Genre: Sci-fi
Length: 352 Pages
Publisher: Tor Nightfire
Release date: April 9, 2024
Synopsis:
Space exploration can be lonely and isolating.
Psychologist Dr. Ophelia Bray has dedicated her life to the study and prevention of ERS—a space-based condition most famous for a case that resulted in the brutal murders of twenty-nine people. When she’s assigned to a small exploration crew, she’s eager to make a difference. But as they begin to establish residency on an abandoned planet, it becomes clear that crew is hiding something.
While Ophelia focuses on her new role, her crewmates are far more interested in investigating the eerie, ancient planet and unraveling the mystery behind the previous colonizer’s hasty departure than opening up to her.
That is, until their pilot is discovered gruesomely murdered. Is this Ophelia’s worst nightmare starting—a wave of violence and mental deterioration from ERS? Or is it something more sinister?
Terrified that history will repeat itself, Ophelia and the crew must work together to figure out what’s happening. But trust is hard to come by… and the crew isn’t the only one keeping secrets.
Review copy provided in exchange for an honest review
After the fantastic debut release of Dead Silence, I was excited to dive into Ghost Station. Unfortunately, this effort didn’t live up to its predecessor. Ophelia was an intriguing character, but ultimately I didn’t care enough about her to be invested in her adventure. I found her easier to dislike than like, that’s a strange place for the protagonist to exist. I felt the crew needed more development to better understand their dynamic, which encompassed a large amount of the story.
The bright spot for me was the claustrophobic feel while in the hab. The isolation and largely unknown of why it’s in the condition it’s in and abandoned was solid. Also, the suspense behind the cause of the crews demise had my attention. I dug the aliens quite a bit and wish their story could have been expanded. Even though Ghost Station didn’t check all the boxes I still enjoyed it and I will be looking forward to the next sci-fi book from S.A. Barnes.
Link to purchase Ghost Station
S.A. Barnes, Biography-
S.A. BARNES works in a high school library by day, recommending reads, talking with students, and removing the occasional forgotten cheese stick as bookmark. Barnes has published numerous novels across different genres under the pen name Stacey Kade. She lives in Illinois with more dogs and books than is advisable and a very patient husband.
The Scary Reviews 