Exiles by Mason Coile
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Exiles follows a trio of astronauts, Gold, Chief and Kang, on a mission to Mars. Their goal is to prepare the 1st-ever colony on Mars for eventual human habitation.
Previously, three robots had been sent to set up the base these astronauts will be staying at for their mission. When they arrive though, they find the new base half-destroyed and one of the robots missing.
The astronauts are forced to quickly try to get their bearings and figure out what happened to the base. On an uninhabited planet, their only source for knowledge is the robots, and the things they are told are highly unsettling.
The robots seem scared, relaying things about possible dangers lurking outside, and what may have caused the damage. But it’s more than that, the robots have named themselves and have taken on surprising behaviors and characteristics. The whole thing is just off.
The astronaut crew have been handed a mess, and they need to figure out what’s going on ASAP. In an environment as unforgiving as Mars, the absolute security of their base is a life or death situation. They need to learn what threats they’re facing, so they can tackle them head on.
Mason Coile, pseudonym for Andrew Pyper, may he rest in peace, has penned a brilliant SciFi-Horror with Exiles. It is so intense, and I appreciated how the story came full circle. Coile pulled off a lot in this one with very few pages.
This book, the concepts involved, is the stuff of my nightmares. This is the type of futuristic scenario that absolutely petrifies me. Just thinking about being in the shoes of Gold, Kang, or Chief, is enough to make me shiver.
It’s not just the deep space setting, and all the unknowns involved with that for me, it’s also the robots and AI technology. That’s like a double-edged sword. Anyway you turn it, it’s dangerous with the potential to kill.
This has a phenomenal set-up. It pulls the Reader in quickly, and then just hooks you. There’s no turning back. The intensity holds throughout the story and truly feels claustrophobic and dangerous.
Some of the action, and twists, they were diabolical and brutal. I was getting so stressed, but in the best way possible. In an entertaining way. I couldn’t put it down. I refused until the very end.
Clearly, I adored this. No notes. I highly recommend this to anyone who may be searching for a compelling Horror novella, bonus points if you love SciFi-Horror.
Thank you to the publisher, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, for providing me with a copy to read and review.
Andrew Pyper, writing here as Mason Coile, was such a talented, talented writer. I’m going to miss getting new stories from him, but he’s certainly left an impact.
