Forsaken

McBride blends intricate science fiction and visceral horror in his frightening and sharp second Unit 51 novel (after Subhuman). At Forward Operating Base Atlantis, a government research facility in Antarctica, military operatives and scientists are holding captive a violent, ancient creature, Subject Z, who is using the body of a scientist as a host. As they try to understand where Subject Z came from and what it wants, archaeologists and researchers in Mexico are working to uncover the relevance of a maze found below Teotihuacan, a Mesoamerican city known as “the birthplace of the gods.” As the novel unfolds, the ties between Subject Z and what lies in wait at the center of Teotihuacan become increasingly clear, as does the realization that these groups are not the only ones interested in the ancient gods of Mesoamerica. Switching among multiple points of view, McBride immerses the reader in the lead-up to a catastrophic, gruesome détente. The dangers from adversaries both human and supernatural will draw readers to the next book of the series. (Apr.)