Dead Silence by S.A. Barnes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
**4.5-stars**
Claire Kovalik, and her crew of communication beacon repair specialists, are out at the very edge of the system on their final mission together, when they pick up an odd distress signal coming from outside of ‘civilized’ space.
They’re surprised to find that the signal is being sent from the famous luxury liner, Aurora, missing since its maiden voyage more than 20-years ago.
Without much to lose, they collectively decide to investigate.
After all, being able to make a salvage claim on such a luxurious and famous ship could literally change all of their lives for the better. Maybe Claire would finally be able to start her own business. She needs this.
Admittedly, it’s dangerous. A huge risk, but no risk, no reward. Boarding the ship, it quickly becomes evident that something had gone horribly wrong aboard the Aurora.
Trying to piece it all together, while also trying to figure out how best to prove their claim, Claire and her crew struggle. It’s hard to determine what is real and what is not. They are hearing things, seeing things; it is disturbing to say the least.
Some major decisions need to be made. They need to get out of there, but is the Aurora herself sabotaging them?
Y’all, I had so much fun reading Dead Silence. I definitely recommend it to any SF Horror fans.
Barnes dealt up everything that was promised in the publisher’s synopsis. We love to see it. The comp to Titanic and The Shining is quite apt.
I especially loved the Titanic influence. The way the ship was described, as well as the composition of the original passengers. I could just picture Jack and Rose gracing the beautiful main ballroom. The wealth and opulence on full display, just a staircase or two away from the working class.
This story definitely got under my skin. It’s cold and dark. There are unexplainable things happening. As the characters began to panic, I felt my own heart rate rising as well.
It felt claustrophobic, like there was no safe way out. This is the perfect example of why I would never choose to go to space. Decisions there are so final. One wrong move and it is literally the end of your life. There’s no second chances.
The end got a little wild, with the action definitely increasing in the second half. At the end of the day though, I can’t imagine this story going any other way.
It was great. Really well imagined and brought to the page. I look forward to reading more from this author.
Thank you so much to the publisher, Tor Nightfire, for providing me with a copy to read and review. This story is going to stick with me for a long time!!