The Atrocity Engine by Tim Waggoner book review
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Tim Waggoner’s first novel came out in 2001, and he’s published close to fifty novels and seven collections of short stories since. He writes original fantasy and horror, as well as media tie-ins. His novels include Like Death, considered a modern classic in the genre, and the popular Nekropolis series of urban fantasy novels. He’s written tie-in fiction for Supernatural, Alien, Grimm, the X-Files, Doctor Who, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and Transformers, among others. His articles on writing have appeared in Writer’s Digest, Writer’s Journal, and Writer’s Workshop of Horror. He’s won the Bram Stoker Award and been a finalist for the Shirley Jackson Award, the Scribe Award, and the Splatterpunk Award. In addition to writing, Tim is also a full-time tenured professor who teaches creative writing and composition at Sinclair College.
Publisher: Aethon Books (April 30, 2024) Length: 316 Formats: audiobook, ebook, hardback
“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.
Tim does not mess around, often to emotional reactions across the full range of options, laughing out loud at Neal or in shock of the dumpster monster. I became a fan of Tim’s with this book. Bring on book 2 is right!
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