S.A Barnes made a huge impact with her debut space horror novel, Dead Silence, and now we’re returning to the terrifying void for more terrors with Ghost Station.
Psychologist Dr. Ophelia Bray is assigned to work with a small space exploration crew, to study a condition called ERS, which is kind of like whatever Jack Torrance had in The Shining, but in space. Bray comes with her own baggage; one of her former clients died by suicide, and her family have somewhat of a bad reputation. Dr. Bray sees this new opportunity as a fresh start, but the crew are hesitant to trust her. And then they land on an abandoned planet, where the fun really starts.
I enjoyed this so much. Ophelia is a unique character, and while she isn’t always completely honest to those around her, I never doubted her good intentions for a second. I love the complex relationship she has with her family, and their questionable history.
While the novel is long (almost 400 pages), I thought it was very well-paced. The creeping dread builds up to such a satisfying conclusion. I had the pleasure of listening to the audiobook, and performer Zura Johnson held my undivided attention throughout.
Space horror is such a rich genre, and I consider S.A. Barnes as the leading author of exciting cosmic fiction. I see she has a new book out next year, Cold Eternity, and I am all in!
Thanks to Tor Nightfire for the ARC.
California Reading 