M a r k E v e r g l a d e

**First Look - The Initiates by Ryan Hyatt**

tokyo ghost cyberpunk comic review cover showing motorcycle rider with arrows in his back

Intro:
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‍The Initiates is a 2024 novel from Ryan Hyatt, who has much experience writing sci-fi involving the military and mechs. In the near future, the United States is composed of small countries like The Independent Stronghold of Texas and New New York which have distinctive cultures, perhaps further differentiated by their semi-autonomous rule. In The Heartland, the impacts of climate change are felt through tumultuous storms that threaten the hope that the youth have for a brighter future. Societal threats loom, but in this moment of vulnerability another change is coming.
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Plot:
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A young man, Myles, and a small group of camp members find themselves up against an alien threat. The ravenous creatures and the camp environment call up images from the first Alan Wake game, as depicted in the following excerpt.

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“As Myles surveys the splattered debris, a sleek, dark creature emerges from the rubble. It’s larger, but leaner, than the bear he encountered under the stars, and behind the beast rests the gnawed face, chewed eyes, and lifeless grin of the former camp director. (Spoiler Omitted)'s head rolls off its bony torso and falls to the ground with a pitiful thud near the razor-sharp toes of the four-legged monster. A moment since Myles last saw him, Friendly Forest’s (spoiler) has become a devoured mess. As the Kiaski turns toward Myles, he takes a step back, startled by its hideousness. A cluster of crimson eyes—dozens of glossy, marble-like pupils—brighten before him, illuminated by the blood of a fresh kill. The pupils meander until they hone on the young counselor.”

A personal threat also stalks Myles: finding his purpose in an uncertain world.
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“Today, astronomers can predict what the phase of the moon will be in one hundred years, but humanity still struggles to understand what existence means in a galaxy filled with one hundred billion planets, but only one Earth.”
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This is especially certain for the youth, and early on we find Myles distressed at the pressure to find a career, which leads him to becoming a camp counselor where he meets his comrades against the oncoming alien assault, the setting and gathering itself calling for a certain nostalgia of eighties horror movies.

Mechs, droids, and hackers round up the sci-fi elements, with appropriate cyber activity keeping the action high as the group of unlikely heroes and company investigates,

"The image of Sara’s beaming smile dissolves into a pixelated puff,replaced by the real-time overlay of Oro Loma, an unincorporated area off the Interstate 5 Freeway, forty-five miles north of the extraterrestrial anomaly that manifested itself at 2:35 p.m. yesterday…. A night’s worth of drone and satellite reconnaissance activity, led by the artificially intelligent computers at Ray’s disposal, traced the stolen sedan with Department of Justice plates to a lone inn located in the small farming community. A series of hacks into the messages of a tracked laptop confirm…"
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‍Overall:

This coming of age novel blends elements of science fiction and horror to excite readers in what is the most fast-paced Hyatt book to date. This one will appeal to a wide audience, in addition to fans of Jeff Vandermeer's Annihilation.

Purchase The Initiates here, and learn about Ryan's other work here.