Horror Book Review: Terminus (Adam Baker)

The third book in Adam Baker’s infection/virus apocalypse series, Terminus continues the trend of exceedingly good writing from the imaginative and talented author. You can read our reviews of the excellent first book, Outpost here and the ‘almost as great’ second book, Juggernaut here.

Terminus begins with the news that the virus is running free, infecting every corner of the world. New York is lost so the president gives the word to drop a nuke on the city to try and halt the infection from leaving the city.

Moments before the bomb explodes a radio message comes through from a world-renowned Doctor. They have a cure. The only problem is they’re underground in the subway system. A small group are dispatched to try and rescue them or failing that, try and find the cure.

It’s not just the badly irradiated city this group will have to contend with. The bomb didn’t wipe out the virus and the carriers are even more dangerous now they’ve been subjected to radiation. Not only that, deep underground something is growing, determined to wipe humanity off the face of the earth.

It’s hard to go too much into the plot without spoiling some pretty nice surprises.

After a slight stumble (very slight) with Juggernaut, it’s fantastic to see Adam Baker regain his balance and tell a story here that rivals Outpost for sheer enjoyment. An excellent cast of characters, amazing locations and the usual horrid level of descriptiveness when it comes to the virus and its effects.

Fear not, this is not a repeat of what we’ve already read. Here the terrible virus gets to evolve and we get more insight into just what it might be. From the first couple pages to the last, it’s a thrilling ride of gory, violent action and horror.

Most of the story takes place in the ruins of New York and while we never get much in the way of information regarding the rest of the world, it’s safe to say based off the decision to drop a nuke on the city, it can’t be good.

By keeping it localised Baker is able to build a picture of a city in ruins for the reader. One where buildings continue to crumble and the radiation might be deadlier then the infected. We’ve seen hopeless situations in the previous two books but this might be the most soul-destroying of all. Forget the small group of characters, the whole world seems lost.

This virus just seems unstoppable and what it can do to us is truly terrifying. It was bad enough before this book but a new and more horrible element is introduced here that might leave a few people feeling queasy.

All of these horrible events happen to an interesting set of characters. A varied bunch, each one plays their part in some way or another making them feel crucial to the overall plot. Some stand out more then others but that’s hardly an issue. It’s nice to see some real character depth here as it creates an urgency to see these survive even though that seems very unlikely a lot of the time.

Another excellent entry for Adam Baker, Terminus is an exceptional read even if you’ve not read the previous two entries.

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