LOGAN VS. GOLLITOK

KL Patrick takes on Andrew Najberg’s dystopian post-apocalyptic horror vehicle Gollitok

TITLE: Gollitok

AUTHOR: Andrew Najberg

GENRE: Dystopian-Horror

PAGES: 306

FORMAT: E-book/Paperback/Audiobook

PRICE: $15.99 paperback, $4.99 e-book, 21.09 audiobook

Hello everyone, your resident Appalachian is here to regale you once again with thoughts on books and travel along through the words beyond. This time horror is our destination, but not just any horror.

Imagine this, a post-apocalyptic world, with an implication of nuclear fallout of some sort. People are on edge, people are surviving, people are under the thumb of an organization that is essentially the government. This is the world of Gollitok by Andrew Najberg. 

I listened to this fever dream-like book on my four-hour drive to Authorcon, where I got to meet Andrew. (Cool guy by the way.) First and foremost, it held my attention from the beginning. Hammel arrives like any investigator does, ready to begin investigating. He is prim, proper, and ready to figure out in the most scientific way possible what is happening on the isle of Gollitok. 

He prepares his team, and off they go. I expected the typical kind of monster story from here, but that was not the case at all. Instead, we got a fast-paced story full of moments where sometimes I wondered what was real, and what wasn’t.

Something about the island was off and not just the possible radiation. The investigation seems straightforward, but the mind makes you wonder. Is this real? As team members disappear, it becomes obvious they are not alone on Gollitok. 

Andrew takes this beyond the haunting tale he has weaved. The idea of a government so deeply ingrained into the lives of people is terrifying. The idea of a nuclear event changing everything is terrifying, and the way Andrew is able to talk about such deep issues while confining the setting to Gollitok is incredible. It’s as if Alcatraz had a fallout, and the fact these people are alone, with something beyond their comprehension, sciences beyond their control. It really touches on what we as humans can and can’t do.

It’s like trying to reclaim Chernobyl a decade after the catastrophe. There would be only so much that can be done, and I can only imagine the horrors folks imagined deep within that area. That fear, that worry, and terror against the unknown is what I think this novel does best. 

Hammel thinks it’s straight and simple, and it is far from that. The darkness that slips from Gollitok can only be capable of destroying us so many times. The question becomes can Hammel and his team make it, and if they do will they come out the same. 

Gollitok is a story unlike any I have ever read, it is as if King Kong, and Shutter Island had a radiation baby of horrific proportions. You will not regret this book, especially if you like a philosophical bend with your horror. 

Grab this book today, you won’t regret it. Andrew is the heck of a writer, and you won’t be disappointed. 

Five skulls appear in the darkness as the fog slides back into sight. Pulling me away, until the fog recedes again, I’ll leave you with this.

Don’t go to spooky islands, you may not return. 

KL Patrick has earned an MFA in Creative Writing from Southern New Hampshire University. He is a member of the Horror Writers Association, and author of The Disappearing of Three Forks, and has been included in the Horrorzine. As well as a collection, Marked: Tales of S.T.A.N.G.E., Logan has a background in theater, from acting to directing. As well as a play that is still in development.

PLEASE NOTE: The views and opinions of the staff of Memento Mori Ink do not necessarily represent those of Memento Mori Ink or Crystal Lake Publishing. Thank you for understanding.