Ailuros

by Matt Doyle

#Begin *Ailuros* In the *present // future*, Alex and Josh must face *their own // a* monster if they are to salvage *their relationship // Ailuros Unit 23* ; These *are not* separate stories. The following report represents a summary of the incident involving the abandoned microgravity holiday destination, Ailuros Unit Twenty-Three, and the crew of the Salvagers Guild Three ship, The Orca. The report is comprised primarily of the official transcripts of both the aforementioned events on board the unit and my interview with Guild Director, Sarah Walker. The final entry consists of my summarizing thoughts on the case. As is often the case in investigations such as this, in the end, Ailuros itself is as much the key to understanding the events as the people involved are. Circumstances as well as personal choices are important, after all.

Genres: Horror, Fiction

221 pages, Paperback

First published September 7, 2021

About the author

Matt Doyle is a pansexual/nonbinary author, voice actor, and pop culture blogger from the UK. Matt specializes in horror and sci-fi fiction, sometimes in an unusual or experimental form.

Reviews

[M.D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an odd story told in an offbeat way. I will say it took me a minute to get used to the method of storytelling. Basically, the book is written as a case log/report and there are notes that accompany the text which you need to read to get the full story. Depending on the format you are reading the book (I had both an ebook version and PDF), this can be annoying as you have to bounce around to read the notes in order, but once you get used to the formatting, it’s readable, however it takes more time and you have to pay attention to what you are reading.

Overall, the story was fascinating and the characters perfectly flawed, which made them relatable and easy to follow and enjoy. I appreciated both the SciFi and the Horror elements in the story, as I believe the author found a good mix.

If you want to read something unique, this is the book for you. However, if having to read footnotes and follow a unique style of writing is difficult for you, then look elsewhere. Still, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it.

[Emma's In Stock · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to say that I was not too sure as to where this book was going, but what a surprise!

I don't normally pick up sci-fi books, just because a lot of sci-fi that populates whenever I look for recommendations is not accessible for me. By this I mean that many of the terms and science go over my head or are really complicated for me to understand. I'm not a math or science person by any means. That being said, this book's science fiction elements were so accessible for me. I was able to fully understand what was happening, and able to build everything in my head.

Not to mention the "double narrative" aspect this book has is so well done. It left me guessing as to who was commenting on what we were reading, and why they were making the connections they were making. It's kind of hard to explain, but this book runs on a rescue-esque type mission alongside a spurned lover. On the right pages of the book is the mission and the main science fiction elements, while on the left pages of the book are the footnotes left by someone who is commenting on the story as the reader goes along. This was so well crafted, and I was itching to find out who was reading this with me, essentially.

There were typos, and sentences that were accidentally doubled up on, but other than that, the writing is awesome. It builds suspense, and lunges at you with scientific horror.

I recommend this book to anybody who is a fan of Alien - and its subsequent sequels/prequels - and Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant, and possibly The Deep by Nick Cutter. In my opinion, this was a better Into the Drowning Deep, just with its own spin on it.

[Mark Engels · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part ALIEN, part INSIDE OUT, with a dash of NINETEEN EIGHTY-FOUR thrown in for good measure.

While the garden-variety sci-fi horror main story is enjoyable enough, what makes this book stand out is the story's context: a dream sequence "sim" forced by an Orwellian society on all of its members to identify and eliminate violent tendencies and unlawful behavior before they ever manifest. Narrator and co-main character Alex alternates between bully pulpit, confessional, and shrink's sofa as he analyzes a recent sim featuring his lover and co-main character Josh--a criminal act when undertaken by anyone other than the proper authorities. Alex's raw and relevant and relatable commentary on Josh's sim recording has a word for all of us during these trying times, as he comes to terms with his lover's wants and needs as well as his own. An ending as poignant as it is retrospectively inevitable caps off this trippy yet deeply moving work.

[Sharron Joy Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

The crew of the Salvagers Guild ship, The Orca is on a mission to Ailuros Unit 23, an abandoned microgravity holiday resort. This is the story of their mission and the team lead by, Alex and Josh, and what they must face in order to survive.

This is a sci-fi horror that I found immersive.
The story is told through interviews and mission logs with another POV running through the footnotes, this is a fascinating way to construct a book. It takes a beat to get used to this but is totally worth it as it humanises and makes sense if the events.

What sets this apart is that alongside the sci-fi elements is the story of a disturbing society where a sim that changes what it means to be able to express and learn to control emotions, even the bad ones, is forced upon all citizens.

If Brave New World and Alien met in space this would be the outcome, strange and surreal but incredibly poignant.

[Sue and her books · Rating 4 out of 5]

𝔸𝕚𝕝𝕦𝕣𝕠𝕤 by Matt Doyle is a brilliant little gem that reintroduced me to sci-fi horror after a long overdue break. It completely pulled me in with its uniqueness and intriguing premise.

Told in two parallel threads - two layers of the same reality - it follows both the deeply personal and relatable story of Alex and Josh, a couple navigating a strained relationship in a future where a government-controlled simulation regulates human emotion, and a tense rescue mission as they join a team of scavengers investigating the spacecraft Ailuros. What happened aboard this abandoned ship remains shrouded in secrecy and mystery.

The format of the book really stood out to me - cleverly presenting the story through mission logs, interview transcripts, AI analysis and Alex's candid personal notes.
Ailuros is an easy, immersive read: exciting, unexpectedly touching and engaging from start to finish.

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