Review: The Abyss by Nicholas Binge

  

Abyss by Nicholas Binge
Tor Nightfire

Publication Date: March 12th, 2026
Hardcover. 160 pages.

About Abyss:

"Severance meets Lovecraft in this surreal tale of corporate horror and existential dread.

Joe always had potential, but he doesn't expect much, and he hopes that his new job as an admin assistant won't expect much of him. But when he enters the offices of Ponos—a company he's never heard of and knows nothing about—he discovers that potential is exactly what they want from him.

A feverish dive into the inhumanity of both late-stage capitalism and the crippling anxieties of modern life, Abyss adds a new level of meaning to 'wage slave'."

I've opted for a mini review format for Abyss in order to keep things as vague as possible because I don't want to give anything at all away.

What I liked: Abyss hooked me almost immediately. I was completely sold on the mysterious atmosphere and felt that need to know what was going to happy from page one. There was something about the protagonist that was weirdly relatable in the beginning of the book, his thought process really reminded me of myself in certain ways that added an unexpected layer of intrigue to this one. Abyss is very much a "concept horror" type of story--especially in the latter half--but it works well because the atmosphere is so intense. I really loved exploring this strange and eerie office building  as our protagonist did, and honestly, I feel like I could've spent much longer just going through some of the areas of this building before getting into... other things. There's something about a mix of the mundane and the eerie that is just perfect together and creates the perfect unsettling feeling. Abyss really hits that note when something seems boring and innocuous on the surface, but very clearly is not.

What I didn't like: I do think there's a version of this story that could have been expanded further. While I liked the novella format overall, part of me wanted either a little more development in certain areas or for a few elements to be trimmed back slightly. At the same time, though, I think this story works best when you know as little as possible, so the shorter format ultimately is the right choice. The pacing also jumped around a bit near the ending for me and left feeling slightly less satisfied than the beginning, but I still really enjoyed the experience overall.

*I received a copy of Abyss courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This has no effect on my rating or enjoyment.*

Buy the book: Bookshop.org | Amazon

Can't-Wait Wednesday: Abyss by Nicholas Binge, The Pillagers' Guide to Arctic Pianos, Make Me Better by Sarah Gailey

Can't-Wait is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings that spotlights exciting upcoming releases that we can't wait to be released! 

Abyss by Nicholas Binge

Publication: May 12th, 2026

Tor Nightfire

Hardcover. 160 pages.

Pre-order: Bookshop.org | Amazon

From Goodreads:

"Severance meets Lovecraft in this surreal tale of corporate horror and existential dread.

Joe always had potential, but he doesn't expect much, and he hopes that his new job as an admin assistant won't expect much of him. But when he enters the offices of Ponos―a company he's never heard of and knows nothing about―he discovers that potential is exactly what they want from him.

A feverish dive into the inhumanity of both late-stage capitalism and the crippling anxieties of modern life, Abyss adds a new level of meaning to 'wage slave'."

The Pillagers' Guide to Arctic Pianos by Kendra Langford Shaw

Publication: May 12th, 2026

Pantheon

Hardcover. 304 pages.

Pre-order: Bookshop.org | Amazon

From Goodreads:

"For readers of Karen Russell, Maggie Shipstead, and Eowyn Ivey, an exuberant, highly imaginative epic about a family that settles, against all odds, in the far reaches of the Arctic and the unexpected industry that keeps them afloat for generations.

In the far reaches of the Territory of the Arctic, the Spahr family lives on a fjord accessible only by kayak and float plane, in a landscape rapidly changing as glaciers melt and sea levels rise. Their home is Jubilation House, aptly they are a family of free spirit and full-hearted love, descendants of the homesteaders who came to this place in a reckless scheme to civilize the Glacial Front. They live off the grid in a converted fisherman's shack, selling pickled octopus and sea crops, barely scraping by. With every day, their livelihood seems ever more precarious.

Then one of their few neighbors dredges up a centuries-old piano, a vestige from the original homesteading expedition, when every family was required to haul a six-hundred-pound instrument as a sign of mannerly society—almost none made it to their final destination. Now, this intricately carved beauty has emerged, perfectly preserved from the frigid Arctic waters, and the antique treasure becomes a priceless collectors’ item. A new economic boom seizes the territory—piano hunting—and the Spahrs throw themselves into the quest with full-throated aplomb. But the costs of their possible salvation soon begin to mount.

The Pillagers' Guide to Arctic Pianos travels through generations, backward to the Spahrs’ homesteader origins and forward to their descendants, eccentrics and optimists all. In a voice as buoyant and vibrant as the characters themselves, Kendra Langford Shaw gives us an unforgettable and inventive ode to the abiding love of family and pull of home, even as the home we love becomes ever more challenging to inhabit."

Make Me Better by Sarah Gailey

Publication: May 12th, 2026

Tor Books

Hardcover. 432 pages.

Pre-order: Bookshop.org | Amazon

From Goodreads:

"You were pure once. You can be made pure again.

Celia is so tired of being alone. All she wants is to have a family―to belong to someone. That's why she's going to Kindred Cove for the annual Salt Festival held by the secluded community that lives there. They promise that healing is possible. They promise that transformation is inevitable. There is no grief at Kindred Cove, because there is no suffering. Nothing is ever lost.

Celia knows that, at that mysterious island surrounded by that impossible, ever-growing reef -- she will find herself. She’s ready to be healed.

She’s ready to be transformed.

She's ready to believe."

Can't-Wait Wednesday: Ascension by Nicholas Binge, Sisters of the Lost Nation by Nick Medina, & Greek Lessons by Han Kang

 Can't-Wait is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings that spotlights exciting upcoming releases that we can't wait to be released! This meme is based off of Jill @ Breaking the Spine's Waiting on Wednesday meme.

This week's upcoming book spotlights are: 

Ascension by Nicholas Binge
Publication: April 25th, 2023
Riverhead Books
Hardcover. 352 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:
"An enormous snow-covered mountain has appeared in the Pacific Ocean. No one knows when exactly it showed up, precisely how big it might be, or how to explain its existence. When Harold Tunmore, a scientist of mysterious phenomena, is contacted by a shadowy organization to help investigate, he has no idea what he is getting into as he and his team set out for the mountain.

The higher Harold’s team ascends, the less things make sense. Time moves differently, turning minutes into hours, and hours into days. Amid the whipping cold of higher elevation, the climbers’ limbs numb and memories of their lives before the mountain begin to fade. Paranoia quickly turns to violence among the crew, and slithering, ancient creatures pursue them in the snow. Still, as the dangers increase, the mystery of the mountain compels them to its peak, where they are certain they will find their answers. Have they stumbled upon the greatest scientific discovery known to man or the seeds of their own demise?

Framed by the discovery of Harold Tunmore’s unsent letters to his family and the chilling and provocative story they tell, Ascension considers the limitations of science and faith and examines both the beautiful and the unsettling sides of human nature."

I love this type of premise and am so eager to see what Nicholas Binge will do with it! This has a lot of potential to be something really unique and interesting, so I'm feeling excited for it. (Also, I've chosen to feature the UK cover simply because I really like it, but this is also a US release!)

Sisters of the Lost Nation by Nick Medina
Publication: April 18th, 2023
Berkley Books
Hardcover. 352 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:
"Anna Horn is always looking over her shoulder. For the bullies who torment her, for the entitled visitors at the reservation's casino...and for the nameless, disembodied entity that stalks her every step--an ancient tribal myth come-to-life, one that's intent on devouring her whole.

With strange and sinister happenings occurring around the casino, Anna starts to suspect that not all the horrors on the reservation are old. As girls begin to go missing and the tribe scrambles to find answers, Anna struggles with her place on the rez, desperately searching for the key she's sure lies in the legends of her tribe's past.

When Anna's own little sister also disappears, she'll do anything to bring Grace home. But the demons plaguing the reservation--both ancient and new--are strong, and sometimes, it's the stories that never get told that are the most important.

Part gripping thriller and part mythological horror, author Nick Medina spins an incisive and timely novel of life as an outcast, the cost of forgetting tradition, and the courage it takes to become who you were always meant to be."

"Part gripping thriller and part mythological horror" has got me extremely hooked on the sound of this book.  I can't wait to have a chance to check it out. 

Greek Lessons by Han Kang
Publication: April 18th, 2023
Hogarth Press
Hardcover. 192 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:
"'Now and then, language would thrust its way into her sleep like a skewer through meat, startling her awake several times a night...'

In a classroom in Seoul, a young woman watches her Greek language teacher at the blackboard. She tries to speak but has lost her voice. Her teacher finds himself drawn to the silent woman, for day by day he is losing his sight.

Soon they discover a deeper pain binds them together. For her, in the space of just a few months, she has lost both her mother and the custody battle for her nine-year-old son. For him, it's the pain of growing up between Korea and Germany, being torn between two cultures and languages, and the fear of losing his independence.

Greek Lessons tells the story of two ordinary people brought together at a moment of private anguish—the fading light of a man losing his vision meeting the silence of a woman who has lost her language. Yet these are the very things that draw them to one another. Slowly the two discover a profound sense of unity—their voices intersecting with startling beauty, as they move from darkness to light, from silence to breath and expression.

Greek Lessons is the story of the unlikely bond between this pair and a tender love letter to human intimacy and connection—a novel to awaken the senses, one that vividly conjures the essence of what it means to be alive."

I really enjoyed Kang's The Vegetarian and have been meaning to read more of her work, so this seems like the perfect opportunity. I also stories that examine language and communication, and this seems like it will be doing that and more–hopefully I'll have a chance to check it out!