Book Review: "The Intercepts" by TJ Payne

Statistically, I can tell that you guys aren't fans of my horror novel reviews. But keep with me here because I swear I'm going to get off this train soon. For some reason, I was just aching to read some horror fiction and so, I think I've almost spent my binge-read of that genre for now. But if you don't like horror as a genre then I think we might have to rethink this friendship.

I took a look at this book online and it kind of confirmed my suspicions. It's horror, but then it's not quite horror. It's gory, but definitely not what one would call 'gore punk' or 'splatter punk'. If you know me, you will probably know that I cannot stand splatter punk as a sub-genre. It cheapens the whole brand if it isn't done well. And more often than not, it isn't done well.

In this book, human subjects are kept in extreme sensory deprivation and one of the operatives working the floor of this lab is Joe - an average underwhelmed worker. He often administers medications and tunes these subjects that are called “antennas”. This process is called 'tuning' and allows the workers to intercept thoughts and feelings. Joe often experiences pangs of guilt and remorse and other times, he kind of just zones out as most do when doing their job. TJ Payne writes this character as someone who is meant to represent a person who works for a corporation that everyone knows is doing stuff wrong. For example: someone who manufactures Coca-Cola's plastic bottles. But in a more extreme way.

I have to admit that sometimes the writing of this book made some of the stuff that happens feel a bit rushed. I think it might be a thing about horror in the last five years, but there was barely any atmosphere. I didn't feel like I was getting sucked in. I'm not sure whether the hook character of Joe was enough.

“Antennas” are humans who have been stripped of all sensation and consciousness. This is because of all of the brutal torturous procedures they are subjected to. They are often kept in paralytic states where they are given medications that drug them into madness. Whilst some have moments of clarity, others do not. The ones who don't are sent perpetually insane and even if they try to fight back it is normally to no avail. Their psychology is harvested and thus, the consequences of the experiments start to ensue.

It all sounds good on paper and often it can be fairly interesting and fun to read. But I do have to say, this storyline is becoming more complex than the length or depth of the book has allowed. I feel like there should be a reason for this. Are we in the future? Are we in an alternative past? Where and we and why? I feel like there's a lot of information I'm missing out on.

When we gain access to Joe's backstory, we witness something tragic. Joe has a strained relationship with his family. His ex-wife committed suicide and now their daughter, Riley, lives with him. Joe is obviously very stressed and thus, becomes even more so when Riley starts to experience hallucinations.

Remember when I said that fighting back was mostly to no avail? Well, you can only guess what happened. One of the “antennas” named Bishop regains consciousness and starts to fight back. We learn so much about how this character has influenced the path which Joe's life takes and all of the stresses that have happened to him in the past. Joe figures out that if he wants to save his daughter, he must meet this "Bishop" and offer her out for a brutal showdown in which he will question everything he has learnt up to this point.

I don't know, I think the second half of the novel becomes more predictable sci-fi novel rather than actual horror. It feels like there should be more here and there wasn't. I appreciate the book being fun, but we have to admit that this is not a social media read. This author is really trying to write something deep, meaningful and dystopian. Apart from being a quick, fun read, it really wasn't much else. I could have been much more if it was maybe 50-100 pages longer.