3.5/5 stars! The energy and vibes of this book reminded me of the book Hide, which had an abandoned theme park filled with an ancient evil. I liked this "evil arcade" theme. I think the characters were well developed and compelling. The pacing was a bit slow at times, but overall a haunting read.

A video game/psychological thriller at its finest. I’d even categorize it a bit as horror. This felt nostalgic to read and the ambiance was definitely 80-90s video store arcade.

A mysterious arcade game appears in the local video shop arcade leaving its players in psychological shambles after each play. Whatever’s happening to these players is catching and every day the line grows longer and longer with the townspeople waiting for their turn to play. As the town’s quickly falling into disarray those that haven’t played are just as easily lured in by pure paranoia from their fellow neighbors and townspeople. Told through many perspectives as it follows quite a bit of the townspeople in addition to Andi and Ro but the chaos that ensues kept my attention the whole way through. The ambiance was well set, and the pace fast. Andi and Ro being high schoolers and having to take on the why’s and how’s of this mysterious game whose origins no one can track down, while simultaneously realizing they have to get out of this town unscathed was more than suspenseful. Without spoiling the end, just know this is set in the 80s and it leaves you with the feeling of both this town and game being an urban legend you’d find on creepypasta or a Reddit forum. I’d actually love to see this as a show someday.

I heard this legend growing up so I wanted to read this author's take on it. I like to believe that this legend was an actual CIA operation, that very well could have happened. I feel like this book gave a realistic approach to the topic and I felt immersed in the story at various points. I also enjoyed that the setting was in Northern California.

Polybius has always been one of my favorite urban legends and Armstrong's interpretation did not disappoint! The characters were fairly interesting and realistic -- while the instant romances were a bit unfounded, I also recognize that shit happens fast during apocalyptic situations. I liked that the author presented a possible explanation for the science of the machine's effects (whether it was plausible or not, I have no idea).

I came into this book knowing just a little bit about the urban legend and I love the plot that this book ran with. I was a little frustrated that it took so long for the characters to figure out what was going on but I guess I have the benefit of knowing the "future". This book had a little more horror than I was expecting (which wasn't any at all) because I saw the title and just went in immediately without looking up anything. I really enjoyed this read and could seeing this be a hit for several of my friends specifically. a great scifi read for summer, thats for sure!

It’s 1982 in a small Northern California town called Tasker Bay. High School student Andi relocated here with her physician mom and she just can’t wait to get out and return to the bustling Silicon Valley.

Andi works at the local arcade where everything is pretty boring until her boss purchases a mysterious video arcade game at an auction. This is Polybius.

This quiet town gets pretty rowdy pretty fast. Polybius is affecting the brain of all that play it. It’s addictive and it is turning the players into violent monsters. Armstrong tells this story with interesting yet easy to track characters (I can’t stand it when a book “like this” just has too many characters that are not individual enough and the “blend” - Armstrong does a FANTASTIC job avoiding this!)

This book combines a lot of really cool elements, like nostalgia, technology, government covert ops and horror. While the book mostly focuses on the behavioral health crisis this game causes, it still features some neat references about 1980s arcade and gaming culture.

This is all based on an urban legend. There are lots of web articles, podcasts and information out there. It’s purportedly been debunked. But is that just part of the coverup?!

A video game gone bad as the town is being possessed by an unforeseen force, stemming from an arcade game. Trying to get the answer to why this is happening, while racing against the violent rage that is passing through each resident.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity on reading this arc ! I am a big nerd when it comes to arcades especially in the 80s/90s . The cover alone itself sold it for me to be interested in it , there was a lot of parts where I was so completely submersed in the book but there was also parts where I felt completely disconnected with the characters. I would’ve liked to see more of the horror’s aspect in the book. Overall my rating was a solid 3/5 stars !

It's not the things the blurb claims, and I fell for it again. Good marketing, but not the book I expected to read.

A cautionary tale set in 1982. Tasker Bay, California is a small predictable town, where everyone knows everyone else (and their business) and where Andi and her mother, Rachel have moved after parting from her father in San Jose. Andi has a job at the local arcade and it suddenly gets busy with the arrival of a new video game called Polybius. However, the game's origins are scarce and seemingly overnight, the small community are fighting to play the game and not acting themselves. Andi and Ro, the sheriff's son, think it has everything to do with the arrival of Polybius. After all, people didn't start acting out until after the game arrived. And the code is unlike anything Andi has seen before. Andi and Ro, along with David, the sheriff and Ro's father and Rachel, Andi's mother, embark on a fact-finding mission to save Tasker Bay before it implodes.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for this digital e-arc.*

thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review!

like a 4.5. this was GOOD. I think what I liked about this book the most is the fact that it exploded with violence studded with very specific details that will just live in my memory for a long time (THE CRAWFISH THING??? HELLO?????), but it also simmered with absolute malice the entire time. like it was just good at being both consistently creepy and also terrifying.

I did dock a couple of points because the explanation as to what happened was so pat and also like... wow I am only just now realizing they actually put it in the book description so there goes all the mystery yeah lol. I was also kind of annoyed by how obvious it was that the game was setting people off by literally 20% of the way into the story, but that annoyance did ebb away as the horrors started escalating and escalating. the epilogue was more or less just "well I gotta end this story now," except for the last couple of paragraphs, which really hit.

but yeah, I could have easily given this five stars tbh. really sick and really good.

Armstrong is a strong writer, with prose that's easy to immerse yourself in and characters crafted with nuance and care. Unfortunately, the subject of the story itself didn't do a whole lot for me; that's likely to do with my lacking interest in arcade games and the technological prowess required to analyze them. I believe this will appeal to a great deal of readers, it just wasn't a good fit for me.

I have been so excited for this book but I’ve made it to 30% and nothing has happened yet. I don’t feel that it’s worth it for me personally to continue. I will keep dnf/negative reviews off of rating platforms in order to not hurt the book’s current ratings. Thank you for the opportunity!

A dark, retro tech thriller that is perfect for giving you the creeps about computers, games, and your fellow human beings!
The scene is 1980's Tasker Bay, a small coastal town in California just north of Silicone Valley. The industrial tech revolution is creeping towards town, driving the generational fishing families out while high profile newcomers from southern California come looking for cheap real estate to invest in. When Andi's deadbeat boss buys an unknown, unnamed arcade console at an auction house, she begins to notice the people streaming in and loitering around the machine acting strangely. Distant, far away looks that snap to angry and aggressive without warning as the crowds grow and become more unruly. Pretty soon, the violence is spilling out of the arcade, and the town Sheriff, David, and local doctor, Rachel, begin dealing with unexplained crimes and blackouts. But can an arcade console really be the cause of such chaos, or is there a bigger player in this lethal game?
As the tension grows, so does the inability to close this book before the gut-wrenching finale! An interesting and contagious dread-filled book to launch you into a not-so-distance past but very plausible future!

Wow what a strong start for a debut author! I’m not one who is super into video games but i am a lover of zombies so when this story popped up on NetGalley, I just knew I had to read it as soon as I could. So what I didn’t know but found out after reading this book is the fact that Collin Armstrong was inspired by a real life urban legend from the 80s. After going down that rabbit hole and reading Polyibus I can officially say I’m obsessed! Now while there were slow ish moments where things got a little muddy the story still flowed pretty seamlessly. But all in all if you like video games and zombies or not I would definitely check this one out! Happy reading! X

Polybius by Collin Armstrong is a thrilling dive into the dark corners of 1980s urban legends, specifically the infamous myth of the mind-altering arcade game. Armstrong masterfully captures the eerie, analog creepiness of the era, blending retro video game culture with psychological horror in a way that feels both fresh and familiar.

This will definitely be one of my favorite books of the year.

I went in expecting Stranger Things with a haunted arcade game, what I got instead was a small town horror story in the same vein as Salem's Lot and The Fog.

The story was well written and I didn't see any issues with the plot. The pacing kept me hooked, as did the rapidly shifting perspective, especially as things get crazier around Tasker Bay.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the copy. Polybius stemmed from an urban legend that Armstrong elaborated on and created a physiological thriller/ horror novel. Polybius follows many characters, but are mains are Andi, a high school student who works at the town arcade, Ro, another high school student, Rachel, Andi’s mom and the town doctor, and David, Ro’s father and the town sheriff. They all live in Tasker Bay, California, where tensions are high because of an influx of new residents. A new game is acquired at the arcade and everyone wants to play. The more people play, they become more aggressive or paranoid. Andi and Ro are determined to find a way to save the town as the situation worsens. I think that people who like the vibes of the early 80s will really enjoy this story. It was a lot more descriptive in the violent situations than I thought but it was enjoyable. I had a very tough time getting into the story. There were too many points of views , which made it confusing. There were also pacing issues throughout the book. The beginning and middle dragged a bit, but the ending was fast paced.

4.25 out of 5 stars.


Andi's mother, Rachel, moves them to the small northern California town of Tasker Bay, which was once a fishing town, but now has more people coming in and taking advantage of their stagnation. Andi is not happy. All she wants to do is ignore everyone in town, graduate, and get back to her father, Devon, who taught her to love the intricacies of computer and code.

In order to get money, though, she takes a job at the local arcade under sleazy Mal who fancies himself the mob boss of Tasker Bay. She ignores him, too, and does her job.

One day, a new game cabinet is delivered. The outside is plain white, no markings. The game: Polybius. In the game, the player must run from a shadowy figure always outside the periphery, and makes their way through caves.

But the game itself doesn't seem to be nearly as important as the terrifying way that people who play change. From seizures to catatonia to violent outbursts, Andi sees the strangers she's kept at arm's length in her town change. Ro, who finds Andi fascinating and believes they might be cut from the same outlier cloth, forces his way into her life, despite Andi's attempts to ignore him, too.

She doesn't quite convince him of her crazy theory, but he believes in her. Together, they try to track down the maker of the game, and find the reality so much more siniter than Andi's initial conspiracy theory.

Excellent read. Video review coming soon.

Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the eARC.

I really was so intrigued by the premise of this book and video games taking over people and the horror of it. But this book really never took off for me, I am not sure why.