceship and heads back to the planet. However, it also doesn't predict the trap it has been set when it absorbs the miners who have set that up, and there are other similar parts where it seems the premise here was used inconsistently which is a shame as it is was a nice spin.
My issues with the book aren't related to the alien, which is satisfying, if not wholly original, albeit the repeated use of the word gelatinous did seem unnecessary, but more the other characters and some inconsistencies.
The main character has a minor backstory about his divorce and the poverty causing him to take the well paid mining job, but the reference to his wife "raping him" in the divorce case seemed a pointlessly crass and unfortunate term, and the scene about the court room here seemed both unnecessary and unrealistic. It's one that almost read from another book.
There was also a number of scenes introducing us to a sex synth, a robot prostitute for "the men" of the station, (is this the 1960s?) which again, seemed rather crass. When she walks into see the female doctor, she describes her like a 16 year old boy would, again it seemed really out of place and uncomfortable. For a short book, there is quite a bit dedicated to her, how she is actually built around a fighting android so she can take a beating etc, but it is all a red herring and she is not used later in the book. So then you have an alien outbreak book, where this sex synth is basically Bishop from Alien, but then she goes to sleep waiting for something to happen whilst the alien causes mayhem and she is not used. She might be in the second book of the series I presume, but then based on this I probably wont be reading that so it seemed bizarre and somewhat cringey to include her here with those details.
There are also some inconsistencies on the alien. It absorbs people and their knowledge and there are a few great scenes with this, especially when it overrides the spaceship and heads back to the planet. However, it also doesn't predict the trap it has been set when it absorbs the miners who have set that up, and there are other similar parts where it seems the premise here was used inconsistently which is a shame as it is was a nice spin.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 2, 2023
At the beginning of this book author Mike Duke describes his love for Sci-Fi/horror stories in movies, TV, books and comics. He also points out that while there are plenty of movies that are satisfying alien creature features, there just aren't enough books in the genre. So, he wrote his own. In the novella you can see elements of the movies he loves, like Alien, The Blob, Doom, The Thing, but in his homage to tales like those he has created his own unique take on that kind of story. The initial premise, a futuristic mining colony where the miners unearth an alien craft with some sort of egg inside, may sound familiar, but what emerges from their find is entirely its own entity. Duke obviously had a lot of fun spilling rampant carnage throughout the pages as an unstoppable and ever-growing creature reigns chaos across the mining base. Once the action gets going it never lets up right until the final pages. This is a really fun, frenetic story for those who enjoy this kind of Sci-Fi/horror. 3.5/5*
August 14, 2021
Fucking epic. Must buy space horror. Well written and has me ready for the next book. My first Mike Duke book and won't be my last. The creature is incredible and I can picture it in my head as a movie the entire way through. Seriously great stuff
August 7, 2022
If you are in the mood for some sci-fi/horror goodness that is balls-to-the-wall action packed, lightning paced, and suspenseful—look no further. Amalgam: Book One: Contact by Mike Duke is exactly what you need in your life.
This book played out in my mind like movie gone mad. My mind’s eye envisioned a combination (an amalgam if you will) of something like the creature feature aspects of The Thing meets the setting of Total Recall or Ghosts of Mars. I cast Michael Rooker and Sharon Stone as the main characters in a late eighties, all practical effects laden, John Carpenter directed extravaganza—complete with a stark and ominous analog synth score for my mind’s ears.
Of course, you are free to adapt this amazing book into a mind movie however you see fit, with your own actors, and directors, and stylistic preferences. The most important thing is that you read it.
I loved it so much that I immediately purchased the next two books in the series!
This book played out in my mind like movie gone mad. My mind’s eye envisioned a combination (an amalgam if you will) of something like the creature feature aspects of The Thing meets the setting of Total Recall or Ghosts of Mars. I cast Michael Rooker and Sharon Stone as the main characters in a late eighties, all practical effects laden, John Carpenter directed extravaganza—complete with a stark and ominous analog synth score for my mind’s ears.
Of course, you are free to adapt this amazing book into a mind movie however you see fit, with your own actors, and directors, and stylistic preferences. The most important thing is that you read it.
I loved it so much that I immediately purchased the next two books in the series!
July 9, 2022
Alien, The Thing, The Blob, and now Amalgam, Pray for us!
I have read a lot of books and very few gave me the creeps. This one did for sure and I will not give anything away. The reveal of the creature grossed me out and I had a hard time getting the vision out of head. It is relentless and the fact that it has feelings and can think was even more disturbing. Fast paced good characters I will have to press on to part 2, need to know how this ends. All in a good read, just not 5 stars for me.
I have read a lot of books and very few gave me the creeps. This one did for sure and I will not give anything away. The reveal of the creature grossed me out and I had a hard time getting the vision out of head. It is relentless and the fact that it has feelings and can think was even more disturbing. Fast paced good characters I will have to press on to part 2, need to know how this ends. All in a good read, just not 5 stars for me.
November 10, 2025
I give this a Five Star Review for this series of Cosmic Horror.
Normally, I would give stories like this a four star, but I purchased the Limited Edition Hardcover and am completely blown away by the way this book looks, feels and in hardcover, I can appreciate the storytelling that much more!
A group of Asteroid miners find a derelict spacecraft, and unknowingly release a symbiotic being that begins to feed on the miners.
This is the first book in the series, and I'll continue in the review of the second, so as not to release any spoilers.
Normally, I would give stories like this a four star, but I purchased the Limited Edition Hardcover and am completely blown away by the way this book looks, feels and in hardcover, I can appreciate the storytelling that much more!
A group of Asteroid miners find a derelict spacecraft, and unknowingly release a symbiotic being that begins to feed on the miners.
This is the first book in the series, and I'll continue in the review of the second, so as not to release any spoilers.
June 6, 2022
Solid 5 star
For me this is The Best Blob tribute out there I've been waiting for a book like this for years and finally I got what I wanted. The Blob is definitely the biggest comparison I used for the critter in this story but also if anyone has ever seen the movie Slither that's also in a way a good comparison hm Slither Meets The Blob Meets Virus it's just a bad ass creature feature! Thanks to the author can't wait for the 2nd!
For me this is The Best Blob tribute out there I've been waiting for a book like this for years and finally I got what I wanted. The Blob is definitely the biggest comparison I used for the critter in this story but also if anyone has ever seen the movie Slither that's also in a way a good comparison hm Slither Meets The Blob Meets Virus it's just a bad ass creature feature! Thanks to the author can't wait for the 2nd!
January 25, 2023
Mike Duke stepped up the experience of Cosmic Horror!
Imagine: A Xenomorph and The Blob merged, you would find this wickedly new concept!
It's a new take on the old B-style movies of the '80's with a modern twist!
I have the signed Hardcover edition, and I have to say, these books are fantastic!
The artwork, story and even the font is perfect for an easy read!
Imagine: A Xenomorph and The Blob merged, you would find this wickedly new concept!
It's a new take on the old B-style movies of the '80's with a modern twist!
I have the signed Hardcover edition, and I have to say, these books are fantastic!
The artwork, story and even the font is perfect for an easy read!
February 15, 2025
Love love love this book!
I love sci-fi horror, and Alien was probably my introduction to it a long time ago - and Amalgam resonated with that so well! It is a lot like Alien in many ways, yet it manages to be completely unique at the same time.
Well written, well described, with cool characters and a kickass predator.... I can't wait to read the second book!
I love sci-fi horror, and Alien was probably my introduction to it a long time ago - and Amalgam resonated with that so well! It is a lot like Alien in many ways, yet it manages to be completely unique at the same time.
Well written, well described, with cool characters and a kickass predator.... I can't wait to read the second book!
August 17, 2021
A enjoyable read
First I am a mike duke fan.but I have to admit I didn't know if I would like this book.by the 2 nd page I was hooked I really like it and it ads to my mike duke collection.
First I am a mike duke fan.but I have to admit I didn't know if I would like this book.by the 2 nd page I was hooked I really like it and it ads to my mike duke collection.
March 14, 2022
There are plenty of sci-fi/horror movies but it's a genre that's underrepresented in books. Mike Duke is fixing that with Amalgam. While it might appeal to sci-fi fans more than straight horror lovers, it blends the two nicely and has me ready to jump right into book 2.
October 16, 2022
Liked it, going to read the next one! It was a bit annoying that the main character is a miner with all this random expertise (using guns, space walking, technology) that doesn't apply to mining, he's kind of a forced hero. The characters could have used some more depth, make them more real and not caricatures of horror/action tropes. The "monster" however, was unique and interesting.
February 15, 2022
A great read that sucks you in!
April 6, 2022
good fast paced read
Good fast paced read. Love space horror and wish there was more of it out there. Thanks mike duke. Keep at it.
Good fast paced read. Love space horror and wish there was more of it out there. Thanks mike duke. Keep at it.
December 18, 2022
Stunning space horror!
May 14, 2023
Good little read
Not a bad book . Great quick story good for a quick weekend read while camping .Will definitely grab the next part
Not a bad book . Great quick story good for a quick weekend read while camping .Will definitely grab the next part
September 6, 2024
Fantastic story - kept me engaged through the whole book! Great author who I am adding to my list!
If you love good space sci-if with a bit of horror, this is for you!
If you love good space sci-if with a bit of horror, this is for you!
April 25, 2025
If you enjoy the game Dead Space then you will love this book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews