Review: Cold Eternity by S.A. Barnes

Cold EternityCold Eternity by S.A. Barnes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Cold Eternity is the latest release from S.A. Barnes, author of Dead Silence and Ghost Station. I always look forward to Barnes new books and this one did not disappoint.

This is another Space Horror novel and features a compelling protagonist, Halley, who after taking a remote assignment on an abandoned space barge, discovers there’s more danger in the job than she could’ve ever anticipated.

In the very beginning, this was giving me light-Artemis vibes. I think mostly because Halley, the way we meet her and the things she was thinking about at that time, were reminiscent of Jazz, the MC in Artemis.

You can tell that Halley is girl with a complicated past, who is trying her best to stay clear of it. I liked how the author filled that in for us over time, and I truly became attached to Halley and her well-being over the course of the story.

She takes the job on Elysian Fields, a giant space barge housing a now defunct cryo program, thinking the remoteness and isolation will help her to avoid the things she’s trying to avoid. Unfortunately, life on the floating crypt isn’t as harmless as she thought it would be.

Constant disturbing noises, and mysterious moving figures, haunt Halley’s days and nights. She finds it impossible to sleep, impossible to rest her nerve-rattled brain.

Karl, the only other human worker aboard, is just as puzzling as everything else about the Elysian Fields. Halley’s thoughts race and ramble as she tries to make sense of her new surroundings. It’s during this time that the Reader may begin to question how well they can rely on their narrator.

Learning about the Elysium Fields, its past, Halley’s connection to it and its present iteration was so compelling. Barnes does the horrors of future tech so well, and this story is absolutely terrifying if you think about it for too long…

S.A. Barnes has really made a name for herself in the SF-Horror space. She does such an incredible job creating an ominous atmosphere in each one of her stories, as well as well-developed main characters.

I feel like some Readers may avoid, or be intimidated by SciFi stories, as they feel like they may be too science-heavy, or too high-concept, for them to understand, or be pulled in by. And while I can understand that inclination with many SF-books, I would urge you, if this is you, to give S.A. Barnes’s work a try.

She makes her stories accessible to all types of Readers, whether you are a big-SF fan or not, I think you’ll easily be pulled in by her work and find it enjoyable.

This story, in particular, is well within our range of current understanding as tech rapidly progresses around us every day. I could absolutely picture a world where a situation like this becomes a reality.

Stories of futuristic tech always get under my skin. I just find it genuinely frightening to think about. All the ways such developments could go wildly wrong. Reading about it, in fun works of fiction like this, provide me with a safe place to explore such concepts, and honestly, it does help lessen some anxiety around these topics for me.

That may sound silly, but it is one of the reasons I so enjoy this type of story, and S.A. Barnes is my absolute go-to author for gripping, realistic, futuristic SF-Horror.

This had a lot of unsettling moments, with a great creepy atmosphere throughout. Towards the end it did have some moments where it started to feel a little muddled for me, but overall, it was a great reading experience.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Tor Nightfire and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. I’ll be anticipating whatever Barnes releases next!!!

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Review: William by Mason Coile

WilliamWilliam by Mason Coile
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

William was quite the experience. I read this today. Yeah, the whole thing today. A perfect day, IMO.

It’s definitely one of those stories that once you start, it’s close to impossible to put down. Coile kept me on my toes the entire time. I had so many questions!

The synopsis actually calls this a delicious one-sitting read, and they aren’t lying. Meeting Henry and Lily, and discovering what is going on in their home, it’s like watching a train about to go off the tracks.

There’s such an eerie set-up. You feel like the characters are keeping something from you, but you don’t know what. Additionally, there’s AI involved and for me personally, the future of AI tech is absolutely horrifying.

Both Henry and Lily are in the tech space, so their home is a virtual cornucopia of cutting-edge technological devices. Some of these things have never even been revealed to anyone outside the home.

When Lily has some co-workers, Paige and Davis, stop by for a meal, it should be a harmless event. Unfortunately, it’s anything but that.

The newcomers want to meet one of Henry’s creations, an AI called William. It’s at that point that things go from strange and eerie, to much, much worse.

I Buddy Read this with a friend and we both flew through it. There was quite a bit of super creepy Horror imagery that I was eating up and we did find a lot to discuss.

In addition to being frightened by the possibilities of AI, I am also horrified by dolls, or any iteration thereof. Trust, there’s plenty of that to go around in here!!!

I was so surprised with how this turned out and it was a race to the conclusion.. There were twists and turns I did not see coming. Jaw successfully on floor.

Overall, I felt this was a little heart-breaking, a lot thought-provoking, super creepy and hella engaging. Well done by Mason Coile. I know nothing about this author, but I already cannot wait for more.

Thank you to the publisher, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I am so happy to have a new Horror author to follow!!!

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Review: Oracle (Robert Grim #2) by Thomas Olde Heuvelt

Oracle (Robert Grim #2)Oracle by Thomas Olde Heuvelt
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Oracle is the 2nd-book in the Robert Grim series by Dutch Horror writer, Thomas Olde Heuvelt. The 1st-book in the series is Hex, originally published in 2013.

If you are like me, and read Hex more than a few years ago, I read it in 2019, you may not fully remember exactly who Robert Grim is. In fact, even after reading this one, I can’t really remember the role he played in Hex.

I guess what I am trying to say is that it’s not imperative you read Hex prior to reading this one. They are two completely different stories that just happen to share a common character in Robert Grim.

This story follows a few different perspectives, as well as featuring present and historical aspects. The stars of the show, at least for me, are a teenage boy, Luca, who makes a big discovery, and Robert Grim, an American retired-occult expert, called in to investigate said discovery.

It all begins with Luca, along with his best friend, Emma, stumbling across an 18th-century sailing ship, named the Oracle, sitting in the middle of a tulip field. It’s completely out of place, like it simply dropped from the sky.

Luca’s friend, Emma, actually enters the ship and promptly disappears. As the alarm is raised, anyone else seen entering the ship, such as police officers, never return. Eleven missing people in total. The authorities, unsure what to do, decide to call for help.

Robert Grim has made a name for himself as a sort of expert in this type of unexplainable occurrence. Thus, he gets called in to try to unravel the mystery.

There are so many different components to this story. The overall vibe though is one of unsettling mystery. This ship is so well described and unnerving.

Additionally, the historical perspectives that are included actually shine a light on the past of this ship. I found that aspect very unique and I really appreciated it. To me it made the ship a true character unto itself. I love when an author is able to do that, with a place, or thing, as was done here.

I really enjoyed the characters as well. Robert and Luca in particular. I loved the close relationship that grew between the two of them over the course of the story.

I was also pulled in by the intensity of this government shadow organization trying to cover everything up. Robert and Luca were pawns of a sort for the organizations, but they realized that, so there’s a bit of a back and forth as we try to figure out who the bad guys in this actually are.

While I recognize this book may not be for everyone, I really, really enjoyed my time with it. It’s such a unique blend of things: SciFi-Horror, Folk Horror, Eco-Horror and Cosmic Horror, all in one originally-mysterious tale.

I am loving this main protagonist, Robert Grim, and I’m hoping that this is a series that continues on from here.

If you enjoyed The X-Files, or the Themis Files, and don’t mind a more detailed SciFi plot, or a slower burn, then you should definitely check this out.

Thank you to the publisher, Tor Nightfire and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’m looking forward to more from this author!

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Review: Ghost Station by S.A. Barnes

Ghost StationGhost Station by S.A. Barnes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ophelia Bray is a psychologist specializing in the study and prevention of ERS, a space-based condition, similar to PTSD, that can lead to mental deterioration and violence.

Dr. Bray is assigned to join a small exploration crew as they journey to an ancient, abandoned planet. Unfortunately, it doesn’t take Ophelia long to realize that the new crew isn’t exactly excited to have her aboard.

They’ve never needed a Head Doc before, why now?

Ophelia is confident in her purpose though, so she just tries to do her best to fit in and help them to understand the reasons for her attendance. She knows better than most just how imperative her skills may become.

The rest of the crew have worked together before and feel more like a family than a team. Ophelia, as the only outsider, has a long way to go to endear herself to the group.

As they begin to establish themselves on the abandoned planet, they start discovering disturbing signs left behind by the previous colonizers, who apparently departed with haste.

It presents a real mystery for the crew. They have no idea what happened to the previous inhabitants, but signs are pointing to the fact that they didn’t live happily ever after.

The longer Ophelia and the crew remain on the planet, the more unnerving things become, until Ophelia’s worst nightmare starts to come to life.

Ghost Station is the latest from S.A. Barnes, author of Dead Silence, which I read and really enjoyed. I’ve been anxiously anticipating more from Barnes ever since. I loved the SF Horror vibes she delivered in Dead Silence and definitely believe she succeeded on that front here as well.

For me, Ghost Station is way more of a slow burn than Dead Silence, but the content and MC, Ophelia, are so interesting, I didn’t mind that one bit. I enjoyed getting to know Ophelia and learning of her past and motivations, while watching her try to find a place within this new crew.

I also feel like you can see a maturation of Barnes writing in this one, which is lovely to see. We love to watch an author progress over the course of their career.

I really enjoyed the dangerous feel of the atmosphere that was created on the planet they were exploring. There was a sense of foreboding over every page that kept it compelling and also kept my pulse slightly elevated.

The audiobook for this was fantastically narrated by Zura Johnson. I highly recommend that as a format choice if you have the option available to you. The narration style was very soothing to me, in spite of this being an intense story. I really felt myself relaxing into it.

I was extremely satisfied with how Barnes wrapped this up. The conclusion surprised me in the direction it ultimately took. I wasn’t expecting it and I was happy with that.

I would recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys SF Horror, or darker SF in general. As far as Science Fiction goes, I would consider this light, with concepts that are easily understandable to a wide audience. You aren’t going to get bogged down in scientific jargon in this one, if maybe that is a concern for you.

This is an easily understandable, compelling story, with chills and thrills, as well as great characters throughout. Additionally, I think this could translate really well to film.

Thank you to the publisher, Tor Nightfire and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review.

As mentioned above, I was anxiously awaiting this one and it didn’t disappoint. I look forward to seeing what Barnes comes up with next!

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