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Intercepts
Joe works at a facility that performs human experimentation.
His work just followed him home.
The government wanted to unlock hidden abilities in the human mind.
They put subjects in extreme sensory deprivation.
All the test subjects went violently insane.
But the research continued.
Today it has been perfected.
Almost perfected.
From the author of In My Father's Basement comes another chilling novel that's a must-read for fans of horror. "Gruesome, gripping, and terrifyingly real!"
His work just followed him home.
The government wanted to unlock hidden abilities in the human mind.
They put subjects in extreme sensory deprivation.
All the test subjects went violently insane.
But the research continued.
Today it has been perfected.
Almost perfected.
From the author of In My Father's Basement comes another chilling novel that's a must-read for fans of horror. "Gruesome, gripping, and terrifyingly real!"
327 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 23, 2019
6724 people are currently reading
60987 people want to read
About the author
T.J. Payne
3 books762 followersT.J. Payne is the author of:
IN MY FATHER'S BASEMENT: A serial killer novel
INTERCEPTS: A horror novel
THE VENUE: A wedding novel
T.J. Payne writes primarily in the horror and thriller genres. His writing style relies on a light touch, using lean, smooth prose to build and maintain the story's intensity. Through this style, Payne weaves in deeper themes and questions about human nature, particularly the subtle line between Good and Evil. Traditional Hero and Villain archetypes are often flipped in Payne's work. His characters may not always be likable, but their faults and sins are profoundly human.
Humans are the only species on Earth with the capability to create both great beauty and unspeakable acts of cruelty. The exploration of that duality has always been central to Payne's work.
Despite his gritty, dark work, Payne lives a very happy, non-murderous life. He married his high school sweetheart and together they enjoy exploring National Parks with their dog Frank (on leash and with plenty of poop bags, of course; he’s not a sociopath).
IN MY FATHER'S BASEMENT: A serial killer novel
INTERCEPTS: A horror novel
THE VENUE: A wedding novel
T.J. Payne writes primarily in the horror and thriller genres. His writing style relies on a light touch, using lean, smooth prose to build and maintain the story's intensity. Through this style, Payne weaves in deeper themes and questions about human nature, particularly the subtle line between Good and Evil. Traditional Hero and Villain archetypes are often flipped in Payne's work. His characters may not always be likable, but their faults and sins are profoundly human.
Humans are the only species on Earth with the capability to create both great beauty and unspeakable acts of cruelty. The exploration of that duality has always been central to Payne's work.
Despite his gritty, dark work, Payne lives a very happy, non-murderous life. He married his high school sweetheart and together they enjoy exploring National Parks with their dog Frank (on leash and with plenty of poop bags, of course; he’s not a sociopath).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,939 reviews
May 26, 2020
WARNING! WARNING! This author, Mr. T.J. Payne, is a thief. Before you decide to pick up this book, remember that he will steal your time. He will make you shirk your responsibilities. Eat? Later. Work? I can be a few minutes late. Picking up children from school? Well, at least there's one good thing about the lockdown.
This has been the surprise of the year for me - so far, of course.
I've seen this cover so many times and simply dismissed it as some alien abduction bullshit. I was so, so, so, so wrong! When I finally read the description, it tickled me enough to get it, but I wasn't too sure and decided to give it 50 pages.
And it blew my ever-loving, fragile little mind away! I had to force myself to put this one down, especially since I can't cope too well with zero sleep. It gave me that high I was looking for in any story and it KEPT it up throughout the book. It was intense as fuck!
Breathe in, breathe out - that's right, I'm giddy with excitement.
The strangest thing is, when I look at the reviews, it seems like some of people who looked forward to this one and expected a lot, felt disappointed. If that could be the case with you, then this book sucks. You'll struggle to get through it. Just give it a go before you abandon it and toss it on the dump. You know, just go through the motions...
This is a story about human experimentation. If I had to describe this book in a sentence, hmmm:
MINORITY REPORT meets GOTHICA if the Nazi's had won the war.
While there is a sci-fi element to it, I can assure you this book is a horror at the core. And, when I was close to eighty percent, I had no idea who I was rooting for anymore - if you know or have ever experienced bureaucracy in your life, you might relate to a lot of these characters more than you might think.
And, on the other side, you feel for the people who's being experimented on. Regardless of what they've done in their life - and you'll only know toward the end - how can you not feel empathy for them?
When I was still a kid I watched a movie called PROJECT-X with Matthew Broderick. It was a far fucking cry from FERRIS BUELLER, if you haven't seen it. In that movie there was experiments being done on chimps for the air force. Man, that movie fucked me up so bad. I never made a distinction between primate and human - to this day, I'm still not sure that humans should be held in higher esteem than animals, who are truly innocent - and I bawled my eyes out for days.
This story didn't make me cry, but I think it has the potential to mess some people up who might feel too much empathy for these people.
Enough of that, though! I flew through this and I have nothing bad to say about it.
Loved it!!
This has been the surprise of the year for me - so far, of course.
I've seen this cover so many times and simply dismissed it as some alien abduction bullshit. I was so, so, so, so wrong! When I finally read the description, it tickled me enough to get it, but I wasn't too sure and decided to give it 50 pages.
And it blew my ever-loving, fragile little mind away! I had to force myself to put this one down, especially since I can't cope too well with zero sleep. It gave me that high I was looking for in any story and it KEPT it up throughout the book. It was intense as fuck!
Breathe in, breathe out - that's right, I'm giddy with excitement.
The strangest thing is, when I look at the reviews, it seems like some of people who looked forward to this one and expected a lot, felt disappointed. If that could be the case with you, then this book sucks. You'll struggle to get through it. Just give it a go before you abandon it and toss it on the dump. You know, just go through the motions...
This is a story about human experimentation. If I had to describe this book in a sentence, hmmm:
MINORITY REPORT meets GOTHICA if the Nazi's had won the war.
While there is a sci-fi element to it, I can assure you this book is a horror at the core. And, when I was close to eighty percent, I had no idea who I was rooting for anymore - if you know or have ever experienced bureaucracy in your life, you might relate to a lot of these characters more than you might think.
And, on the other side, you feel for the people who's being experimented on. Regardless of what they've done in their life - and you'll only know toward the end - how can you not feel empathy for them?
When I was still a kid I watched a movie called PROJECT-X with Matthew Broderick. It was a far fucking cry from FERRIS BUELLER, if you haven't seen it. In that movie there was experiments being done on chimps for the air force. Man, that movie fucked me up so bad. I never made a distinction between primate and human - to this day, I'm still not sure that humans should be held in higher esteem than animals, who are truly innocent - and I bawled my eyes out for days.
This story didn't make me cry, but I think it has the potential to mess some people up who might feel too much empathy for these people.
Enough of that, though! I flew through this and I have nothing bad to say about it.
Loved it!!
June 14, 2020
The blurb (blurb- that's one of those grating, nails-on-a-chalkboard words, like percolate and swig, yuck) for this book says the story centers around a secret, underground experimenting facility that is connected to a teenager having strange visions so I kinda went into this book expecting it to be similar to the show Stranger Things.
I was completely wrong.
There is nothing light or YA-ish about it. This book is seriously dark and unsettling.
This is some of the best horror writing I've read.
There's gore but that was easier to handle than the overwhelming dread and anxiety this book induced. There are also actual jump scares in this book! That is very difficult for an author to pull off successfully. I don't think I've read a well done jump scare since Gerald's Game by Stephen King.
⭐⭐ Five out of five ⭐⭐ Not rounded up. A pure five star horror. I look forward to reading this authors other books. Thank you Cheryl for telling me about this one 🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩
I was completely wrong.
There is nothing light or YA-ish about it. This book is seriously dark and unsettling.
This is some of the best horror writing I've read.
There's gore but that was easier to handle than the overwhelming dread and anxiety this book induced. There are also actual jump scares in this book! That is very difficult for an author to pull off successfully. I don't think I've read a well done jump scare since Gerald's Game by Stephen King.
⭐⭐ Five out of five ⭐⭐ Not rounded up. A pure five star horror. I look forward to reading this authors other books. Thank you Cheryl for telling me about this one 🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩
February 10, 2025
I really enjoyed this story. My only real gripe was that it was marketed as a horror story. There were some elements in there, but it didn’t fit the genre much at all. Maybe a thriller, but almost definitely not a horror. Beyond that, it’s always a gamble to dive into a new author with a book that’s over 300 pages, but this was a very good experience. The premise was unique and kept my attention, the characters were all written well, and the story itself had a good beginning, progression, and finale. One of the things that I enjoyed on the writing itself is that the story almost felt like it was broken up into several different sections, with each having their own subplots, but it worked well. Something like that, to break up a longer read, is always appreciated to help the reader avoid becoming fatigued. On a side note, I read through the reviews before purchasing the ebook, and saw quite a few negative ones in there, none of which I agreed with after completing this read. If you want to be entertained, creeped out, and see something new and interesting, this one is for you.
February 20, 2025
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
One of my biggest fears is that when we die we become entombed in an eternal void of nothingness. That emptiness, that oblivion is more terrifying to me than any other imagined fate. This book daggered into that fear, and twisted its bloody blade, leaving tattered fragments of my courage strewn all over the ground.
All that to say, this book was very good. It seamlessly blended genres, interweaving elements of supernatural, body horror and sci-fi into a unified tapestry of terror.
One of my biggest fears is that when we die we become entombed in an eternal void of nothingness. That emptiness, that oblivion is more terrifying to me than any other imagined fate. This book daggered into that fear, and twisted its bloody blade, leaving tattered fragments of my courage strewn all over the ground.
All that to say, this book was very good. It seamlessly blended genres, interweaving elements of supernatural, body horror and sci-fi into a unified tapestry of terror.
March 30, 2025
"I see nothing.
Just blackness.
But even blackness, when there’s nothing to contrast it against, is it truly black? Or is it just… nothing? "
"I only remember that I once had memories.
Now there is darkness.
Only darkness.
Well…
Not only."
I picked this up due to a few likes and reviews that slid up on my feeds and went into it with minimal awareness of the author or story. I'm not disappointed.
The plot takes a while to pick up but it's non-stop claustrophobic and atmospheric chills when it does till the end. Although I'd hesitate to tag this as Horror (more of a dark psychological thriller), it is a truly modern and technological retelling of possession.
An engrossing and compulsive read, I finished it in two sittings. Recommended.
"Physical pain is fleeting. The mind closes it off, as best it can. But some pain runs deeper. Some pain lingers. It sticks to you in the darkness, and the mind cannot push it away. Pain such as the pain of watching your family suffer. And the pain of knowing they suffered because of you. That pain will never leave,” the voices said in unison. “Consider it not a punishment, but a gift. The pain will be your foundation as you swim in the black. It will be your light. Use it to find your way, Joe Gerhard.”
2022 Read
Just blackness.
But even blackness, when there’s nothing to contrast it against, is it truly black? Or is it just… nothing? "
"I only remember that I once had memories.
Now there is darkness.
Only darkness.
Well…
Not only."
I picked this up due to a few likes and reviews that slid up on my feeds and went into it with minimal awareness of the author or story. I'm not disappointed.
"From the sides of my eyes, if I focus, I can see them. It is hard. It is so bright that my eyes cannot see. My mind retains the faintest fragments of the concept of Hell, and sometimes that’s where I think I am. Being tortured by an Evil so profound that my weakened mind cannot fully grasp its form.First off, the cover for this is quite nice and I'll have to say it's what initially drew me to it. T. J. Payne is a new to me author but I'll certainly look for his other books. The writing has an uncanny ability to convey even the minutest of details and it's quite haunting and descriptive.
But as my vision clears ever-so-slightly, I can tell that these aren’t monsters or demons who toy with me so.
These are men. These are women.
Sometimes I hear them call each other by their names.
They don’t know I am listening. They don’t know I understand them. They don’t even know that I faintly recall the concept of names. Of identity.
They call out one name in particular.
“Joe.”
“Joe Gerhard.”
He controls this place.
They answer to him.
They bring me this pain on his orders.
When my pain ends, and I return to the blackness, I search for Joe Gerhard.
No matter how long I must search, no matter how far my mind must travel to get there, I will find Joe Gerhard.
I will find those he loves.
I will torture them.
I will bring pain to them.
Then I will bring pain to him.
To Joe Gerhard. The master of my Hell."
The plot takes a while to pick up but it's non-stop claustrophobic and atmospheric chills when it does till the end. Although I'd hesitate to tag this as Horror (more of a dark psychological thriller), it is a truly modern and technological retelling of possession.
An engrossing and compulsive read, I finished it in two sittings. Recommended.
"Physical pain is fleeting. The mind closes it off, as best it can. But some pain runs deeper. Some pain lingers. It sticks to you in the darkness, and the mind cannot push it away. Pain such as the pain of watching your family suffer. And the pain of knowing they suffered because of you. That pain will never leave,” the voices said in unison. “Consider it not a punishment, but a gift. The pain will be your foundation as you swim in the black. It will be your light. Use it to find your way, Joe Gerhard.”
2022 Read
February 27, 2023
Intercepts is a creepy sci-fi thriller with some true horror moments, and plenty of gore! Was seeing this being raved about amongst different book communities as a story where an author tries something different, and to me, it paid off. I have rated it 4 stars because parts do feel like they drag on a little but other times it reads like an exciting movie. I think the concept would make a brilliantly dark film!
I find the idea of human experimentation one of the most creepy and dark. It gave me some MK Ultra vibes with the mention of LSD here. I think this topic allows a writer to delve into the darkest side of humanity. Humans scare me with what we are capable of inflicting.
The story mainly revolves around Joe who works at one of these experimentation facilities - on captive humans referred to as antennas. These antennas are sedated permanently, using a constant flow of gas inside the cells where they are kept. This keeps them sensory deprived. The deprivation is lessened during the “tuning sessions” - where the captives describe everything they sense whilst given extreme levels of pain. These description intrigue the U.S national security.
Joe’s ex wife Kate commits (TW) suicide by gunshot wound to the head. This comes as a great shock to both him and his teenage daughter Riley. She then has to move in with her father close to where the facility is located. On the way to Joe’s home, Riley has a vision of a woman with long, dark hair in the road. Only she can see her. But who is this mysterious woman? Why can Riley see her? And what secrets will she learn about her Father?
There are references to the Cold War here, especially with the psychic-based human experimentation. As I stated before, I find this subject to be one of the most terrifying. The “antennas” are pushed beyond their limits and have no will to live. That is about as dark as you can get.
I find the idea of human experimentation one of the most creepy and dark. It gave me some MK Ultra vibes with the mention of LSD here. I think this topic allows a writer to delve into the darkest side of humanity. Humans scare me with what we are capable of inflicting.
The story mainly revolves around Joe who works at one of these experimentation facilities - on captive humans referred to as antennas. These antennas are sedated permanently, using a constant flow of gas inside the cells where they are kept. This keeps them sensory deprived. The deprivation is lessened during the “tuning sessions” - where the captives describe everything they sense whilst given extreme levels of pain. These description intrigue the U.S national security.
Joe’s ex wife Kate commits (TW) suicide by gunshot wound to the head. This comes as a great shock to both him and his teenage daughter Riley. She then has to move in with her father close to where the facility is located. On the way to Joe’s home, Riley has a vision of a woman with long, dark hair in the road. Only she can see her. But who is this mysterious woman? Why can Riley see her? And what secrets will she learn about her Father?
There are references to the Cold War here, especially with the psychic-based human experimentation. As I stated before, I find this subject to be one of the most terrifying. The “antennas” are pushed beyond their limits and have no will to live. That is about as dark as you can get.
September 17, 2020
Okay, so here is the thing. I like lots of things about the horror genre. I should have known from the synopsis that this was going to be in the “dislike” category. So that’s on me I guess.
This book contains basic and unexceptional writing with characters you will neither root for or passionately hate (except maybe the cardboard cutout villain Aguirre) with only shock value going for it, if you’re into that sort of thing.
We are mainly focused on a specific facility that is torturing humans they essentially dehumanize and refer to as antennas, trained to intercept senses from enemies of the U.S. government so they can be taken down. The greater good, and all of that. But then the strongest antenna focuses her sights on supervisor Joe’s daughter, and all hell breaks loose.
I won’t say anything else to avoid spoiling, but if the concept of human cruelty and secret government testing is of interest to you, you might want to pick this up.
This book contains basic and unexceptional writing with characters you will neither root for or passionately hate (except maybe the cardboard cutout villain Aguirre) with only shock value going for it, if you’re into that sort of thing.
We are mainly focused on a specific facility that is torturing humans they essentially dehumanize and refer to as antennas, trained to intercept senses from enemies of the U.S. government so they can be taken down. The greater good, and all of that. But then the strongest antenna focuses her sights on supervisor Joe’s daughter, and all hell breaks loose.
I won’t say anything else to avoid spoiling, but if the concept of human cruelty and secret government testing is of interest to you, you might want to pick this up.
February 4, 2024
I really enjoyed this book. Excellent writing, great premise, interesting characters, and a quick pace. What's not to like? Intercepts is my second T.J. Payne novel, after The Venue, and though both books were wildly different they were super fun. Can't wait to dig into another.
May 28, 2025
This book had so much promise.
With a laboratory opening scene reminiscent of Brave New World by Aldous Huxley.
You pray for what's coming next: test-tube creations, strange experiments and possibly even worse.
But whereas Brave New World is a strangely brilliant book with realms of scope and funky ideas, even laugh-out-loud funny moments at times, Intercepts is closeted and restricted and doesn't expand or properly explain what felt so good at first.
Why does mankind think it's okay to treat experimental 'intercepts' like meaningless cattle or bunnies?
This isn't Nazi Germany and I was unhappy with the author's expectations of me.
Or maybe a Guantanamo Bay scenario where waterboarding is common practice and torture is just part of the deal? This sort of thing happens in real life so why not in books?
I accepted all of that:
✔ Secret government facilities hidden underground.
✔ Protocol and red tape that's not supposed to be flexible.
✔ People in authority who feel morally corrupt and wooden at best.
But Intercepts uses a banana skin storytelling method of gradually slipping up until the pack of cards tumbles down.
This made Intercepts transition from being a good read to a really rather empty one by the end.
We got:
❌ Boring bunkers!
❌ Pesky fiddling and predictable FBI agents.
❌ Silly CEOs who fail to get the work/leisure ratio right.
Although Intercepts is well written and entertaining, it's exempt from life-shattering reveals and lightbulb moments.
More in-depth scientific explanations were needed.
More humanity and basic feelings.
More crazy Bishop-styled synth moments from Aliens, with nasty white goo coming out of them.
More excitement and better banter.
Intercepts is a fantastical concept at first that goes nowhere special by the end, which lacks in frivolous fun, wacky sidesteps or satisfying conclusions.
With a laboratory opening scene reminiscent of Brave New World by Aldous Huxley.
You pray for what's coming next: test-tube creations, strange experiments and possibly even worse.
But whereas Brave New World is a strangely brilliant book with realms of scope and funky ideas, even laugh-out-loud funny moments at times, Intercepts is closeted and restricted and doesn't expand or properly explain what felt so good at first.
Why does mankind think it's okay to treat experimental 'intercepts' like meaningless cattle or bunnies?
This isn't Nazi Germany and I was unhappy with the author's expectations of me.
Or maybe a Guantanamo Bay scenario where waterboarding is common practice and torture is just part of the deal? This sort of thing happens in real life so why not in books?
I accepted all of that:
✔ Secret government facilities hidden underground.
✔ Protocol and red tape that's not supposed to be flexible.
✔ People in authority who feel morally corrupt and wooden at best.
But Intercepts uses a banana skin storytelling method of gradually slipping up until the pack of cards tumbles down.
This made Intercepts transition from being a good read to a really rather empty one by the end.
We got:
❌ Boring bunkers!
❌ Pesky fiddling and predictable FBI agents.
❌ Silly CEOs who fail to get the work/leisure ratio right.
Although Intercepts is well written and entertaining, it's exempt from life-shattering reveals and lightbulb moments.
More in-depth scientific explanations were needed.
More humanity and basic feelings.
More crazy Bishop-styled synth moments from Aliens, with nasty white goo coming out of them.
More excitement and better banter.
Intercepts is a fantastical concept at first that goes nowhere special by the end, which lacks in frivolous fun, wacky sidesteps or satisfying conclusions.
December 29, 2021
The government is once again up to it's dirty tricks. They are trying to unlock people's hidden abilities. All the test subjects went violently insane. However the show must go on and the experiments continue. Then there is a breakthrough the scientists were not ready for. I love that this story has an unique plot. The twists were fabulous. Two thumbs up for the blood and gore. Excellent horror read.
😺😺😺
😺😺😺
May 27, 2023
“𝑷𝒉𝒚𝒔𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝒑𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒊𝒔 𝒇𝒍𝒆𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒆𝒔 𝒊𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒂𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒊𝒕 𝒄𝒂𝒏. 𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒑𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒓𝒖𝒏𝒔 𝒅𝒆𝒆𝒑𝒆𝒓. 𝑺𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒑𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓𝒔. 𝑰𝒕 𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒌𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒌𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒑𝒖𝒔𝒉 𝒊𝒕 𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒚. 𝑷𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒔𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝒘𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒇𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒚 𝒔𝒖𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓. 𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒔𝒖𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖. 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒑𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒗𝒆.”
𝑩𝒍𝒖𝒓𝒃
Joe works at a facility that performs human experimentation and his work just followed him home…
𝑴𝒚 𝑻𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔
I stumbled upon this book randomly and am I glad that I did?? Intercepts have blown my mind away!! This was ahh-mazingg and I just couldn’t put it down…
After reading the prologue, I was really scared to move forward because it was so intense. I literally was holding my breath😧 From the first page, 𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘁.. It had everything - from creepy and mysterious vibes to scary and supernatural moments to gore and blood-filled heart-wrenching horror😰
Plus, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘃𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 that occurred in the book were so amazingly written that I could imagine every moment explicitly in my mind. It really enhanced the reading experience!
And to know what’s really happening in the plot was heartbreaking (because of human experimentation😔). It was just awful to read what those people were going through even if it was fictional, 𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗴𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰. How can you not feel bad for them? After what they went through??
But, there was no one right or wrong in this book. They were all just trying to survive in their own way, and that’s what makes it more beautiful. It was all matter of different points of view.. and 𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝗱𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘁, which I loved!!
𝑻𝑾: Pick this up only if you can handle gore and blood, and vivid scenes of horror and torture..
𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒄𝒍𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏
Overall, 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗺𝗮𝘇𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗰𝗶-𝗳𝗶/𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗼𝗿 with a captivating and horrific storyline, full of gore, blood and graphic scenes, that’ll rattle you up. From the heart-wrenching horror to the empathetic angle, this book gives an ending so tragic yet so heartwarming👏🏼
Words cannot describe how amazing this book was!! So, I would advise you to read it yourself and experience it’s awesomeness!
Follow For More: Blog • Bookstagram • Goodreads
𝑩𝒍𝒖𝒓𝒃
Joe works at a facility that performs human experimentation and his work just followed him home…
𝑴𝒚 𝑻𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔
I stumbled upon this book randomly and am I glad that I did?? Intercepts have blown my mind away!! This was ahh-mazingg and I just couldn’t put it down…
After reading the prologue, I was really scared to move forward because it was so intense. I literally was holding my breath😧 From the first page, 𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘁.. It had everything - from creepy and mysterious vibes to scary and supernatural moments to gore and blood-filled heart-wrenching horror😰
Plus, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘃𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 that occurred in the book were so amazingly written that I could imagine every moment explicitly in my mind. It really enhanced the reading experience!
And to know what’s really happening in the plot was heartbreaking (because of human experimentation😔). It was just awful to read what those people were going through even if it was fictional, 𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗴𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰. How can you not feel bad for them? After what they went through??
But, there was no one right or wrong in this book. They were all just trying to survive in their own way, and that’s what makes it more beautiful. It was all matter of different points of view.. and 𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝗱𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘁, which I loved!!
𝑻𝑾: Pick this up only if you can handle gore and blood, and vivid scenes of horror and torture..
𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒄𝒍𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏
Overall, 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗺𝗮𝘇𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗰𝗶-𝗳𝗶/𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗼𝗿 with a captivating and horrific storyline, full of gore, blood and graphic scenes, that’ll rattle you up. From the heart-wrenching horror to the empathetic angle, this book gives an ending so tragic yet so heartwarming👏🏼
Words cannot describe how amazing this book was!! So, I would advise you to read it yourself and experience it’s awesomeness!
Follow For More: Blog • Bookstagram • Goodreads
March 9, 2025
I'll start this review by saying that Intercepts was a good story. It held my interest, the characters didn't feel flat. But with that said, there were things about this book that just didn't sit well with me. The concept of the book is similar to that of Tender Is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica. Certain human beings stop being seen as human, and more as a means to an end. In this case, they become Intercepts, expensive tools to be used in concert with technology.
The difference between these two books are in the actions and beliefs of the main characters. I can't go much deeper into this without giving away major plot points in both books. Let's just say that if the main characters in Intercepts went in a similar arc as that of Tender is the Flesh, it might have spoken to me more. Instead, it felt more like a pulpy horror/sci-fi novel without much substance. That isn't a bad thing. But I think I've grown as a reader over the past year or so. If I had read this a year ago, I would have given it a higher rating. Books need to speak to me or make me feel deeply to get 4 or 5 stars. This did neither. But it was still a good book. So I'm giving it 3 stars. Still worth a read, but don't expect to get much more than sheer entertainment from its pages. And you're only going to get entertainment if you're in it for the creepy horror or weird sci-fi aspect.
The difference between these two books are in the actions and beliefs of the main characters. I can't go much deeper into this without giving away major plot points in both books. Let's just say that if the main characters in Intercepts went in a similar arc as that of Tender is the Flesh, it might have spoken to me more. Instead, it felt more like a pulpy horror/sci-fi novel without much substance. That isn't a bad thing. But I think I've grown as a reader over the past year or so. If I had read this a year ago, I would have given it a higher rating. Books need to speak to me or make me feel deeply to get 4 or 5 stars. This did neither. But it was still a good book. So I'm giving it 3 stars. Still worth a read, but don't expect to get much more than sheer entertainment from its pages. And you're only going to get entertainment if you're in it for the creepy horror or weird sci-fi aspect.
March 12, 2024
Not bad, not great. The main idea of the story is fairly similar to one of the core concepts of what the govt was doing with 11 in Stranger Things.
May 24, 2025
Literal chills the entire time
October 31, 2024
I would have preferred a more ambiguous ending and to skip the time with the kid at the end since I didn't particularly care for her but other than that it was a pretty solid read especially for someone who enjoys conspiracy stuff of the "this is just true crime where the government is the bad guys" variety.
3.5 rounded up.
3.5 rounded up.
March 7, 2025
Intercepts was a fun and fast-paced horror/sci-fi (definitely more horror leaning) about an evil governmental laboratory, the people who work there, and the subjects of their experimentation. The chapters mainly switched between the POVs of the lab supervisor and his teenage daughter. There were some genuinely creepy moments related through the daughter's perspective after good old dad's work follows him home. Payne has an easy and accessible yet immersive writing style. The final act, when the creepy-horror morphs into action-horror, wasn't my favorite, but this is a solid and relatively short read. I think this would make an excellent movie, too. Available right now on Kindle Unlimited.
January 6, 2022
Joe works in a facility involved in unlocking human minds for the government's purposes. All goes well until one subject seems set on revenge. It’s a fairly competent sci-fi horror that hits home in the end, but one that really takes its time arriving there and expects you to invest in characters with few redeeming features. Appreciated but not wholly enjoyed.
March 29, 2022
Pretty disturbing, pretty good.
April 17, 2024
Woah! This was a quick paced, gory ride! It reminded me a lot of Stephen Kings, the institute, in the way it used telekinesis, and mind reading, etc and how they used human subjects as a form of government intel collecting. I think I liked the institutes overall story better but like I said, I flew through this in 2 days and was pretty hooked on the story!
Short and sweet this is a book about a government run facility that uses human subjects in a totally brutal, inhumane way. Destroying the human body of any of its senses, they can gain the insight of war criminals around the world by using these test subjects to “intercept” valuable intel. When one of the test subjects figures a way to seek revenge all hell breaks loose… and that’s sort of an understatement!
Short and sweet this is a book about a government run facility that uses human subjects in a totally brutal, inhumane way. Destroying the human body of any of its senses, they can gain the insight of war criminals around the world by using these test subjects to “intercept” valuable intel. When one of the test subjects figures a way to seek revenge all hell breaks loose… and that’s sort of an understatement!
December 4, 2023
This was the first book in YEARS to creep me tf out and I loved it. RTC!
January 28, 2022
The only reason this has a 2 star rating is because the premise is interesting as much as it is horrifying. The execution is terrible. Terrible writing. Terrible characters that I could not become invested in at all. I LOVE HORROR, but gallons and gallons of blood does not make a horror novel. It was a promising premise that was bastardized by sophomoric descriptions and over the top use of blood. Underdeveloped characters were a big problem in this book for me.
1.5 stars really....the more I think about it, the more irritated I become.
1.5 stars really....the more I think about it, the more irritated I become.
November 21, 2022
One of my new all time favorites!! Perfect mix of scifi, body horror, and in a way, possession. Pretty twisted at times, and made me jump at one point (did anyone know books could have jump scares?😅) LOVED!!!
I don’t know how I missed writing this review?
I don’t know how I missed writing this review?
May 12, 2023
Despite the premise of gruesome experiments being done to people in an attempt to unlock hidden abilities in their mind sounding interesting, the execution and the writing were terrible.
The author constantly uses words like Ring! and Ding! every single time someone receives a notification or call, accompanied by Bang! and Beep! Sometimes he even writes “RIIIIIIIING!” lol
Also, every other word is “fuck” or “fucking” in an attempt to, I guess, make the characters seem edgy but it just ended up seeming cringey.
Speaking of characters, they were all so flat and unlikable with no discerning personalities. Just simple cardboard cutouts. The dialogue between them felt completely inauthentic and was filled with constant ellipses and a lot of “um” which just contributed to the terrible writing.
The author constantly uses words like Ring! and Ding! every single time someone receives a notification or call, accompanied by Bang! and Beep! Sometimes he even writes “RIIIIIIIING!” lol
Also, every other word is “fuck” or “fucking” in an attempt to, I guess, make the characters seem edgy but it just ended up seeming cringey.
Speaking of characters, they were all so flat and unlikable with no discerning personalities. Just simple cardboard cutouts. The dialogue between them felt completely inauthentic and was filled with constant ellipses and a lot of “um” which just contributed to the terrible writing.
July 11, 2019
If you are a fan of Josh Malaman and generally like your horror in the look over your shoulder style, you will like this.
There is also the blood and guts chucked in, but this phycological horror follows the manager of a sinister government human experiment facility and his daughter as one of the human test subjects begins to fight back.
Creepy and thought provoking.
There is also the blood and guts chucked in, but this phycological horror follows the manager of a sinister government human experiment facility and his daughter as one of the human test subjects begins to fight back.
Creepy and thought provoking.
August 24, 2020
Most of us like to buy into a premise of the book were reading. Is what is being said plausible? Many of us will punish the book in a review if we don't. But...............alas science fiction. Some of the crap we are sold and you just hang on and enjoy the ride because there is nothing to argue - you kind of know what you got yourself into when you picked up the book and knew it was science fiction.
Yet with Intercepts I was not expecting a science fiction ride but it's what I got and it was a ride I enjoyed. I have a soft spot for science fiction though I don't really go out and seek it. So am I the only one who has come to love prologue's? Man I just read John Marr's in What Lies Between Us and I loved it so much I read it twice.
This Prologue sets up the science fiction creatures we learn about. They are not actually creatures but people who have been subjected to sensory deprivation and then manipulated to the point that they can see other's people thoughts and actions. They are basically hostages seemingly belonging to the CIA and are used to Intercept enemy agents, and criminals and prevent crimes and terrorist attacks. But these humans are not really alive in the sense we are anymore. They live in a world of constant pain and kept alive by chemicals used to control and alter their mental state. So all this is based on sensory deprivation and things learned as a result of it. The mind adjusts in different ways to this lonely world and could this be a plausible result of it? Well if we go back to the fact that we only use 20% of our brain power you have to wonder.
Also, and stay with me here, there has been a recurring theme of late that hell is a life cycle that one lives over and over like reliving the worst aspects of your life over and over. The shows Preacher and Lucifer refer to that. Well I once had a dream where I was shown my hell. Now for me I am a type A personality and I can have literally dozens if not hundreds of thoughts and conversations running through my head at once. A major, major weirdo. In the dream I went to I ended up in a place of pitch blackness and isolation. So isolated that there was only one voice in my head and I could not even talk to myself. I woke up from that dream scared out of my mind. That would be a true hell for me and what I describe is largely what is described in the prologue here. So could a prolonged period of sensory deprivation lead to this author's premise? Well it doesn't really matter because that's where this ride takes you but in a way I clearly could identify with it.
So these humans are called Antenna's because they learn to fish out and Intercept information for their captors and even though they do what's wanted of them they are in huge amounts of pain when doing it and they hate their lives and would prefer death.
Well one of these antenna's sparks a rebellion and from the bits of information she gathers from her captors she is able to manipulate the supervisors life and infiltrate his life by entering the lives of the supervisors loved ones. Thats where the creepy horror aspect of this book comes in and I found it very creepy.
So eventually it comes a battle between the antenna and the few supervisors who have caught on to the fact that they have the aspect of being able to enter ones mind and alter their thoughts. It's pretty cool and for the second book in a row it had a great ending.
I kind of kept this review generic as I didn't want to spoil to much but man I don't know if it was because of that mental dream I had but I was able to buy into this premise in a big way. I just pointed all this out because I think one should be aware that this is not an average horror novel. Just be prepared for the ride, go along with it and I think you'll enjoy it. I rate this an eight out of ten or four stars.
Yet with Intercepts I was not expecting a science fiction ride but it's what I got and it was a ride I enjoyed. I have a soft spot for science fiction though I don't really go out and seek it. So am I the only one who has come to love prologue's? Man I just read John Marr's in What Lies Between Us and I loved it so much I read it twice.
This Prologue sets up the science fiction creatures we learn about. They are not actually creatures but people who have been subjected to sensory deprivation and then manipulated to the point that they can see other's people thoughts and actions. They are basically hostages seemingly belonging to the CIA and are used to Intercept enemy agents, and criminals and prevent crimes and terrorist attacks. But these humans are not really alive in the sense we are anymore. They live in a world of constant pain and kept alive by chemicals used to control and alter their mental state. So all this is based on sensory deprivation and things learned as a result of it. The mind adjusts in different ways to this lonely world and could this be a plausible result of it? Well if we go back to the fact that we only use 20% of our brain power you have to wonder.
Also, and stay with me here, there has been a recurring theme of late that hell is a life cycle that one lives over and over like reliving the worst aspects of your life over and over. The shows Preacher and Lucifer refer to that. Well I once had a dream where I was shown my hell. Now for me I am a type A personality and I can have literally dozens if not hundreds of thoughts and conversations running through my head at once. A major, major weirdo. In the dream I went to I ended up in a place of pitch blackness and isolation. So isolated that there was only one voice in my head and I could not even talk to myself. I woke up from that dream scared out of my mind. That would be a true hell for me and what I describe is largely what is described in the prologue here. So could a prolonged period of sensory deprivation lead to this author's premise? Well it doesn't really matter because that's where this ride takes you but in a way I clearly could identify with it.
So these humans are called Antenna's because they learn to fish out and Intercept information for their captors and even though they do what's wanted of them they are in huge amounts of pain when doing it and they hate their lives and would prefer death.
Well one of these antenna's sparks a rebellion and from the bits of information she gathers from her captors she is able to manipulate the supervisors life and infiltrate his life by entering the lives of the supervisors loved ones. Thats where the creepy horror aspect of this book comes in and I found it very creepy.
So eventually it comes a battle between the antenna and the few supervisors who have caught on to the fact that they have the aspect of being able to enter ones mind and alter their thoughts. It's pretty cool and for the second book in a row it had a great ending.
I kind of kept this review generic as I didn't want to spoil to much but man I don't know if it was because of that mental dream I had but I was able to buy into this premise in a big way. I just pointed all this out because I think one should be aware that this is not an average horror novel. Just be prepared for the ride, go along with it and I think you'll enjoy it. I rate this an eight out of ten or four stars.
August 20, 2019
Audio - 5 Stars
Story - 4.5 Stars
Story - 4.5 Stars
June 28, 2023
3.5
Was a bit disappointed because I expected this to be scarier 🌚
Was a bit disappointed because I expected this to be scarier 🌚
July 6, 2022
Oh. My. God.
I read half way through the book pretty quick but went on vacation and didn’t pick it up for 1.5 weeks. Finally back to regular routine I was eager to continue. I thought I’d read a couple chapters and go to bed. Welp, I couldn’t put it down and read the rest of the book.
This is a wild, wild ride. Never read anything like this before. Government human-experimentation gone wrong, this psychological thriller grabs you and does not let go. I can’t recommend this enough. As an avid Horror reader, there isn’t anything else quite like this. The double twist at the end was just the cherry on-top of this exquisitely written novel. Definitely pick this one up.
I read half way through the book pretty quick but went on vacation and didn’t pick it up for 1.5 weeks. Finally back to regular routine I was eager to continue. I thought I’d read a couple chapters and go to bed. Welp, I couldn’t put it down and read the rest of the book.
This is a wild, wild ride. Never read anything like this before. Government human-experimentation gone wrong, this psychological thriller grabs you and does not let go. I can’t recommend this enough. As an avid Horror reader, there isn’t anything else quite like this. The double twist at the end was just the cherry on-top of this exquisitely written novel. Definitely pick this one up.
December 2, 2023
T.J. Payne's "Intercepts" is creepy and fresh in many ways. It combines haunting story with government experiments gone wrong. It’s also a revenge and survival story. Above all, though, it’s worth attention.
August 5, 2019
A great read
This story was terrifying. A little gory but I couldn't stop reading it. The ending didn't disappoint. Highly recommend to anyone who likes fast paced, gritty horror.
This story was terrifying. A little gory but I couldn't stop reading it. The ending didn't disappoint. Highly recommend to anyone who likes fast paced, gritty horror.
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