Once again, we have a science fiction book where the execution completely fails the concept. The concept isn't a new one (I'm not going to say what it is, because that doesn't come out until the end of the book), but it doesn't do very well to explore it in a new way. Hell, it doesn't even do a very good job at exploring it in a barely adequate way. Everything that was important was glossed over, and it irked me.

An intriguing, well-paced science fiction thriller/mystery. Very good plot and pacing, and good writing and characters. If you're looking for something intriguing and gripping, with an unreliable narrator, then I'd definitely recommend this one.

Suspenseful scifi that I could not put down. Lisa A. Nichols has created a tale based on our most base fear: isolation. Loved it!

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for this early copy!

Did not finish - I could not connect with the plot or writing so I decided to put it down.

This is The Martian for readers who don’t want all the science and technical jargon. Largely character driven; and fairly predictable if you’ve read a good chunk of sci-fi books (which I have); and yet I really loved how fast, suspenseful and well written it is. The average science fiction reader will likely dislike this; but anyone who likes a bestselling thriller and likes an astronaut being the lead character is probably going to love this.

Audience
For a debut novel Lisa A. Nichols has done a wonderful job writing a gripping, page turning story. I read this in no time flat and didn’t want to put it down. But, besides there being some space travel and astronauts; nothing about Vessel feels like science fiction. It lacks the core explanations that would satisfy someone who wants to know the ‘real’ science behind the idea. There is no science here beyond what the average person is likely to already know (lighter gravity effects, space travel needing fuel, etc). Very simple basic concepts.

Does the Audience Matter?
If I had gone into Vessel expecting a gritty sci-fi book (like The Martian or anything by Arthur C. Clarke or Blake Crouch) I would likely have been very disappointed. As I didn’t go in with really any expectations I didn’t mind that this was more of a character driven thriller with space, astronauts and habitable planets.
If marketed to say, readers who love Dan Brown books, it would be a smashing success. Does that mean it’s not a good book? Of course not. It just means that getting the right demographic of reader is important (and difficult for a book whose entire plot revolves around an astronaut and space travel).

Story Chronology
There is also the narrative order/format to consider here. Both timelines we read from are from the POV of our leading lady, a highly regarded astronaut who left behind a husband and child to go on a 6 year mission. The main timeline starts upon her sudden (and unexpected) return to Earth after her mission had been out of contact. With years of no comma it was assumed the ship and crew were lost and dead. The second timeline we get is the good ol’ (ugh) flashback. Thankfully the snippets of what happened on the ship and planet, that our leading gal can’t remember, are also told from her POV and not her narrating the events to anyone. This worked for me as while we are experiencing the amnesia frustration in our main story, the flashbacks are giving us the beginning nuggets to what might have happened during the mission. And yes, eventually all is revealed. Most will be able to predict the large “reveal” to some degree. It’s actually so obvious I can’t even say there’s a twist here. But because the book is more about the people, their emotions and reactions to extreme situations it didn’t matter to me that I knew what was the likely outcome. There was enough suspense and excitement to placate me and enjoy the ride. Vessel was more about the characters and their fate for me, than my need to reveal the plot points of the core story.

So Is It Good?
Yes and no. It’s an awful hard science fiction book frankly. But Vessel is not being marketed that way. People seem to be assuming it’s going to be scientific because it's about an astronaut. Yet when I read the blurb it was obvious to me that it's first and foremost about our leading lady (and others) ability to cope with her sudden miraculous return to Earth. The last part of the blurb is the plot to drive forward why we care about Catherine (and to tease intrigue of course).
So for me I think it’s a very good read, for what it is. It’s exciting, suspenseful (even if a bit obvious at times), characters that felt genuine and a frustrating non-ending ending (lol). All the characters are flawed in realistic ways and even the way the plot plays out is a very realistic outcome given the situation. These are all really good things and so I have rated Vessel based on its merit as a book meant for general entertainment and not as a typical science fiction novel. And let’s face it, 2001: A Space Odyssey is boring in places largely because of the hard science (brilliant book, but not fast-paced). In contrast, I found nothing dull about Vessel. Even when it was a seemingly boring travelling scene, where two characters share silly life stories (and where we see their emotional bond maturing), the narrative was funny enough to be amusing.

Overall
This is a fun, quick read. For me it would make a great beach read as it keeps the pages turning and isn’t too emotional or elaborate. The ending being what it is may be frustrating for those that like things all tied-up. I had a moment of being annoyed at the end; and then realized that it actually made perfect sense given the flow of the writing and story, right up to the last sentence.
I will definitely look to read Nichols next book regardless of the topic or genre as her writing and characters kept me entertained. Like The Martian the characters cope with extreme circumstances via sarcasm and humour that is clever enough. One of my favourite lines of the book is an astronaut letting off steam after being annoyed that machinery is not working as tested and says they want to write a letter to NASA:
”Dear Sirs; why were you not able to replicate working conditions precisely in a location no human had ever seen before?”
How can you not chuckle at the obvious irony that Earth conditions couldn’t replicate a planet no one from Earth has ever been to?
As I often say about Young Adult books; know what you're getting into. I believe it's unfair to say a book is poor just because it fits inside its genre or marketing campaign well. After all, if you expect something other than advertised you only have yourself to blame.

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

Science Fiction | Adult
Science fiction meets domestic drama in this terrific debut novel that sees astronaut Catherine Wells return from a mission to an exoplanet via a wormhole, three years late and missing her entire crew. Worst of all, she can’t remember visiting the planet or what happened to the crew. And back on Earth, the blackouts are still happening and she hasn’t told anyone. At home, things are little better. Catherine has been gone nine years; her mum’s dementia has deepened, her middle school daughter is about to graduate, and her husband has found a new love. The family does its best to try to bring Catherine back into the home, and in fact, she’s the one who can’t seem to adjust. Moments of intense fury scare her as much as the blackouts do. At work, her colleagues try to help her remember what happened, as the countdown has begun for a second crew on its way through the wormhole. If there is a danger waiting them, Catherine is the only person who can help. This novel caught my attention right from the start and I enjoyed every part of it. Catherine is a realistic character, and her relationships at both work and home are authentic and believable. I enjoyed the tech talk and space chatter, but it’s not hard sci-fi, making this an accessible intro to sci-fi for those unsure about the genre. The mystery is in what happened to the crew; though it’s not the most original Nichols makes it feel fresh and captivating. I found the ending rather unsatisfying – it seems to suggest a sequel, which is totally unnecessary. The story has been told. Despite this little bump, I quite enjoyed this novel and look forward to more from Nichols. My thanks to publisher Atria/Emily Bestler Books for the advance reading copy provided digitally through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
More discussion and reviews of this novel: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42201380

The setup for Lisa A. Nichols's sci-fi novel Vessel is gripping. Catherine Wells is the sole survivor of a crew that had travelled through a wormhole to explore another planet. The crew was thought lost and dead until Catherine showed up in our solar system after her years-long absence. Not only is her life turned upside down, but she becomes the center of a mystery about what went wrong with her mission and the implications for the next mission.



Two things about Vessel. First, there's a lot of focus on Catherine's angst upon her return to her family and work. Her husband moved on to another lover, and her daughter has grown up in her absence. Obviously, this is a recipe for heartache and scrambled emotions. Second, Catherine has experienced a huge loss of memory. She doesn't remember her time on the other planet or her return. Back on Earth, she experiences periodic memory loss. This is the mystery at the center of the novel.



Vessel is not a bad novel, but it's pretty predictable. I'm not particularly perceptive, but even in my little brain I realized the source of Catherine's memory loss. Now, don't get me wrong, I kept reading because I like a good story. But between the family drama and the predictable "mystery" it left me not particularly interested.





Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!

When science fact and science fiction blend so well, you know you are going to have a good reading experience. Personally, the personal stuff, you know - human relationships - I could do without. BUT that's the whole point of this book - we don't as a race operate in a vacuum and all of our personal foibles and aspirations guide us in our real life actions, or in the case of a sf book, our interactions and choices. NASA as a whole tends to be highly political in order to survive. I give the book a 3.5* out of 5* stars.

As a Star Trek Fan, I feel it is my duty to expand my science fiction reading experience. This one sounded way too good to pass up. In fact, I stayed up all night reading it!

Thank you Atria Books for my gifted copy in exchange for my honest review.

Synopsis: After Catherine Wells’s ship experiences a deadly incident in deep space and loses contact with NASA, the entire world believes her dead. Miraculously—and mysteriously—she survived, but with little memory of what happened. Her reentry after a decade away is a turbulent one: her husband has moved on with another woman and the young daughter she left behind has grown into a teenager she barely recognizes. Catherine, too, is different. The long years alone changed her, and as she readjusts to being home, sometimes she feels disconnected and even, at times, deep rage toward her family and colleagues. There are periods of time she can’t account for, too, and she begins waking up in increasingly strange and worrisome locations, like restricted areas of NASA. Suddenly she’s questioning everything that happened up in space: how her crewmates died, how she survived, and now, what’s happening to her back on Earth. Smart, gripping, and compelling, this page-turning sci-fi thriller will leave you breathless.

This read just like a Twilight Zone episode – another show of which I am a huge fan of (the original of course). This even reminded me of an episode from an old radio show called “Suspense”. Basically, this was so suspenseful that it kept me at the edge of my seat the whole time. It read like a dream! If you enjoyed “The Martian”, then you will love this book even more. The character development was perfect and the mystery really did leave me breathless. I’m just anxiously awaiting to hear that this will become a movie one day because I’m here for it!

Published by Atria/Emily Bestler Books on May 21, 2019

Vessel is a pedestrian family drama about a woman who survives an ordeal that ends her marriage and places her at risk — the kind of story that is often described as being worthy of a Lifetime movie — dressed up in the trappings of science fiction. The family drama is insipid and the science fiction elements, seemingly cobbled together from bad sf movies, are laughable.

Catherine Wells left Earth on the Sagittarius with five other crew members. All were presumed dead when their life support signals stopped transmitting. Six years later, the Sagittarius pops through a wormhole, carrying only Catherine. She doesn’t remember what happened to the other crew members or the year-and-a-half that she spent on an alien planet. She does remember some things that happened before the ship landed but she doesn’t want to share those with NASA.

The story makes multiple grabs at the reader's heartstrings. On the Sagittarius, Catherine misses her daughter Aimee soooooo much. During her long absence, Catherine’s husband David has fallen in love with Catherine’s friend Maggie. Catherine’s mother has Alzheimer’s. Shallow mother-daughter bonding/fretting/fighting scenes pervade the novel. Could the story be any more obviously manipulative? Readers who enjoy a domestic weepfest might be Vessel’s target audience. I’m not sure how many of those readers gravitate to science fiction, but not to worry, this isn’t a serious attempt at science fiction.

As domestic dramas go, Catherine is not a particularly sympathetic character. She had her own affair while she was away from the planet and, unlike David (who thought she was dead), she had no excuse. Yet David is a supportive husband despite his resentment that Catherine completed mission training while David washed out. In flashbacks, the guy with whom Catherine has a one-night stand confesses that he has loved her since they met and goes into a lasting funk when she tells him she won’t screw him again. No soap opera scenario is left unexplored in Vessel.

The story shows signs of becoming interesting when, back on Earth, Catherine starts blacking out for periods of time. Instead of focusing on plot development, however, the focus is on Catherine’s anxiety each time she has a blackout. Character development is important, but page after page of hand wringing adds little to the story. Too much of the character development focuses on Catherine’s difficulty accepting that David moved on after she was assumed to be dead (the guy is frankly a saint for ending that relationship and taking Catherine back, given what a whiner she turns out to be). Maybe other readers will identify with Catherine. I just wanted to finish the book so I could get away from her.

But back to the plot. The concept (which I won’t reveal for the sake of avoiding spoilers) is so stale that serious sf writers stay away from it unless they can bring a fresh twist. There is nothing fresh about the plot in Vessel. Nearly all of the sf elements struck me as unlikely. Catherine tries to steer their spaceship into the side of a wormhole to see what will happen. Seriously? Before NASA sent a crewed mission to a previously unexplored planet, it wisely sent “probes” but the “probes” failed to detect the presence of water or plant life, both of which can be seen from orbit. Why? Only one of the six crew members on the Sagittarius is a scientist. So there’s a pilot, a scientist, a mission commander, and three astronauts who have no science training? Really? Might as well suit up the Village People.

The first mission through the wormhole involved one astronaut, not even trained as a pilot, in an automated ship. Never in history has NASA done anything that stupid, nor would it. And even though the astronaut returned from the first mission with serious memory impairments and delusional thinking, NASA sent a second mission, from which only Catherine returned alive. Now NASA is eager to send a third crewed mission through the wormhole before learning what caused the first and second missions to fail. Again, seriously? The notion that postponing the mission would be a public relations disaster is ludicrous, given that the first two missions should themselves have been public relations disasters. Nothing could be worse for public relations than sending more astronauts to their deaths.

But this is meant to be a Lifetime plot. Don’t expect to find competent science fiction here. When the opportunity arises for an unexpected romance — unexpected by Catherine but not by readers who know that Lifetime plots taste better when the author adds some cheese — that relationship results in a predictable outcome. Naturally, the happy couple-to-be engages in silly getting-to-know-you banter while deciding how to deal with a threat to the existence of the human race.

I could go on, but it is enough to say that the story is simplistic, predictable, unbelievable, and dull. The mother-daughter bonding/fighting/rebonding scenes are formulaic and the ending is just ridiculous. Maybe Lifetime viewers will enjoy Vessel, but I can’t recommend it to science fiction fans.

NOT RECOMMENDED

I don’t know that I’ve ever really read a sci-fi thriller before, but this was definitely a solid entry point into the genre. I tore through this book in only a couple of sittings because I absolutely needed to know what would happen next, and that’s always the mark of a good book for me.

The novel follows Catherine Wells, an astronaut presumed dead in space after six years of no contact with Earth. Once safely back on Earth, she must adapt to life where her family (including her now-teenaged daughter) has moved on without her, while also facing questions from NASA about exactly what happened to the rest of her crew.

The ideas here felt fresh and not like a rehashing of the same themes I’ve seen over and over. It definitely gave me some X-Files, government cover-up, type vibes, but in a good way, without feeling like it was pulling too much from outside sources. This novel is very much its own unique story, and while the thriller element is front and centre, it doesn’t take away from the fact that this is, ultimately, a sci-fi novel.

I loved the two timelines, having flashbacks to Catherine’s time in space interspersed with the mystery of what REALLY happened to her crew now that she’s back on Earth. It added a lot to the tension of the novel, and kept me reading as I looked for the links between past and present. The characters and plot were, for the most part, both written in a way that was incredibly engaging, so I found myself immersed in the story very quickly and invested in the outcome of Cath and Cal’s search for the truth.

This would have been a 5-star read for me if not for two things: one, it features yet another useless romance subplot that adds absolutely nothing of value to the plot, and two, the ending was way too neat and tidy (and ridiculous) for me to buy it, especially given some of the shady shit that takes place over the course of the novel. But overall, this was a really entertaining read, filled with suspense and unique ideas. Definitely worth picking up even if you aren’t typically a sci-fi fan. There’s more than enough mystery here to grip most readers!

The premise of Vessel is one we've seem before - someone comes back to a life that has moved on while they are gone. Lisa A Nichols was creative enough to add the twist of presumed dead/LOST IN SPACE to the premise, as well as a mystery as to the what/how/who/where questions. The story keeps the promise of the premise. Her extremely complex and layered characters kept me captivated throughout. There is an underlying aspect of suspense to the story, some twists and turns, and she doesnt leave any loose ends. The story unfolds easily, and though there are flashbacks, or memories revealed, all are easily distinguished from present day. I was thoroughly entertained and would like to read more from Ms Nichols.
I received my copy through NetGalley under no obligation.

This novel is set in the not too distant future. The astronauts on the first mission to a far away planet have been presumed dead when all their vital signs are lost, when six years later their spaceship returns with just one astronaut, Catherine, on it - and she has no idea what happened, as she is missing about a year and a half of memory, from before they landed on the planet til she find herself back on the spaceship alone on the way home. Back on earth, she has to adjust to life again with the husband and daughter who haven't seen in her nearly ten years and thought she was dead, as well as her guilt and wondering what happened - plus she continues to have new memory gaps. So the book is part science fiction, part psychological thriller, part character drama, with just a tiny touch of horror. This was a real edge of your seat, can't put it down, page turner, and would make a great movie. The end was left just a little bit open in a way I wish it hadn't been, but if that means there is going to be a sequel, then I'll definitely be reading it!

{My Thoughts}
There’s much to be said about picking up the right book at the right time and that’s exactly what happened for me with Vessel. I’d just finished a thriller that didn’t really thrill me and I craved a book I could truly get lost in. Thank you, Lisa Nichols.

The premise of Vessel is what drew me in to begin with; the idea of a female astronaut being presumed dead, gone for over nine years, missing huge chunks of time, and trying to walk back into her life fascinated me. I especially enjoyed the parts of the story focused on Catherine’s attempts to reconnect with her husband and daughter. There was ample love to go around, but nine years changes everyone and the family struggled to find some sort of footing.

At the same time, Catherine began waking up in strange places with no idea how she’d gotten there. Colleagues at NASA pushed her to find the memories of what killed the rest of her crew, but the harder she worked at it the more confused she became.

“Something about the entire place made Catherine feel uneasy. It reminded her of the Unabomber’s bunker; all that was missing was a manifesto. And Catherine wouldn’t have been surprised it there was one of those around somewhere, half-written. Something was wrong here.”

I liked this mystery aspect to the story very much, though part of its resolution was also Vessel’s biggest flaw for me. I don’t want to give much away, so I’ll leave it at – a mind-game that seemed way too simple! Despite this and a couple of other minor flaws, the fun and creativity Lisa A. Nichols brought to her debut made Vessel a winner for me.

Note: I received a copy of this book from Atria/Emily Bestler Books (via NetGalley) in exchange for my honest review.

Science fiction this is not. Vessel is the story of Catherine Wells - an astronaut and lone survivor of the Sagittarius. Her return to Earth has been difficult. Everyone wants answers - and is Cath even telling the truth?

This reads like a movie - or at least like - that Sandra Bullock space movie.

This is full of tension and drama - and Cath isn't the best narrator or even likeable - and that's okay. This is a fabulous story of goosebump moments.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Catherine Wells is an astronaut. She has just come home from a mission in Trappist -1 F. Instead of six years it took her nine years to return. Alone. Without any memory as of what happened to the rest of the crew. Catherine has to face everything that has happened in her absence. Her daughter Aimee is all grown up. Her husband has moved on thinking she is dead. And her mother is suffering from Alzheimer's. And on top of that she has to deal with the publicity, NASA and the fact that she has retrograde amnesia.
I could not connect with Catherine. Her actions did not seem rational. But of course I have not been alone in space for six years. My favorite character was her daughter Aimee. She had grown without a mother, but was strong and in control of her own life.
This is a good mystery. It kept me guessing while subtly revealing the truth in the end. The ending was rushed though. And it looks like there might be a sequel.
Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for a copy of this book.

This is a first contact story with a twist. What if you meet an entity but they do not want to meet you? What if the entity is in a form that you simply do not recognize it as a life-form? The story develops with major flashbacks during the voyage that are clearly shown with bold lettering. 'Vessel' is a little light on its description of the wormhole or how the new planet was discovered. On the whole a good read with believable characters.

Catherine finds herself on a spaceship alone with no memory of what happened, and even when she gets back to Earth and miraculously
reconnects with her husband and daughter after ten years, the missing time plagues her. Almost like a case of PTSD, she begins to sleepwalk and have violent episodes as well as voices in her head telling her to do things she knows is wrong. This starts out as a NASA mission into deep space and ends with a big warning. Do we really know what is out there and are we childishly thinking we can control the situation if there is something or someone else? Fans of 2001 A SPACE ODYSSEY, THE MARTIAN, and classic Alien films need to read this. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.

ARC/Science Fiction: I got this advanced reader copy from NetGalley in lieu of an honest review. It was okay; probably too much fiction and not enough science. The Martian it's not. There was any real of faux pseudo science to explain the wormhole. Other than that the story kept my interest. I had the Kindle computer read to me while I painted my kitchen. I liked Catherine and David. Of course their daughter is smart like them, but i wasn't to crazy about Cal. I like the back and forth between current time and the flashback. The ending was too sudden and abrupt only to end in a cliffhanger.

This was an enjoyable read to pass the time. I'd definitely read the author again but not necessarily go out of my way to do so.