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Custodians of the Cosmos #1
The Atrocity Engine
Men in Black meets Hellraiser in this rollicking mash-up of urban fantasy and cosmic horror from four-time Bram Stoker Award-Winning author Tim Waggoner.
Creatures from dark dimensions infesting your home? Demonic beings trying to drive you insane? Alien gods attempting to destroy your universe?
Just call Maintenance.
This underpaid and overworked secret organization is dedicated to battling forces that seek to speed up Entropy and hasten the Omniverse’s inevitable death.
Neal Hudson is a twenty-year veteran of Maintenance. A surveyor who drives through the streets of Ash Creek, Ohio constantly scanning for the deadly energy known as Corruption. Since the death of his previous partner, Neal prefers to work alone, and he’s not happy when he’s assigned to mentor a rookie.
But they better learn to get alone fast.
The Multitude, a group of godlike beings who seek to increase Entropy at every opportunity, are creating an Atrocity Engine. This foul magical device can destroy the Earth, and they don’t care how many innocent lives it takes to build it. (Spoiler alert: It’s a lot!)
Just another day on the job...
Creatures from dark dimensions infesting your home? Demonic beings trying to drive you insane? Alien gods attempting to destroy your universe?
Just call Maintenance.
This underpaid and overworked secret organization is dedicated to battling forces that seek to speed up Entropy and hasten the Omniverse’s inevitable death.
Neal Hudson is a twenty-year veteran of Maintenance. A surveyor who drives through the streets of Ash Creek, Ohio constantly scanning for the deadly energy known as Corruption. Since the death of his previous partner, Neal prefers to work alone, and he’s not happy when he’s assigned to mentor a rookie.
But they better learn to get alone fast.
The Multitude, a group of godlike beings who seek to increase Entropy at every opportunity, are creating an Atrocity Engine. This foul magical device can destroy the Earth, and they don’t care how many innocent lives it takes to build it. (Spoiler alert: It’s a lot!)
Just another day on the job...
360 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 30, 2024
79 people are currently reading
4,124 people want to read
About the author
Tim Waggoner
265books730followersTim Waggoner has published nearly fifty novels and seven short story collections, and his articles on writing have appeared in Writer’s Digest and Writers� Journal, among others. He's won the Bram Stoker Award and has been a finalist for both the Shirley Jackson Award and the Scribe Award. He teaches creative writing at Sinclair Community College in Dayton, Ohio. Visit him on the web at .
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews
August 24, 2024
The Atrocity Engine is the first book in a new series called Custodians of the Cosmos. It's thematically closer to his Dream Stalkers books or his Matt Richter series than the hardcore horror for which Waggoner has become best known. The cosmic horror vibe is quite definitely there, but there's also a strong urban fantasy flavor, and elements of traditional science fiction, adventure, detection, etc. It's set in Ash Creek, Ohio (just a bit southwest of Cedar Hill, I'll betcha) and fits nicely with a lot of his other Ohio-verse fiction. It features Neal Hudson, a grizzled veteran surveyor of corruption, who has lost his partner fairly recently and is given a brand new one to break in, much against his wishes, especially when he finds out that she's the daughter of the man who served as his mentor when he began his career. It's an action-packed tale that takes off when they begin to investigate and try to stop a woman who's trying to construct the titular atrocity engine. It has a kind of bland cover and suffers from a whole lot of errors in the text (some of which are sadly amusing like "was fell in" on page 138, "we what need" on page 201, or "learn to get alone" on the blessed back cover), but it's a very richly designed setting, has interesting characters, and is a whole lot of fun. I hope Neal and Gina have a long run; I've already ordered the second volume.
February 25, 2024
“Atrocity Engine� by Tim Waggoner fuses Urban Fantasy with horror, humor and adventure with shock and gore. And it works splendidly.
Neal Hudson, a cynical veteran agent of Maintenance Control, operates within a covert agency created to delay the inevitable: the Gyre draining the Omniverse. Like many of his fellow agents, Neal is overworked, overstressed, and underpaid. He usually follows his moral compass without thinking too much about advancing his career.
The agency deals with powerful adversaries known as Multitude—a deadly group of demigods spreading Corruption, a dark force that transforms living beings into monsters. Rachel, a Multitude ambitious apprentice, tries to build the Atrocity Engine to gain immense power, and maybe wipe out the whole solar system. Crazy, but no risk, no fun.
Neal gets paired with a new partner, Gina Sandoval, a rookie in her early twenties, fresh out of training and eager to gain experience. Their relationship is great; the author nailed the grizzled old agent and a fresh-faced rook dynamic. It develops into a genuine friendship devoid of romance. They both carry emotional burdens. Neal’s still mourning his last partner’s death, and Gina’s family? Let’s just say they’ve got a questionable reputation. Additionally, Gina’s father, Amador, once mentored Neal.
Their first case together is potentially world-ending, so the stakes are high. Once Waggoner gets the pieces moving, the story never slows down. It’s my second book by Tim and I’m impressed by his crisp writing and imaginative world-building.
I loved the mythos centered on the inevitable entropy of the universe and our mortality. There may be no inherent sense to life, but everyone can find a bit of sense for themselves. Or a case worth living for.
While I loved the ride, I must caution more sensitive readers that Atrocity Engine requires a strong stomach, as it‘s filled with gory violence and good guys getting wrecked. Happily, there’s also some humor and action to balance it out.
Gripping from start to finish, with an antagonist to make you shiver, and kinetic pacing, “Atrocity Engine� delivers pure, pulpy fun. It left me hungry for more. And as far as I know, the trilogy is already written.
Bring it on.
Neal Hudson, a cynical veteran agent of Maintenance Control, operates within a covert agency created to delay the inevitable: the Gyre draining the Omniverse. Like many of his fellow agents, Neal is overworked, overstressed, and underpaid. He usually follows his moral compass without thinking too much about advancing his career.
The agency deals with powerful adversaries known as Multitude—a deadly group of demigods spreading Corruption, a dark force that transforms living beings into monsters. Rachel, a Multitude ambitious apprentice, tries to build the Atrocity Engine to gain immense power, and maybe wipe out the whole solar system. Crazy, but no risk, no fun.
Neal gets paired with a new partner, Gina Sandoval, a rookie in her early twenties, fresh out of training and eager to gain experience. Their relationship is great; the author nailed the grizzled old agent and a fresh-faced rook dynamic. It develops into a genuine friendship devoid of romance. They both carry emotional burdens. Neal’s still mourning his last partner’s death, and Gina’s family? Let’s just say they’ve got a questionable reputation. Additionally, Gina’s father, Amador, once mentored Neal.
Their first case together is potentially world-ending, so the stakes are high. Once Waggoner gets the pieces moving, the story never slows down. It’s my second book by Tim and I’m impressed by his crisp writing and imaginative world-building.
I loved the mythos centered on the inevitable entropy of the universe and our mortality. There may be no inherent sense to life, but everyone can find a bit of sense for themselves. Or a case worth living for.
While I loved the ride, I must caution more sensitive readers that Atrocity Engine requires a strong stomach, as it‘s filled with gory violence and good guys getting wrecked. Happily, there’s also some humor and action to balance it out.
Gripping from start to finish, with an antagonist to make you shiver, and kinetic pacing, “Atrocity Engine� delivers pure, pulpy fun. It left me hungry for more. And as far as I know, the trilogy is already written.
Bring it on.
May 2, 2024
The synopsis of this book made it sound so good, but I wish I had checked reviews before trying it. I was expecting a book based on the agents of order and chaos, maybe something demonic, and instead got a hodgepodge of genres thrown together. Normally that is something I like - IF the author takes the care to blend them together, however, in this case it feels like the author has done it without any care. It almost feels like an experiment, and it's one that's not for me.
The plot is based on the idea that the Omniverse has been winding down, that one day the energy will run out completely. The reason this is happening is that at the centre of the Omniverse is a great emptiness called 'The Gyre'. The Gyre has been draining all the energy, feeding on it.
The Maintenance are an organisation who aim to slow the energy being eaten by the Gyre, which makes sense until you learn that their motto/rallying cry is "Flavour the Feast". Umm, sorry?
I felt like what was being described was more akin to a black hole than a giant cosmic creature in space, and the explanation seemed very weak. I also couldn't get over the idea that a whole organisation was based on the concept of flavouring meals like chefs.
Their counterparts, the ones trying to speed up the end of the Omniverse are the Multitudes and are evil incarnate by the seems of it. I assume there is more to them, but after reading several descriptions of the "after effects" of rift scars left behind when they teleport, I don't think I want to know more. One such after effect made a person lose control of their bladder and urinate themselves - and of course, the rift scars are invisible!
I found the characters to be stereotypical, and again I'm not sure if this was intention. If you're looking for an easy read, then you can probably overlook this, but I was expecting something completely different.
I'm surprised no one has mentioned the way that the author described one particular female character. All the other characters were described physically in fairly neutral terms, with some physical remarks here and there (mostly about their personalities). Until we get to Deanna Nicely the head of Maintenance’s Ash Creek Division and we get this:
"her tie � which hung over a mammary shelf of truly epic proportions � was red, a sign of her rank [...] but her voice was high-pitched and girlish. Somehow this contradiction gave her even more authority."
First, "mammary shelf", what the hell?! Also, was there any need to even mention her breast size just to describe the colour of her tie? No, not really. It's a very juvenile description, and the way that the author continues to describe the first female character in power (at this point in the book) in such a cartoon-ish way undermines her, especially with the added clarification that actually her voice gives her more authority.
I don't know whether this description will make it into the final draft as I was reading an ARC, but men writing women like this is a huge pass for me.
The plot is based on the idea that the Omniverse has been winding down, that one day the energy will run out completely. The reason this is happening is that at the centre of the Omniverse is a great emptiness called 'The Gyre'. The Gyre has been draining all the energy, feeding on it.
The Maintenance are an organisation who aim to slow the energy being eaten by the Gyre, which makes sense until you learn that their motto/rallying cry is "Flavour the Feast". Umm, sorry?
I felt like what was being described was more akin to a black hole than a giant cosmic creature in space, and the explanation seemed very weak. I also couldn't get over the idea that a whole organisation was based on the concept of flavouring meals like chefs.
Their counterparts, the ones trying to speed up the end of the Omniverse are the Multitudes and are evil incarnate by the seems of it. I assume there is more to them, but after reading several descriptions of the "after effects" of rift scars left behind when they teleport, I don't think I want to know more. One such after effect made a person lose control of their bladder and urinate themselves - and of course, the rift scars are invisible!
I found the characters to be stereotypical, and again I'm not sure if this was intention. If you're looking for an easy read, then you can probably overlook this, but I was expecting something completely different.
I'm surprised no one has mentioned the way that the author described one particular female character. All the other characters were described physically in fairly neutral terms, with some physical remarks here and there (mostly about their personalities). Until we get to Deanna Nicely the head of Maintenance’s Ash Creek Division and we get this:
"her tie � which hung over a mammary shelf of truly epic proportions � was red, a sign of her rank [...] but her voice was high-pitched and girlish. Somehow this contradiction gave her even more authority."
First, "mammary shelf", what the hell?! Also, was there any need to even mention her breast size just to describe the colour of her tie? No, not really. It's a very juvenile description, and the way that the author continues to describe the first female character in power (at this point in the book) in such a cartoon-ish way undermines her, especially with the added clarification that actually her voice gives her more authority.
I don't know whether this description will make it into the final draft as I was reading an ARC, but men writing women like this is a huge pass for me.
July 17, 2024
A well told (if disturbing) story, until the end where everything got a bit monologued.
There is no need for Bond-villain speeches in a serious work.
There is no need for Bond-villain speeches in a serious work.
February 6, 2024
Let's just get this right out of the way - Atrocity Engine is not the deepest of stories, nor the most original (unless you include the depths and originality of the splatter-horror). I was quite intrigued by the premise, however while there are a couple of good supernatural ideas, for the post part Atrocity Engine is more campy and comedic than badass (and I'm not 100% sure its supposed to be).
The plot is cobbled together with various Men-In-Black and buddy-cop tropes, to the point where I swear the author genuinely couldn't be arsed and was like "yep we're gonna have some backstory, but don't expect too much".
While this all sounds very negative, the story is fairly rip-roaring and if you ARE looking for shallow but very VERY gruesome horror then this is the book for you. I liked a couple of the supernatural concepts like 'Brother Nothing' and while they were tropey the MCs visits to supernatural bars and marketplaces was mostly fun (didn't think I'd read a book today where a zombie dude was defeated by having his puss sores poked to oblivion but here I am).
The plot is cobbled together with various Men-In-Black and buddy-cop tropes, to the point where I swear the author genuinely couldn't be arsed and was like "yep we're gonna have some backstory, but don't expect too much".
While this all sounds very negative, the story is fairly rip-roaring and if you ARE looking for shallow but very VERY gruesome horror then this is the book for you. I liked a couple of the supernatural concepts like 'Brother Nothing' and while they were tropey the MCs visits to supernatural bars and marketplaces was mostly fun (didn't think I'd read a book today where a zombie dude was defeated by having his puss sores poked to oblivion but here I am).
March 27, 2025
Stars: 2 out of 5
I was ready to love this book. On a side note, love that cover! That's what drew me to the book in the first place.
The idea behind this series is very intriguing - the world is basically dying (albeit slowly) because there is a giant black hole in the center of the universe called the Geir that is devouring it. Our protagonists work for the Maintenance whose sole purpose is to slow down the destruction of the known universe and delay the inevitable collapse. Our antagonist is an aspiring member of the Multitude, whose purpose is the exact opposite - precipitate the end of the universe and inflict as much death and destruction as possible in the process.
The premise is excellent, and I was all onboard to enjoy a thrilling ride... but I was sorely disappointed.
There are several issues, but the biggest one is the lack of worldbuilding, or the inconsistency thereof. The author mentions that the Maintenance has existed since at least the Roman empire and that they know everything it's possible to know about Corruption and entropic energy... Yet they miss some pretty big clues during this book.
Their agents are supposed to be trained in fighting the Corruption and the corrupted people, yet in all the fights we see, they freeze or behave like this is their first time on the job. The most glaring example is when 4 Interventionists just froze and let their enemies swat them with a car like flies. These people are supposed to be professionals, so why is it that the only two people who know what they are doing are our protagonists?
Also, whose stupid idea was it not to arm the agents that are the first in the field? Yes, they their role is to observe and call for backup, but they have a right to defend themselves while backup is getting there.
But my biggest issue were the characters. They are very one-dimentional. The bad guys are so bad they are almost caricatures of themselves. I mean Rachel takes the cake of psycho bitch who loves making her victims suffer. But she is also not very bright... I would even say stupid. All her actions show a lack of planning and an inability to predict the consequences even two steps in advance.
And Neal and Gina... well, we have the grizzled veteran and the special snowflake. Neither of them are interesting or relatable.
Neal knows everything better than anyone else at Maintenance, and is always proven right. Constantly goes against the authority of his superior, but somehow never gets even a slap on the hands for it. Then why is he still at the bottom of that ladder? If he is so great, shouldn't he be running the joint by now?
Gina comes across as naive to the point of stupidity. Oh, you only now start to wonder if your family is maybe pursuing their personal gain instead of the goals Maintenance has? What, you never noticed that none of the other Maintenance workers lived in mansions and drove expensive cars and wore luxury clothes? You never once stop to consider why your family thinks that is normal when the very core of Maintenance is to live modestly and only take what you need? Yeah, I didn't connect with her at all, and her POVs were a chore to read through.
The plot itself is full of contrivances and conveniences that drive it to where the author wants it to go instead of letting it elove naturally as a consequence of the actions characters take. I'm guessing that's why the villain comes across as braindead and making such stupid decisions.
All in all, this was a complete disappointment for me, and I will not be continuing with this series. This was also my first book by this author, and now I'm not even sure if I want to give him another try.
PS: I received an advanced copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I was ready to love this book. On a side note, love that cover! That's what drew me to the book in the first place.
The idea behind this series is very intriguing - the world is basically dying (albeit slowly) because there is a giant black hole in the center of the universe called the Geir that is devouring it. Our protagonists work for the Maintenance whose sole purpose is to slow down the destruction of the known universe and delay the inevitable collapse. Our antagonist is an aspiring member of the Multitude, whose purpose is the exact opposite - precipitate the end of the universe and inflict as much death and destruction as possible in the process.
The premise is excellent, and I was all onboard to enjoy a thrilling ride... but I was sorely disappointed.
There are several issues, but the biggest one is the lack of worldbuilding, or the inconsistency thereof. The author mentions that the Maintenance has existed since at least the Roman empire and that they know everything it's possible to know about Corruption and entropic energy... Yet they miss some pretty big clues during this book.
Their agents are supposed to be trained in fighting the Corruption and the corrupted people, yet in all the fights we see, they freeze or behave like this is their first time on the job. The most glaring example is when 4 Interventionists just froze and let their enemies swat them with a car like flies. These people are supposed to be professionals, so why is it that the only two people who know what they are doing are our protagonists?
Also, whose stupid idea was it not to arm the agents that are the first in the field? Yes, they their role is to observe and call for backup, but they have a right to defend themselves while backup is getting there.
But my biggest issue were the characters. They are very one-dimentional. The bad guys are so bad they are almost caricatures of themselves. I mean Rachel takes the cake of psycho bitch who loves making her victims suffer. But she is also not very bright... I would even say stupid. All her actions show a lack of planning and an inability to predict the consequences even two steps in advance.
And Neal and Gina... well, we have the grizzled veteran and the special snowflake. Neither of them are interesting or relatable.
Neal knows everything better than anyone else at Maintenance, and is always proven right. Constantly goes against the authority of his superior, but somehow never gets even a slap on the hands for it. Then why is he still at the bottom of that ladder? If he is so great, shouldn't he be running the joint by now?
Gina comes across as naive to the point of stupidity. Oh, you only now start to wonder if your family is maybe pursuing their personal gain instead of the goals Maintenance has? What, you never noticed that none of the other Maintenance workers lived in mansions and drove expensive cars and wore luxury clothes? You never once stop to consider why your family thinks that is normal when the very core of Maintenance is to live modestly and only take what you need? Yeah, I didn't connect with her at all, and her POVs were a chore to read through.
The plot itself is full of contrivances and conveniences that drive it to where the author wants it to go instead of letting it elove naturally as a consequence of the actions characters take. I'm guessing that's why the villain comes across as braindead and making such stupid decisions.
All in all, this was a complete disappointment for me, and I will not be continuing with this series. This was also my first book by this author, and now I'm not even sure if I want to give him another try.
PS: I received an advanced copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
March 24, 2024
This was so much fun! I loved the urban fantasy world created and think this will make a great series. Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.
March 9, 2024
Thank you to @aethonbooks for making 'The Atrocity Engine' by Tim Waggoner available as an ARC on @netgalley
There's something about this book that transported me back to the early 2000s, when I would read things like Charlain Harris' The Southern Vampire Mysteries series. There's a certain trashy entertainment value that hits just the right spot, as long as you turn your brain off a bit.
That might seem like I'm damning this book with faint praise, but I'm not trying to. The Atrocity Engine isn't trying to be a mystery or a thriller (despite technically being categorised as a mystery and thriller, for some reason) - it's not trying to surprise or shock you - it's just trying to entertain you. And, well, maybe gross you out a bit, too.
Neal Hudson is a Maintenance agent, tasked with the job of seeking out signs of Corruption. It's the role of this organisation to slow down the eventual - inevitable - death of the universe, which is in the process of being consumed by the Gyre. Gina Sandoval, the daughter of an influential family, is the rookie that has been assigned as Neal's new partner. Not only do they have to get used to each other, but they're going to have to do so as a potential member of the Multitude - a group of extremely powerful beings working to speed up the end of the universe - enacts her plan to launch herself into this group's highest ranks, however many desecrated corpses she has to leave in her wake as she does so.
This book isn't scary but it definitely leans heavily on dark themes. There's murder, child sexual assault and death, animal abuse, and other similar topics. There's also a lot - a lot - of body horror. In other words, it's not exactly a 'light' read.
I hope this being an ARC means that there's still time for at least one more round of editing before it gets a final release, because there are a significant amount of grammatical errors throughout, as well as some small inconsistencies in the logic of certain scenes. There's also an egregious and totally out of place reference to a woman's "mammary shelf" that made no sense and haunted me for the rest of my reading experience. It just needs to go.
Rating: 3/5
There's something about this book that transported me back to the early 2000s, when I would read things like Charlain Harris' The Southern Vampire Mysteries series. There's a certain trashy entertainment value that hits just the right spot, as long as you turn your brain off a bit.
That might seem like I'm damning this book with faint praise, but I'm not trying to. The Atrocity Engine isn't trying to be a mystery or a thriller (despite technically being categorised as a mystery and thriller, for some reason) - it's not trying to surprise or shock you - it's just trying to entertain you. And, well, maybe gross you out a bit, too.
Neal Hudson is a Maintenance agent, tasked with the job of seeking out signs of Corruption. It's the role of this organisation to slow down the eventual - inevitable - death of the universe, which is in the process of being consumed by the Gyre. Gina Sandoval, the daughter of an influential family, is the rookie that has been assigned as Neal's new partner. Not only do they have to get used to each other, but they're going to have to do so as a potential member of the Multitude - a group of extremely powerful beings working to speed up the end of the universe - enacts her plan to launch herself into this group's highest ranks, however many desecrated corpses she has to leave in her wake as she does so.
This book isn't scary but it definitely leans heavily on dark themes. There's murder, child sexual assault and death, animal abuse, and other similar topics. There's also a lot - a lot - of body horror. In other words, it's not exactly a 'light' read.
I hope this being an ARC means that there's still time for at least one more round of editing before it gets a final release, because there are a significant amount of grammatical errors throughout, as well as some small inconsistencies in the logic of certain scenes. There's also an egregious and totally out of place reference to a woman's "mammary shelf" that made no sense and haunted me for the rest of my reading experience. It just needs to go.
Rating: 3/5
June 1, 2024
4 star ideas with a 2 star writing style. This could have been killer if handled better. The stuff nobody cares about gets over-described, but the cool parts barely get a passing glance, the horror feeling offhand and bland.
February 11, 2024
What a great start to what appears to be a balls to the wall series. Tim Waggoner has blended dark sci-fi, extreme horror, and some "WTF" moments into a story about the end of the world, although not in the way you think.
Like a satanic version of Men In Black meets a blood fueled X-Files, this novel is about a secretive government agency who is trying to delay the eventual end of everything. Corruption in the form of an evil matter called entropy is trying to spread as the center of all existence, The Gyre, is slowly feasting on its own creation until there is nothing left.
This entropy takes the forms of some disturbing, brutal, evil creatures. The agency's job is to fight it and keep it undercover from the rest of humanity. But that's not easy.
As we follow our main characters, the author makes them fully fleshed out and believable. I loved the relationships between these characters and that makes the horrors to come even more hellish and frightening.
And make no mistake, while this book isn't technically "extreme" horror, there's enough blood, gore, violence, and body parts to delight fans of that genre.
I absolutely loved this novel and am looking forward to the rest of the series!
I received an ARC of this book through Netgalley with no consideration. This review is voluntary and is my own personal opinion.
Like a satanic version of Men In Black meets a blood fueled X-Files, this novel is about a secretive government agency who is trying to delay the eventual end of everything. Corruption in the form of an evil matter called entropy is trying to spread as the center of all existence, The Gyre, is slowly feasting on its own creation until there is nothing left.
This entropy takes the forms of some disturbing, brutal, evil creatures. The agency's job is to fight it and keep it undercover from the rest of humanity. But that's not easy.
As we follow our main characters, the author makes them fully fleshed out and believable. I loved the relationships between these characters and that makes the horrors to come even more hellish and frightening.
And make no mistake, while this book isn't technically "extreme" horror, there's enough blood, gore, violence, and body parts to delight fans of that genre.
I absolutely loved this novel and am looking forward to the rest of the series!
I received an ARC of this book through Netgalley with no consideration. This review is voluntary and is my own personal opinion.
Shelved as 'dnf'
May 27, 2024Read the first 100 pages and that last 50. This was just much more graphic than I was prepared or really interested in reading. At another time I might have been able to deal with that, but I just couldn't get into this. But I did like the idea, and I think I would have really liked Neal and Gina eventually.
But I probably won't try to continue on with this series.
But I probably won't try to continue on with this series.
April 20, 2024
This book was great entertainment from start to finish! Well-written, fast-paced, full of impressive visuals, and some really good sense of the menacing and the monstrous. Tim Waggoner's 'Atrocity Engine' is quintessential urban fantasy with a strong dose of sci-fi horror, the first of a series, about the cosmic threat of Corruption and the people (custodians, surveyors, a sort of cosmic cops) fighting it. This is not our world and the differences are sometimes shocking. The author is well-known for his skill in describing action scenes and for the atmosphere of adventure pervading his books. Here once again he does not disappoint: from the very beginning, things go sideways and it all starts in a playground! The world-building is very promising, the two characters who get partnered together give great vibes (thankfully, the (light) humor helps a lot driving the plot along), and the monsters...! Well, it's easy to visuaize everything if you've seen the movie "Dark City," the colors and the setting feel very similar. It wouldn't be too far-fetched to say that the book is like Dark City meets the X-Files. Final note: there's some gore, body horror, certainly lots of triggers, but I personally found nothing too extreme.
February 21, 2024
Rating: B
The Atrocity Engine was received from Netgalley as an eArc.
This book is like a comedic blend of Men in Black and Hellraiser, mostly elements of gore and horror, unfathomable monsters in the small setting of Ash Creek. Neal has worked for Maintenance for a few decades and recently before the start of the story, lost his partner, Pam, in a monster attack. Recently graduated rookie, Gina, is assigned to Neal as his new partner and learns life on the scene with him as they investigate horrible accidents and strange E-Energt spikes around the town.
However, don't take the description to mean it's solely light-hearted and silly. There are so many scenes of raucous screaming, torture, violence and gore that were incredibly well-crafted and refreshing against a backdrop of every modern horror being labelled "lovecraftian". It gave me everything I wanted in that department. It was so vivid and I felt completely immersed imagining the monsters and gory scenes, helped by the world-building, which puts the relatively normal town in a war against unfathomable evil. I got chills reading about Brother Nothing and his shining eyes.
The book mostly follows Neal and his new partner, Gina, who are agents at Maintenance. Whilst quite common in the comic space, I feel like books that have gadgets/evil entities and secret organisations are less common in novelisation and especially in horror. This was like if Cabin in the Woods' creators were the good guys instead of evil masterminds who want to resurrect gods. There's a database about every evil thing that existed and how to defeat most of them, guns that nullify evil, Men in Black-era evil-erasing devices, and everyone drives around in cleaning vans wearing suits. Neal was decently developed as a character, he was reliable, dedicated to his work but also supportive and fatherly to Gina. I did enjoy the scenes of him and Gina interacting but the story did jump around a lot and it made it hard to see the way everything was meant to come together at the end.
On this, I didn't think everything was so necessary in a first book - I can see it being developed and used for a second and third if the characters return, but outside of that it did feel like there were pages spent on topics that were not that important (like Gina's family history). The book also had multiple typos through it and even one chapter where the fancy J overlapped the words. I hope these are cleaned up for the final book.
Overall, quite a refreshing and enjoyable story from a very prolific horror author! Thanks for the arc.
The Atrocity Engine was received from Netgalley as an eArc.
This book is like a comedic blend of Men in Black and Hellraiser, mostly elements of gore and horror, unfathomable monsters in the small setting of Ash Creek. Neal has worked for Maintenance for a few decades and recently before the start of the story, lost his partner, Pam, in a monster attack. Recently graduated rookie, Gina, is assigned to Neal as his new partner and learns life on the scene with him as they investigate horrible accidents and strange E-Energt spikes around the town.
However, don't take the description to mean it's solely light-hearted and silly. There are so many scenes of raucous screaming, torture, violence and gore that were incredibly well-crafted and refreshing against a backdrop of every modern horror being labelled "lovecraftian". It gave me everything I wanted in that department. It was so vivid and I felt completely immersed imagining the monsters and gory scenes, helped by the world-building, which puts the relatively normal town in a war against unfathomable evil. I got chills reading about Brother Nothing and his shining eyes.
The book mostly follows Neal and his new partner, Gina, who are agents at Maintenance. Whilst quite common in the comic space, I feel like books that have gadgets/evil entities and secret organisations are less common in novelisation and especially in horror. This was like if Cabin in the Woods' creators were the good guys instead of evil masterminds who want to resurrect gods. There's a database about every evil thing that existed and how to defeat most of them, guns that nullify evil, Men in Black-era evil-erasing devices, and everyone drives around in cleaning vans wearing suits. Neal was decently developed as a character, he was reliable, dedicated to his work but also supportive and fatherly to Gina. I did enjoy the scenes of him and Gina interacting but the story did jump around a lot and it made it hard to see the way everything was meant to come together at the end.
On this, I didn't think everything was so necessary in a first book - I can see it being developed and used for a second and third if the characters return, but outside of that it did feel like there were pages spent on topics that were not that important (like Gina's family history). The book also had multiple typos through it and even one chapter where the fancy J overlapped the words. I hope these are cleaned up for the final book.
Overall, quite a refreshing and enjoyable story from a very prolific horror author! Thanks for the arc.
March 2, 2024
I've been going back and forth on what to rate this, and I've decided on 3.5 stars. It was wild and interesting from the beginning, definitely different from anything I've read. The premise is fun, the characters are likable, and there's plenty of action. I just feel like it needs a little more organization and to be cleaned up. There's a lot going on at all times. It was an entertaining read, and I'd highly recommend for those into gore, sci-fi, and body horror.
February 17, 2025
It’s been a while since I sampled anything Tim Waggoner has written. The first book was very much WTAF galore.
This one had some elements of that, but it was much more grounded in a fantastical reality. Plenty of gore and blood and guts for lovers of that, but the story was also tinged with cosmic horror which was a nice blend.
I liked our main character Neil. He’s a battle worn veteran, similar to but a little different from, the veteran cop trope. He runs by his own rules, which often gets him in some sort of strife.
He’s paired with the young rookie, Gina. She’s not much more than trope fodder. Young, from a prestigious family with much to prove. What I liked about her was her courage to do the undesirable thing when it counted.
Why only three stars then? Well, ultimately the story plodded along at a good pace, twists and turns took the reader along, but things all happened too quickly, too easily. There was a sense of stakes missing. I wasn’t ever really concerned for Neil and Gina and I wanted to be.
A few scenes stuck with me for a few different reasons. The first component of the Atrocity Engine, the second also. These I wanted more time with to truly sink my teeth into. As it is now, they’re kind of secondary, when they should have been given more time to shine with all the glossy, bloody goodness.
I was a little let down with the level of gore and horror. It felt a little scrubbed for general viewing. Still I enjoyed this and would read the second book in the series.
My ARC version does need a SERIOUS edit! I was pretty unimpressed with the overall quality of the writing. So many basic typos that a spellcheck would catch!
Some things I noticed (I did have an ARC galley so these errors might’ve been corrected prior to publishing. I’d hope so!):
6% - …for her (he) turned to look at Neal�
9% - Gina looked at (delete at) uncomfortable�
10% - …”Why don’t (you) go out into the main office�
24% - Reuban should be Ruben as previously spelt numerous times.
32% - � tell him what she (was) feeling and ask�
33% - � and Neal sat (at) a corner table,
34% -� they (delete they, replace with that) meant he believed they would be safe�
35% - Gina (should be Pam) thought we should park�
41% - � Gina wasn’t certain deserved (delete deserved) she deserved such a fate�
42% - � why does bloodrot was(want) to kill�
…and Marlon was(delete was) fell in.
44% - Once (One) swift cut�
46% - Gina eased her feet (foot) off the gas�
51% - …dressed in (a) brown suit�
59% - …unless he had (no) other choice.
60% - LikeCarton (space needed)�
� she (was) pleased to discover�
61% - …than the one she (had) been born�
68% - As soon as Carltonthought (space needed) this�
69% - …existed within Carltonfelt (space needed)�
71% - E-energy but(by) its very nature�
…Bahisa’s scowled(scowl) deepened�
72% - …reputed to (be) a less-than-pleasant�
76% - real spaced out ellipses.
77% - � to eased (ease) their loved�
78% - …Why are (we) being isolated�
79% - …share information with(out) a supervisor’s�
81% - …inside of your pocket is really boring (to) look at�
82% - …I’ll have to unlocked (remove ed) the door�
84% - weird line breaks at ‘creature of corruption�
86% - …to have here(her) there with him�
88% - � didn’t get (out) of the parking lot�
…killed the Exemplars guarding the building., (double punctuation)
…where none of the other the (delete the) beams was (were) trained on and hoped for the vest (best).
89% - …and her(he) spun around�
…lost her Nullifier with(when) she’d fallen�
90% - …might as well (be) on Mars.
92% - …an atom remained of her remained (delete or change to remains or delete first remained).
94% - …and Neal were with(in) five feet�
95% - …and starting(started) running toward�
96% - …energy release with(delete with, replace with will) destroy the�
97% - Where (Were) they dead?
…I’ll (I) think I’ll keep my eye�
99% - …I’m going to have to (have) a serious�
I’ll (I) think I’ll keep my eye�
**Note: I received an electronic copy of this from NetGalley**
This one had some elements of that, but it was much more grounded in a fantastical reality. Plenty of gore and blood and guts for lovers of that, but the story was also tinged with cosmic horror which was a nice blend.
I liked our main character Neil. He’s a battle worn veteran, similar to but a little different from, the veteran cop trope. He runs by his own rules, which often gets him in some sort of strife.
He’s paired with the young rookie, Gina. She’s not much more than trope fodder. Young, from a prestigious family with much to prove. What I liked about her was her courage to do the undesirable thing when it counted.
Why only three stars then? Well, ultimately the story plodded along at a good pace, twists and turns took the reader along, but things all happened too quickly, too easily. There was a sense of stakes missing. I wasn’t ever really concerned for Neil and Gina and I wanted to be.
A few scenes stuck with me for a few different reasons. The first component of the Atrocity Engine, the second also. These I wanted more time with to truly sink my teeth into. As it is now, they’re kind of secondary, when they should have been given more time to shine with all the glossy, bloody goodness.
I was a little let down with the level of gore and horror. It felt a little scrubbed for general viewing. Still I enjoyed this and would read the second book in the series.
My ARC version does need a SERIOUS edit! I was pretty unimpressed with the overall quality of the writing. So many basic typos that a spellcheck would catch!
Some things I noticed (I did have an ARC galley so these errors might’ve been corrected prior to publishing. I’d hope so!):
6% - …for her (he) turned to look at Neal�
9% - Gina looked at (delete at) uncomfortable�
10% - …”Why don’t (you) go out into the main office�
24% - Reuban should be Ruben as previously spelt numerous times.
32% - � tell him what she (was) feeling and ask�
33% - � and Neal sat (at) a corner table,
34% -� they (delete they, replace with that) meant he believed they would be safe�
35% - Gina (should be Pam) thought we should park�
41% - � Gina wasn’t certain deserved (delete deserved) she deserved such a fate�
42% - � why does bloodrot was(want) to kill�
…and Marlon was(delete was) fell in.
44% - Once (One) swift cut�
46% - Gina eased her feet (foot) off the gas�
51% - …dressed in (a) brown suit�
59% - …unless he had (no) other choice.
60% - LikeCarton (space needed)�
� she (was) pleased to discover�
61% - …than the one she (had) been born�
68% - As soon as Carltonthought (space needed) this�
69% - …existed within Carltonfelt (space needed)�
71% - E-energy but(by) its very nature�
…Bahisa’s scowled(scowl) deepened�
72% - …reputed to (be) a less-than-pleasant�
76% - real spaced out ellipses.
77% - � to eased (ease) their loved�
78% - …Why are (we) being isolated�
79% - …share information with(out) a supervisor’s�
81% - …inside of your pocket is really boring (to) look at�
82% - …I’ll have to unlocked (remove ed) the door�
84% - weird line breaks at ‘creature of corruption�
86% - …to have here(her) there with him�
88% - � didn’t get (out) of the parking lot�
…killed the Exemplars guarding the building., (double punctuation)
…where none of the other the (delete the) beams was (were) trained on and hoped for the vest (best).
89% - …and her(he) spun around�
…lost her Nullifier with(when) she’d fallen�
90% - …might as well (be) on Mars.
92% - …an atom remained of her remained (delete or change to remains or delete first remained).
94% - …and Neal were with(in) five feet�
95% - …and starting(started) running toward�
96% - …energy release with(delete with, replace with will) destroy the�
97% - Where (Were) they dead?
…I’ll (I) think I’ll keep my eye�
99% - …I’m going to have to (have) a serious�
I’ll (I) think I’ll keep my eye�
**Note: I received an electronic copy of this from NetGalley**
October 30, 2024
This review originally published in . Rated 3.5 of 5
I like reading Tim Waggoner books. I'm never quite sure what I'm going to get, other than something that's bound to be a wild ride, unexpected turns, completely gruesome moments, and humor both bright and dark.
Curious, I looked through some of the other reviews of this particular book and I see a real variety of ratings - from one star 'what is this crap' to five star 'this is fun' reviews, and I think that, more than most authors/books, Waggoner is an acquired taste. You really have to be in the right mood or the right frame of mind to dig in and enjoy. So I guess I'm always in the right mood for Waggoner.
In The Atrocity Engine, the first book in a new series (yay!), Neal Hudson is a long-time employee of Maintenance - the secret organization dedicated to battling demons, creatures from all the different dark dimensions, and/or aliens trying to destroy the universe. Whatever needs doing. Neal has been with the organization for more than 20 years and has been working as a lone wolf ever since his partner was killed.
Now Neal has been assigned to work alongside a rookie - the daughter of the man who served as Neal's mentor when he first joined. Although the partnership starts off a bit rocky, the pair come to trust one another - which is good, because they'll need to in order to prevent the earth from being destroyed.
This is not the most original of stories, but what makes it work is Waggoner's writing - which can sometimes be completely off the wall. Even the 'grizzled, male veteran, paired with the young, rookie female officer' is an old trope, but Waggoner makes Neal just off-kilter enough to keep us (and his partner) guessing what he'll do next.
It is a bit disappointing that Gina Sandoval (Neal's new partner) is a relatively stock character with nothing new to add to the relationship, really, other than giving Neal more opportunities to grouse. Fortunately they ultimately work well together (no surprise there) and (this IS a surprise) they don't develop into a romantic relationship. Of course any of this could change through the course of the series.
Something Waggoner manages to do often is keep the stakes of the book high. The potential for the end of everything as we know it is pretty high, I'd say. Again, not the newest of concepts, but I like the Men In Black idea of it being the lower-level employee working to solve the problems and not the 'Earth's Mightiest Heroes' type.
Overall, to repeat myself once again - not the most original of stories, but entertaining for those of us who like our entertainment to be a little gruesome and absurd. I will look forward to the next installment (which is clearly suggested at the very end of this volume).
Looking for a good book? Tim Waggoner's work isn't for everyone, but if you're interested in a little 'wacky' horror for your commute read, give The Atrocity Engine a try.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
I like reading Tim Waggoner books. I'm never quite sure what I'm going to get, other than something that's bound to be a wild ride, unexpected turns, completely gruesome moments, and humor both bright and dark.
Curious, I looked through some of the other reviews of this particular book and I see a real variety of ratings - from one star 'what is this crap' to five star 'this is fun' reviews, and I think that, more than most authors/books, Waggoner is an acquired taste. You really have to be in the right mood or the right frame of mind to dig in and enjoy. So I guess I'm always in the right mood for Waggoner.
In The Atrocity Engine, the first book in a new series (yay!), Neal Hudson is a long-time employee of Maintenance - the secret organization dedicated to battling demons, creatures from all the different dark dimensions, and/or aliens trying to destroy the universe. Whatever needs doing. Neal has been with the organization for more than 20 years and has been working as a lone wolf ever since his partner was killed.
Now Neal has been assigned to work alongside a rookie - the daughter of the man who served as Neal's mentor when he first joined. Although the partnership starts off a bit rocky, the pair come to trust one another - which is good, because they'll need to in order to prevent the earth from being destroyed.
This is not the most original of stories, but what makes it work is Waggoner's writing - which can sometimes be completely off the wall. Even the 'grizzled, male veteran, paired with the young, rookie female officer' is an old trope, but Waggoner makes Neal just off-kilter enough to keep us (and his partner) guessing what he'll do next.
It is a bit disappointing that Gina Sandoval (Neal's new partner) is a relatively stock character with nothing new to add to the relationship, really, other than giving Neal more opportunities to grouse. Fortunately they ultimately work well together (no surprise there) and (this IS a surprise) they don't develop into a romantic relationship. Of course any of this could change through the course of the series.
Something Waggoner manages to do often is keep the stakes of the book high. The potential for the end of everything as we know it is pretty high, I'd say. Again, not the newest of concepts, but I like the Men In Black idea of it being the lower-level employee working to solve the problems and not the 'Earth's Mightiest Heroes' type.
Overall, to repeat myself once again - not the most original of stories, but entertaining for those of us who like our entertainment to be a little gruesome and absurd. I will look forward to the next installment (which is clearly suggested at the very end of this volume).
Looking for a good book? Tim Waggoner's work isn't for everyone, but if you're interested in a little 'wacky' horror for your commute read, give The Atrocity Engine a try.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
May 10, 2024
Mixing cosmic horror, a healthy dose of splatter and sci fi, Tim Wagoneer’s new book The Atrocity Engine is the first book in his new series The Custodians of the Galaxy.
The story revolves around Neal Hudson, a veteran member of a secret organisation called The Maintenance who fight against The Multitude, whose goal is to see the universe destroyed by a cosmic force called The Gyre.
Mixing Men in Black style vibes with cosmic horror, Tim Wagoneer’s new book rolls along at a rollicking pace. He builds on familiar tropes, such as the buddy cop trope and crafts them into something enjoyably original.
As we move through the story we learn that Neal has been part of the agency for quite a while and that he has recently lost a partner, which leads him to be partnered with his old mentor’s daughter, Gina, who wants to follow in the family footsteps and make her name as notable member of the agency in their fight against The Multitude in their aim to spread chaos and entropy.
The book itself is really enjoyable with its fast-paced narrative. There are monsters and weird creatures galore.
Whilst at first it may appear that the characters are cardboard cut outs of things that you have seen before, Wagoneer manages to breathe life into these familiar tropes in order to write an entertaining blend of genres. However, be warned! This is no walk in the park and if you are squeamish, be aware, there is plenty of gore in this novel which comes to the fore in the first few chapters.
The characters themselves are quite engaging and for the first time in a long time, there is an engaging antagonist in the form of Rachel, an inherently evil young woman whose only goal is to become one of the Multitude, and she will do anything to get there.
There is plenty of action throughout the story to keep you going.
My only complaint that I have with this book is that there were quite a lot of textual errors, and I hope that this was an uncorrected proof, as there were times that I thought that this could do with another round with the editor to iron out some of the lines that I didn’t think worked or seemed out of place. I am not one for usually pointing out errors, but unfortunately the number of them made them quite noticeable.
However, that little quibble aside, this was an enjoyable read, and I will definitely be carrying on with this story.
The story revolves around Neal Hudson, a veteran member of a secret organisation called The Maintenance who fight against The Multitude, whose goal is to see the universe destroyed by a cosmic force called The Gyre.
Mixing Men in Black style vibes with cosmic horror, Tim Wagoneer’s new book rolls along at a rollicking pace. He builds on familiar tropes, such as the buddy cop trope and crafts them into something enjoyably original.
As we move through the story we learn that Neal has been part of the agency for quite a while and that he has recently lost a partner, which leads him to be partnered with his old mentor’s daughter, Gina, who wants to follow in the family footsteps and make her name as notable member of the agency in their fight against The Multitude in their aim to spread chaos and entropy.
The book itself is really enjoyable with its fast-paced narrative. There are monsters and weird creatures galore.
Whilst at first it may appear that the characters are cardboard cut outs of things that you have seen before, Wagoneer manages to breathe life into these familiar tropes in order to write an entertaining blend of genres. However, be warned! This is no walk in the park and if you are squeamish, be aware, there is plenty of gore in this novel which comes to the fore in the first few chapters.
The characters themselves are quite engaging and for the first time in a long time, there is an engaging antagonist in the form of Rachel, an inherently evil young woman whose only goal is to become one of the Multitude, and she will do anything to get there.
There is plenty of action throughout the story to keep you going.
My only complaint that I have with this book is that there were quite a lot of textual errors, and I hope that this was an uncorrected proof, as there were times that I thought that this could do with another round with the editor to iron out some of the lines that I didn’t think worked or seemed out of place. I am not one for usually pointing out errors, but unfortunately the number of them made them quite noticeable.
However, that little quibble aside, this was an enjoyable read, and I will definitely be carrying on with this story.
May 12, 2024
To put it mildly, I had a lot of fun with this one! The Atrocity Engine is a neat urban fantasy, high on the thrills and with some excellent worldbuilding thrown in. So what is it? Well, it's like if the FBI mixed heavily with The Dark City and had a urban fantasy baby - secret police protecting the general population from existential horrors that they don't know about. The Omniverse is slowly dying and various nefarious factions are trying to speed up Entropy to make it happen faster. Maintenance, our secret police, are here to stop that and add "Flavour to the Feast" (It makes sense, I promise).
I will admit that I read this in one sitting. Urban Fantasy is one of my favourite subgenres but it can be a bit "samey". The Atrocity Engine had enough fresh ideas to make sure that is stands out in the pack and is quite fast-paced. I really really enjoyed some of the ideas behind this book. The slow death of the Omniverse, the creepy powerful Multitude and the Atrocity Engine itself made sure I was hooked from the first chapter and kept me engaged throughout. I thought the plot was just excellent.
A warning: This is not a book for the faint-hearted. There is a substantial amount of death and gore in here; so much so that, combined with the plot, we are heading for Horror territory. I enjoyed this element to it but if you are adverse to violent deaths and body horror, I would suggest giving this a miss. I will say that it is well done but it is graphic. The Atrocity Engine is well-named.
The worldbuilding is outstanding. I loved the idea of the death scream of the Omniverse. I would love to have a wander around the Market. The Multitude creeped me out spectacularly, especially as we learn more about them. I just loved this world the author produced and can't wait to read more about it (next one is due in July). The characters are snarky and interesting. Surprisingly, there is quite a big streak of humour running through (see the Rifts and their after-effects), which lightened the tone every so often. It worked well as it fitted the main POV.
I had a great time with The Atrocity Engine and highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys Urban Fantasy with a substantial bite.
I received an advance review copy from the Publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. Thank you.
I will admit that I read this in one sitting. Urban Fantasy is one of my favourite subgenres but it can be a bit "samey". The Atrocity Engine had enough fresh ideas to make sure that is stands out in the pack and is quite fast-paced. I really really enjoyed some of the ideas behind this book. The slow death of the Omniverse, the creepy powerful Multitude and the Atrocity Engine itself made sure I was hooked from the first chapter and kept me engaged throughout. I thought the plot was just excellent.
A warning: This is not a book for the faint-hearted. There is a substantial amount of death and gore in here; so much so that, combined with the plot, we are heading for Horror territory. I enjoyed this element to it but if you are adverse to violent deaths and body horror, I would suggest giving this a miss. I will say that it is well done but it is graphic. The Atrocity Engine is well-named.
The worldbuilding is outstanding. I loved the idea of the death scream of the Omniverse. I would love to have a wander around the Market. The Multitude creeped me out spectacularly, especially as we learn more about them. I just loved this world the author produced and can't wait to read more about it (next one is due in July). The characters are snarky and interesting. Surprisingly, there is quite a big streak of humour running through (see the Rifts and their after-effects), which lightened the tone every so often. It worked well as it fitted the main POV.
I had a great time with The Atrocity Engine and highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys Urban Fantasy with a substantial bite.
I received an advance review copy from the Publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. Thank you.
May 20, 2024
This book is disappointing.
The story is told from multiple perspectives. The most interesting to me were the parts from the villain perspectives. However, those were too cruel, especially the parts from the perspective of the main villain- she relishes cruelty, and so her story sections are all about her being cruel, and I wish they were a smaller part of the story.
The good guy characters are part of a secret government agency that is fighting against the encroaching doom. Those parts of the story were quite weak. How are the agents of the agency so incompetent when they go to clean up a crisis? Why is the only agent who seems competent the guy who's at the bottom rung job, where he's apparently been stuck for his entire career? And why is the rookie agent - a trope used here (as elsewhere) to give the author reason to explain the world to readers - so clueless about how this alternate world works (clearly this agency has terrible police academy training)?
The world is potentially interesting, though again I think it fails to deliver on it's promise. Like so many urban fantasy stories we have an alternate world that connects with our normal world and from which various evil entities can cross over. And, as is typical or urban fantasy, we have to accept that normal people, and even our governments and law enforcement, are largely unaware of this alternate world. That's all typical. But so much of worldbuilding felt weakly developed. There's a bar frequented by people who have been disfigured entropic energy (the darkness that comes from the other dimension), and a market that is only accessible during the nighttime. The people encountered there are so screwed up, how is it possible they can have any interaction with normal society (though they clearly are living in our society). These were just like places from the Nightside, or Tim Waggoner's own Nekropolis, but in those stories society there is no pretense of hidden societies.
So, I found this a very disappointing book, and a weak new setting for a series of stories. It's too bad since I think Tim Waggoner's Nekropolis series is excellent - one of my favorite series ever (please write more of those!) - and I was hoping for something else equally good in this series.
Overall I'd give this a 2.5, since I did finish it but it's weak enough that I considered not finishing it.
The reader for the audiobook is fine, but not great. I'd give him a 3 or maybe 3.5, far short of the best, but not bad. Overall fine.
My personal rating scale: 5 (best of the genre, highly recommended); 4 (good book, recommend to others who like similar types of books); 3 (decent book, enjoyed reading it but not enough to recommend to others); 2 (has merit, but I didn't enjoy it much, and possibly didn't finish it); 1 (trash that shouldn't have been published).
The story is told from multiple perspectives. The most interesting to me were the parts from the villain perspectives. However, those were too cruel, especially the parts from the perspective of the main villain- she relishes cruelty, and so her story sections are all about her being cruel, and I wish they were a smaller part of the story.
The good guy characters are part of a secret government agency that is fighting against the encroaching doom. Those parts of the story were quite weak. How are the agents of the agency so incompetent when they go to clean up a crisis? Why is the only agent who seems competent the guy who's at the bottom rung job, where he's apparently been stuck for his entire career? And why is the rookie agent - a trope used here (as elsewhere) to give the author reason to explain the world to readers - so clueless about how this alternate world works (clearly this agency has terrible police academy training)?
The world is potentially interesting, though again I think it fails to deliver on it's promise. Like so many urban fantasy stories we have an alternate world that connects with our normal world and from which various evil entities can cross over. And, as is typical or urban fantasy, we have to accept that normal people, and even our governments and law enforcement, are largely unaware of this alternate world. That's all typical. But so much of worldbuilding felt weakly developed. There's a bar frequented by people who have been disfigured entropic energy (the darkness that comes from the other dimension), and a market that is only accessible during the nighttime. The people encountered there are so screwed up, how is it possible they can have any interaction with normal society (though they clearly are living in our society). These were just like places from the Nightside, or Tim Waggoner's own Nekropolis, but in those stories society there is no pretense of hidden societies.
So, I found this a very disappointing book, and a weak new setting for a series of stories. It's too bad since I think Tim Waggoner's Nekropolis series is excellent - one of my favorite series ever (please write more of those!) - and I was hoping for something else equally good in this series.
Overall I'd give this a 2.5, since I did finish it but it's weak enough that I considered not finishing it.
The reader for the audiobook is fine, but not great. I'd give him a 3 or maybe 3.5, far short of the best, but not bad. Overall fine.
My personal rating scale: 5 (best of the genre, highly recommended); 4 (good book, recommend to others who like similar types of books); 3 (decent book, enjoyed reading it but not enough to recommend to others); 2 (has merit, but I didn't enjoy it much, and possibly didn't finish it); 1 (trash that shouldn't have been published).
March 6, 2024
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review
Overall I enjoyed this book. It’s a fast-paced sci-fi / horror novel. The short length combined with the pace makes it a quick and entertaining read. The characters had unique personalities but I would’ve liked it have seen more character development and character backstories. The world building was great and very unique with the idea of entropic energy working to speed up the ultimate end of the universe. The idea of Maintenance working to slow the rate of decline of the universe by using fictional technologies to defeat sci-fi creatures was very reminiscent of Men in Black.
I thought the beginning was interesting and piqued my interest from the outset: “Neal stood at the edge of the playground, watching. Something was wrong here, very wrong. He just didn’t know what yet.� However, in the first chapter there was excessive descriptions of the characters right down to their exact clothing which slowed the pace a little.
There was severe body horror and gore which did fit well within the plot, but I felt that this aspect was unnecessarily frequent.
I would’ve liked to learn more about Neal’s backstory: Where did he originally hear about Maintenance? And why did he join? I understand that this is a series and it might come up later, but I still would’ve liked to have seen it in the first book to develop Neal’s character more.
I loved the scenes in the supernatural bar and marketplace. These two locations and their vivid descriptions really added to the overall setting and feel of the novel.
Ultimately, this book is a fun, easy read that is highly entertaining but is quite surface-level without any significant depth.
Happy reading x
Overall I enjoyed this book. It’s a fast-paced sci-fi / horror novel. The short length combined with the pace makes it a quick and entertaining read. The characters had unique personalities but I would’ve liked it have seen more character development and character backstories. The world building was great and very unique with the idea of entropic energy working to speed up the ultimate end of the universe. The idea of Maintenance working to slow the rate of decline of the universe by using fictional technologies to defeat sci-fi creatures was very reminiscent of Men in Black.
I thought the beginning was interesting and piqued my interest from the outset: “Neal stood at the edge of the playground, watching. Something was wrong here, very wrong. He just didn’t know what yet.� However, in the first chapter there was excessive descriptions of the characters right down to their exact clothing which slowed the pace a little.
There was severe body horror and gore which did fit well within the plot, but I felt that this aspect was unnecessarily frequent.
I would’ve liked to learn more about Neal’s backstory: Where did he originally hear about Maintenance? And why did he join? I understand that this is a series and it might come up later, but I still would’ve liked to have seen it in the first book to develop Neal’s character more.
I loved the scenes in the supernatural bar and marketplace. These two locations and their vivid descriptions really added to the overall setting and feel of the novel.
Ultimately, this book is a fun, easy read that is highly entertaining but is quite surface-level without any significant depth.
Happy reading x
December 27, 2024
Neal Hudson è un Manutentore veterano oberato dal lavoro, stressato e sottopagato che lavora sotto copertura per un'agenzia che ha l'ingrato compito di rallentare l'inevitabile: che la Spirale prosciughi l'intero Omniverso. L'agenzia si batte contro la Moltitudine, una sorta di semidei dalla cattiveria brutale il cui scopo è accelerare la disfatta dell'universo spargendo Corruzione, una forza oscura che trasforma gli umani in creature mostruose dagli effetti devastanti e parecchio scenografici. Rachel, un'ambiziosa apprendista della Moltitudine sta tentando di costruire un Motore delle Atrocità, in modo da conquistare una sostanziosa massa di potere che le garantisca di arrampicarsi sull'olimpo dei cattivi e distruggere definitivamente l'intero sistema solare.
Una centrifuga di Men-In-Black, Hellfire e X-files per gli amanti dello splatter e del body-horror. Tim Waggoner possiede una scrittura frizzante e la straordinaria capacità di rappresentare perfettamente un AU che non sia troppo distante dal nostro, ma in cui le regole sono leggermente più ferree e strane. Tra le cose che più mi sono piaciute inserirei lo sviluppo dei personaggi, ognuno con un background differente e con una morale propria, e il boddy-cop trope.
Questo primo volume di una trilogia (già scritta) è avvincente e coinvolgente fin dalle prime pagine e ha una velocità travolgente che raramente manda in stallo la trama, la cui v10olenza è ben bilanciata da una buona dose di humor.
Per stomaci e cuori forti, consigliato agli amanti di sci-fi h0rror, urban fantasy (ma senza angeli e d3moni manzi) gore e body horror.
Una centrifuga di Men-In-Black, Hellfire e X-files per gli amanti dello splatter e del body-horror. Tim Waggoner possiede una scrittura frizzante e la straordinaria capacità di rappresentare perfettamente un AU che non sia troppo distante dal nostro, ma in cui le regole sono leggermente più ferree e strane. Tra le cose che più mi sono piaciute inserirei lo sviluppo dei personaggi, ognuno con un background differente e con una morale propria, e il boddy-cop trope.
Questo primo volume di una trilogia (già scritta) è avvincente e coinvolgente fin dalle prime pagine e ha una velocità travolgente che raramente manda in stallo la trama, la cui v10olenza è ben bilanciata da una buona dose di humor.
Per stomaci e cuori forti, consigliato agli amanti di sci-fi h0rror, urban fantasy (ma senza angeli e d3moni manzi) gore e body horror.
March 19, 2024
I have read a couple of Tim's books. I loved them. He takes an idea and turns it into a fever dream. I don't know where the idea for the Atrocity Engine came from, but it's wonderful.
We start with the main character, Neal. He works for an organization trying to keep the universe from being consumed. The story has a lot of detail about what is consuming the universe and its eventual end. I'll leave that to Tim.
The world-building in this one blows me away. It feels like an urban fantasy with incredible horror gore. If you've read Tim before, you know what I'm talking about.
I've seen the comparisons to the Cenobites, but I feel it leans more toward Dark City and the creatures within that universe. The description of one of the creatures, Brother Nothing, gives me Cenobite feelings, but the entirety of the story gives me Dark City feelings—at least in the descriptions of the Multitude.
I know the book is listed as book one. I'm more excited to see what happens with Neal in book two.
I don't write long reviews, and this is no different.
I enjoyed the hell out of this novel. It's fun and disturbing. It gives us a glimpse into a world dissimilar from our own.
Who knows, maybe that white van driving around town works for Maintenance. I see it all the time.
We start with the main character, Neal. He works for an organization trying to keep the universe from being consumed. The story has a lot of detail about what is consuming the universe and its eventual end. I'll leave that to Tim.
The world-building in this one blows me away. It feels like an urban fantasy with incredible horror gore. If you've read Tim before, you know what I'm talking about.
I've seen the comparisons to the Cenobites, but I feel it leans more toward Dark City and the creatures within that universe. The description of one of the creatures, Brother Nothing, gives me Cenobite feelings, but the entirety of the story gives me Dark City feelings—at least in the descriptions of the Multitude.
I know the book is listed as book one. I'm more excited to see what happens with Neal in book two.
I don't write long reviews, and this is no different.
I enjoyed the hell out of this novel. It's fun and disturbing. It gives us a glimpse into a world dissimilar from our own.
Who knows, maybe that white van driving around town works for Maintenance. I see it all the time.
May 10, 2024
Neal Hudson is an agent of Maintenance Control. He is a twenty year veteran of Maintenance. It is an organization seeking to delay the entire Omniverse from being drained by the Gyre. Opposing Maintenance are the Multitude, dark demigods who spread Corruption (a force that creates monsters). Neal is thrown into the thick of the action upon witnessing a bizarre scene at a, playground, a bully dizzy from the merry-go-round vomits Corruption on another child’s mother, erasing her facial features. Neal intervenes, but not before the regurgitated Corruption animates three sculptures that turn violent and butcher others. Hudson must work with his new partner, Gina Sandoval. The investigation leads them to a member of the Multitude who’s seeking to magnify her powers by building an Atrocity Engine, which would “increase her strength a thousandfold.� Why does she want this much?
The author has written a fast pace, clever urban horror fantasy. This was an edge of the seat novel for me to read. I truly enjoyed it � even with the gore.
Disclaimer: I received an arc of this book from the author/publisher from Netgalley. I wasn’t obligated to write a favorable review. The opinions expressed are strictly my own.
April 13, 2024
4.5 stars
When I saw this book was described as Men In Black meets Hellraiser I knew this was a book for me and I very much enjoyed reading this.
The world is like ours but there is basically corruption (Entropy) seeping in trying to speed up the inevitable destriction of the universe and the way this entropy effects different things is one of the coolest things about this because anything could happen and it's always weird and disgusting.
There were also these things called Rift Scars which could cause very specific consequences to whoever touched one and that was really interesting.
Another part I enjoyed was the characters and I liked how in this book the partnership between Gina and Neal was kept platonic as I feel like a lot of books would have been adding some kind of romance which would have take away from the plot. I like their team work and also Neal's attitude in general. I also thought Brother Nothing was awesome!
The descriptions of the weird/disgusting/horrific things in this book were so well done, they were very easy to picture and made for a really vivid read.
Highly recommend!
May 2, 2024
This is the first book in the Custodians of the Cosmos series. It’s a campy horror/urban fantasy story that follows main character, Neal, who has worked for a secret organization known as Maintenance for decades battling entities that seek entropy to fuel their plans and leave Corruption in their wake and may eventually speed up entropy to the point of destroying the Earth as we know it.
I thought this was highly entertaining in a Men in Black/Ghostbusters type way. There are creepy creatures made of body parts and exploding biological matter flying all over the place. Plus, a creepy teacher who has a nefarious plan to use her students to spread corruption and build a nasty machine that could annihilate everything.
Neal was that typical grumpy loner that’s been assigned a new rookie to break in on the job and to top it all off, she’s not just any rookie. Her family has connections and a history with Neal. Now if only he can get Gina through her first day without getting her killed by a teguzilla or something worse.
I will definitely pick up the second book in the series.
Thank you to Netgalley and Aethon Books for a copy provided for an honest review.
I thought this was highly entertaining in a Men in Black/Ghostbusters type way. There are creepy creatures made of body parts and exploding biological matter flying all over the place. Plus, a creepy teacher who has a nefarious plan to use her students to spread corruption and build a nasty machine that could annihilate everything.
Neal was that typical grumpy loner that’s been assigned a new rookie to break in on the job and to top it all off, she’s not just any rookie. Her family has connections and a history with Neal. Now if only he can get Gina through her first day without getting her killed by a teguzilla or something worse.
I will definitely pick up the second book in the series.
Thank you to Netgalley and Aethon Books for a copy provided for an honest review.
May 18, 2024
Awesome thrill-ride from start to finish.
Thanks to Aethon Books for providing me with the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
Wow! I couldn't put this down. Tim Waggoner created such a cool concept with this first entry into the Custodians of the Cosmos. From Chapter 1, he introduces you to a pretty bleak world that mirrors our own. He then goes to show you what you're going to get for the rest of the book. And it's a banger.
I liked the magic system he employed in this world he created. The idea of centering the magic of the world around the concept of entropy is quite unique.
I think the only thing I found that needed more care was the characters. There are two MCs in this book, and I feel like this book only helped me understand one of them. Yes, he fleshed out Gina, but I still feel like Neal is a bit generic. That said I hope to get more character development in the next book coming out this July. I'm looking forward to it.
4 stars out of 5.
Thanks to Aethon Books for providing me with the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
Wow! I couldn't put this down. Tim Waggoner created such a cool concept with this first entry into the Custodians of the Cosmos. From Chapter 1, he introduces you to a pretty bleak world that mirrors our own. He then goes to show you what you're going to get for the rest of the book. And it's a banger.
I liked the magic system he employed in this world he created. The idea of centering the magic of the world around the concept of entropy is quite unique.
I think the only thing I found that needed more care was the characters. There are two MCs in this book, and I feel like this book only helped me understand one of them. Yes, he fleshed out Gina, but I still feel like Neal is a bit generic. That said I hope to get more character development in the next book coming out this July. I'm looking forward to it.
4 stars out of 5.
February 3, 2024
CAVEAT: ARC Read
GENRES: Contemporary Fantasy, Horror, Gore
It may not be astounding and genre-defining literature, but it was a fun read nonetheless.
The worldbuilding is fine, although the settings tend to get glossed over to get back to the action. Language is straightforward if a bit simple, pacing can be a bit chaotic but still works out okay. The exposition in later chapters for some of the side characters is worth going through the first few chapters that can feel a bit formulaic. The main characters are a little wooden but they have their moments, and since this is part 1 of a trilogy I would imagine they will be fleshed out a bit in future writing.
Overall, I may not pick it up again for a while, but for something to read on a rainy day, or if you're looking for some gory fun in a modern fantasy, it didn't feel like a waste of time. If that's not what you're after, you may be disappointed.
GENRES: Contemporary Fantasy, Horror, Gore
It may not be astounding and genre-defining literature, but it was a fun read nonetheless.
The worldbuilding is fine, although the settings tend to get glossed over to get back to the action. Language is straightforward if a bit simple, pacing can be a bit chaotic but still works out okay. The exposition in later chapters for some of the side characters is worth going through the first few chapters that can feel a bit formulaic. The main characters are a little wooden but they have their moments, and since this is part 1 of a trilogy I would imagine they will be fleshed out a bit in future writing.
Overall, I may not pick it up again for a while, but for something to read on a rainy day, or if you're looking for some gory fun in a modern fantasy, it didn't feel like a waste of time. If that's not what you're after, you may be disappointed.
February 27, 2024
The Atrocity Engine is a cosmic sci-fi horror where we follow Neal Hudson in his work as a surveyor for Maintenance. His job includes surveying Ash Creek and collecting various data about alien creatures, demonic beings and doing his best not to get in trouble. He has worked alone for a couple months after his partner died on the job, but now his boss thinks he needs a new partner. Neal tries to convince his boss that he doesn’t need a new partner, but the richest family in Maintenance has specifically requested that their daughter be partnered with Neal.
I absolutely loved this book! I enjoyed the characters, the story line, the writing and the setting. The book didn’t explore the universe that much and we didn’t get to really know the characters. But I did enjoy this world and its characters, it got me hooked on this series and I will definitely continue the Atrocity Engine series.
Thank you to the author and Aethon Books for this ARC!
I absolutely loved this book! I enjoyed the characters, the story line, the writing and the setting. The book didn’t explore the universe that much and we didn’t get to really know the characters. But I did enjoy this world and its characters, it got me hooked on this series and I will definitely continue the Atrocity Engine series.
Thank you to the author and Aethon Books for this ARC!
May 8, 2024
I received this book from a giveaway. First, this genre is not my typical read, I wanted to expand my reading collection This was a fun read and also very disturbing. Tim Waggoner had no problems with killing children, sex trafficking preteens, and killing a pregnant woman to get to the unborn, uncorrupted soul of the fetus. Although there were very graphic and shocking scenes, I still wanted to continue with the story and it kept me interested. I'm giving this 2.5 stars because there were a few consistency errors, the first in the very beginning about an axe that was stuck in the ground, then it was being used, then it was still stuck in the ground, not stuck again and there was not a 2nd axe. A lot of grammatical errors and wrong names being used in scenes. This is book 1 of a series and I would've continued the series if there weren't so many errors. If the books are in KU I might give it a shot.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 23, 2024
Thank you NetGalley for letting me read this book early!
A lot of reviews were talking about this book being gorey, and I guess I didn't really clock it (maybe I am desensitized? I have no idea) but if you are a light horror fan I feel like you will enjoy this book.
I really enjoyed this book. First off, we have some pretty fun world building. It's nothing complex, but I feel like it works for this. There is an organization trying to slow down the destruction of the world and an organization trying to speed it up. There are cool creatures, powers, objects, and death worms.
I also enjoyed the characters. There are lots of different people who all have good character growth, and I enjoyed the mini found family.
It wasn't a perfect book, but it was kind of camp. It was enjoyable, with the silly drama of it all.
I'm excited to read the next one!
A lot of reviews were talking about this book being gorey, and I guess I didn't really clock it (maybe I am desensitized? I have no idea) but if you are a light horror fan I feel like you will enjoy this book.
I really enjoyed this book. First off, we have some pretty fun world building. It's nothing complex, but I feel like it works for this. There is an organization trying to slow down the destruction of the world and an organization trying to speed it up. There are cool creatures, powers, objects, and death worms.
I also enjoyed the characters. There are lots of different people who all have good character growth, and I enjoyed the mini found family.
It wasn't a perfect book, but it was kind of camp. It was enjoyable, with the silly drama of it all.
I'm excited to read the next one!
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