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A review by afterplague
Intercepts by T.J. Payne
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I had recently seen an uptick in people, specifically content creators on YouTube and TikTok, highly recommending Intercepts. I have been let down a lot by recommendations on social media, but after enough insistence I thought I might as well give it a try.
They were so incredibly correct.
Intercepts is such a well written, tense, horrifying story. I read the whole thing in one night, staying up until three in the morning and jumping at every shadow afterwards. The world-building is really fantastic, and the author clearly had an interest in creating a logically consistent explanation for psychic phenomenon.
The main character is Joe, the down-to-earth supervisor of a top secret but underfunded underground facility. In this facility they house Antenna's. These are humans who have been subjected to a process that puts them into a state of complete sensory deprivation, and through that process they are somehow able to become disconnected from their bodies. The government uses this to spy on their enemies and receive information about them. It's a really cool set up.
Obviously, though, this sensory deprivation leads to tons of physical and psychological distress for the Antenna's and they want revenge.
I thought the horror was really well done in this book as well. It was very tense, especially because it's difficult for the reader to assess exactly what they Antenna's are capable of. Are they able to hurt people in their "apparition" state? We slowly learn more and more about Bishop, the main psychic entity, and she's a terrifying force.
Additionally, I think it's a really interesting book morally. What the employees at the facility are doing is very wrong. They're participating in torture, and there's no real way to justify it. Yes, some of the information they find saves lives, so they might be able to argue that it's worth what they put the Antennas through. It's almost a utilitarian perspective. But, the Antenna are human beings. They're subjected to endless torture until they die. As a reader, I can't blame Bishop at all for wanting to kill and torture her captors. The characters are the facility are so likeable though! Joe is a genuinely nice guy. I connected with him, and his struggle with his daughter. I wanted to root for him even though he's complicit in YEARS of torture.
I think it's complicated and because of that it's very interesting to discuss. The ending was also fantastic, in my opinion. It was action packed and tense and sad, but I believe it ended exactly the way it needed to. I'm not going to spoil anything about the ending because I highly recommend you reading this yourself!
Intercepts might've changed my mind a bit about Sci-Fi horror. I want to explore this genre more, and will definitely be reading more of this author's work. If you're down for a spooky time, read Intercepts. You'll love it.
They were so incredibly correct.
Intercepts is such a well written, tense, horrifying story. I read the whole thing in one night, staying up until three in the morning and jumping at every shadow afterwards. The world-building is really fantastic, and the author clearly had an interest in creating a logically consistent explanation for psychic phenomenon.
The main character is Joe, the down-to-earth supervisor of a top secret but underfunded underground facility. In this facility they house Antenna's. These are humans who have been subjected to a process that puts them into a state of complete sensory deprivation, and through that process they are somehow able to become disconnected from their bodies. The government uses this to spy on their enemies and receive information about them. It's a really cool set up.
Obviously, though, this sensory deprivation leads to tons of physical and psychological distress for the Antenna's and they want revenge.
I thought the horror was really well done in this book as well. It was very tense, especially because it's difficult for the reader to assess exactly what they Antenna's are capable of. Are they able to hurt people in their "apparition" state? We slowly learn more and more about Bishop, the main psychic entity, and she's a terrifying force.
Additionally, I think it's a really interesting book morally. What the employees at the facility are doing is very wrong. They're participating in torture, and there's no real way to justify it. Yes, some of the information they find saves lives, so they might be able to argue that it's worth what they put the Antennas through. It's almost a utilitarian perspective. But, the Antenna are human beings. They're subjected to endless torture until they die. As a reader, I can't blame Bishop at all for wanting to kill and torture her captors. The characters are the facility are so likeable though! Joe is a genuinely nice guy. I connected with him, and his struggle with his daughter. I wanted to root for him even though he's complicit in YEARS of torture.
I think it's complicated and because of that it's very interesting to discuss. The ending was also fantastic, in my opinion. It was action packed and tense and sad, but I believe it ended exactly the way it needed to. I'm not going to spoil anything about the ending because I highly recommend you reading this yourself!
Intercepts might've changed my mind a bit about Sci-Fi horror. I want to explore this genre more, and will definitely be reading more of this author's work. If you're down for a spooky time, read Intercepts. You'll love it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore