Polybius

DEBUT This zombie-adjacent horror debut’s reliance on nostalgia can be seen beyond its titular game. In 1982, Andi and her mother move to the small town of Tasker Bay, CA. Though determined not to make friends, Andi gets to know Ro, the thoughtful, mysterious son of Tasker Bay’s sheriff. Soon, a new game called Polybius arrives at the arcade where Andi works, and people can’t get enough. Polybius isn’t just addicting, though; it changes people, making them violent and uncontrollable, and this game may be what completely destroys the town. Armstrong’s debut gets points for 1980s ambiance, especially its Cold War–era mistrust of the government. Fans of ’80s Stephen King and Dean Koontz will recognize the plot beats: get to know residents of a small town, a cursed object is introduced, and then the town loses its collective mind. Armstrong, as a writer and producer of film, understands these beats but rushes through much of the character development, and the constantly switching POV can be confusing, especially as the action, the book’s major strength, gets serious.