My face the entire time I read this book : 0. So suspenseful, so creepy, and totally worth reading! I'm new the sci-fi genre, and I think this one fits in quite nicely. I would love to read more about Ophelia and her past, so we'll see what comes next!

This story is really good. I really like Barnes’s voice. I prefer my space horror to be eerie and atmospheric and this story definitely delivered.

My thanks to S.A. Barnes and Tor Nightfire for providing this advanced review copy.

This would have been great to read around Halloween but I was a little late. But it's a great spooky sci-fi read and would honestly make such a good movie. Ophelia is a complex character that I was rooting for the whole time. The setting is perfectly done and creates suspense just based on where they are. Everything built up slowly then everything happened at once--which was the perfect blend. My only issue was that the end wrapped up soooo fast. I wish there had been a longer epilogue instead of just a few paragraphs essentially telling what happened.

Top tier sci-fi horror from one of the best in the genre.

This book has everything I want in a sci-fi horror. We have aliens. We have a crew with secrets. We have an unknown planet with constant storms. Yes. Yes and Yes. If you're looking for a story that puts you right in the action, this is it. If you enjoyed S.A Barnes' previous standalone book, "Dead Silence" you will will love reading this.

Our main character, psychologist Dr. Ophelia Bray, is sent on her first ship to study and hopefully mitigate the effects of 'ERS' (a sort of space PTSD) for crews on long missions away from Earth. Dr. Bray has a secret, and one of the crew knows it. The team is sent to a planet to claim habitation rights on behalf of their employer (a huge corporation), but arrive to see the hab unit they'll be living in dark, like everyone who was previously there left in a hurry. When our first crew member shows up dead in a horrific way, the crew races to understand what's happening before someone is next. What is real, what is trauma, where do both intersect?

S.A Barnes does an amazing job keeping you guessing the whole way through. The creeping feeling of dread starts at a rolling boil and does not let up the entire time. The pacing is great. The characters are really compelling and the ending (no spoilers) is satisfying.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for this advanced reader copy. I will be recommending this read to everyone from now until it's release date, April 2024 and beyond.

This book is best read while isolated on a dead planet, trapped with strangers, by storms. All the more opportunity to read without interruption.

Thank you to Tor Publishing Group, Tor Nightfire, and NetGalley for allowing me to read an early version of this book! The book was a Read Now, so I well. read now.

I thought the book started out promising-- trauma that can cause you to kill (but with possible... iffyness about mental health) but through the eyes of a psychologist who is unlikely to stigmatize, one haunted by her own traumas and her own very shaky relationships with her family, where capitalism continues to be the villain. Later on, I'd also liked the horror background-- the bones, the unburied, the interest it had, because who killed them? What killed them?

However that was where it. .. ended for me, really. It seemed easy enough to read, but . I very well might have missed some descriptions and implications, but there seemed to be about four explicit characters of color. One is the (presumably) Black best friend, who is there for a scene to "betray" the protag. He is considered a few times after his scene ends. Next is a very antagonistic shipmate, who is the first living character to die on-page, explicitly stated as having dark skin. Third is a presumably Hawai'ian (in heritage, going off words used) woman, who is the second person to die on-page. The last character is a South Asian man, who is also introduced as having "anything from an obnoxious sense of humor to right-up-to-the-line sexual harassment", but mostly it means he's a jerk to the protag, until she's in a major incident and she helps him.

As I say, I very well might have missed others. The two men mentioned above are not the only antagonistic shipmates, the woman there is the first friendly face to her onboard the ship. The protag is not well-liked due to her billionaire family, the recent loss of a crewmate, and the fact she effectively forced her way on. The obviously-love interest is clear from the intro portion and the first introduction.

It also made use of one of my least favorite tropes-- jealous means you are right! The first and only character the protag is jealous of turns out to the Other Major Antagonist (other than who is killing them off) and her distrust is validated later. I'm not sure what I think about this, but my hopes were certainly higher.

My thanks to Tor Publishing, S.A. Barnes and Netgalley.
So. This story really sucked the lifeblood outta me! It took me 5 or 6 days to read, which is way too long. Also, it was slightly juvenile in the way the author depicted the main character. She just meets the boss and he's kind of a jackass to her, yet she gets flustered? I mean really?
Moving on.
The story in itself is all kinds of lame and blah.
For shits sake! All the scares are in the title of this book. Ghost Station! Ooh, ahh! Yea, not so much.
I'm not sure how some asshat managed to make this shit bland, but Barnes somehow managed. Hey, kudos to you! Now fuck off and take your lame ass storytelling elsewhere.
Sheesh, you almost managed to kill "horror" for me.
This is not horror, it's lame.

This was solid science fiction horror novel. I am finding that I like these more and more and am always excited to dig into a new one. S.A. Barnes has a distinct writing style and you could clearly tell this came from their mind. However, I thought the story got a little muddled during the end and wrapped up rather quickly. Slightly unsatisfying but acceptable.

I really enjoyed this one! S.A. Barnes writes great sci-fi and horror, and I've been a fan of hers since the early 2010s when she was writing the YA "Project Paper Doll" series. I liked the character depth a lot in this one; I felt that all of the characters were more fully fleshed out than in her previous horror novel, Dead Silence (although I enjoyed that one as well). Ophelia was a really great main character, and I loved how her backstory was slowly revealed throughout the main plot of the story. I was definitely creeped out for most of the book, but I wasn't expecting to enjoy the characters as much as I did!

I enjoyed Barnes other book enough to try this one, but I struggled to finish. The plot was weak and the characters were unfinished and hard to relate to. I never quite got the why any of them were existing and for what purpose. The ending seemed a bit rushed like the author also wanted to hurry up and finish the book. I doubt I will venture into their next effort. That said every book has its reader and those who like horror lite will enjoy this as an airplane read and forget novel, hence the 3 stars.

If you are ever asked to go to a snowy remote planet to investigate a death and psychologically evaluate the crew ... say no! In this horror/science fiction/thriller, everyone in the crew seems to be hiding something and nothing is quite what it seems.

I enjoyed this book once the pace picked up. The action doesn't really start until you are about 50% of the way in the book. If you like stories set in cold places where you aren't sure who to trust (The Thing) then you will probably like this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for a digital ARC of this book in return for my honest opinion.

Another great space horror from S.A. Barnes! A reader can almost feel themselves in a spacesuit. I am hoping we might see more of Ophelia in another book.

In Ghost Station we enter into a new galaxy that Barnes has effortlessly created. We meet Dr. Bray, our heroine, she is doing her best to right the wrongs of her billionaire family. As her specialty is treating a sort of PTSD that those traveling in space are susceptible too, she has been assigned to a small ship following the death of one of their members.

As the ship draws close to a new planet, Dr. Bray realizes that there the crew is keeping secrets from her. She does her best to build trust but it's not long before the death of another crew member brings tragedy and chaos to the ship. Can Ophelia help the crew and banish her own demons?

What a ride! I love a good space adventure and this was absolutely perfection!
#GhostStation #SABarnes #tor

I think S.A Barnes is slowly turning me into a SciFi Girlie.

We are back in the world S.A Barnes created. The future of the galaxy. Ophelia is a psychiatrist who has had a rocky past and now she’s heading out to a new planet with a team she has never worked with.

Even though this is the same world as the first book. We don’t get any mention of the first book so they definitely not a series and read as stand-alones.

I am absolutely in love with this world that S.A Barnes creates. I can picture every scene in this book. Being able to picture everything with all the detail makes the book much scarier. I am completely enthralled during the whole book while being on the edge of my seat.

This is a great SciFi Thriller. It really makes you rethink if we should be exploring outside our galaxy.

If you love:
🔺SciFi
🔺Alien Infection
🔺Outer Space Exploration
🔺Strong Female Lead

Genre: SciFi Horror
APK: Ebook
Pages: 394
Rating: 4.5⭐️
Series or Standalone: Stand-alone.

I was definitely psyched for this book after reading Dead Silence previously. I’m happy to say I also really enjoyed this one.

It starts off slowly but Barnes nails the atmosphere in this one. The book felt heavier on the sci fi aspect than Dead Silence which had me spacing a bit at times. But the book picks up and wraps up neatly.

My *least* favorite part of the book was the epilogue. It just felt a little weak as compared to the rest of the book. I still will happily recommend this book and Dead Silence to other readers.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.

After reading and absolutely loved Dead Silence, I couldn’t wait to read more from this author.

Ghost Station is a slow burn sci-fi horror that will have you intrigued from the first chapter. Barnes is excellent at creating a creepy atmosphere that just leaves your with an unsettling feeling.

Highly recommend if you’re a fan of sci-fi horror!

Ghost Station really cements S.A. Barnes as my favorite voice in sci-fi horror. The chills are spectacular, the characters are excellent, and the strangeness of an alien planet is unparalleled.

This book was frustrating for me; it's written in present tense, which is a style of these times that I can't wait to go out of fashion, and there's too much going on. Rather than hone in on and really sharpen a few plot points, like say character Ophelia Bray's work on ERS and what it's like to be on a space exploration crew that's being exploited by evil corporations, Barnes adds to these elements a whole pile of other mysterious deaths, one character's endlessly traumatic backstory, and evil goo (among other things), and as a result much of what could have been icky or scary if given room the breathe gets smothered under one more hastily shoved in component.

Ghost Station begins by introducing Dr. Ophelia Bray, a psychologist from a wealthy family who had some some initially unspecified troubles. She had a background of studying a condition called ERS that can result in psychosis, and decided to join an exploration crew as their therapist. The first part of the novel provides an opportunity to get to know Ophelia and the rest of the crew, after which odd and disturbing things start happening.

The book is very well written, and pulls the reader in immediately. The world building is well done, and after initial character development, the atmosphere gets quite creepy and disturbing quickly. I could barely put it down!

4.5 stars

Ghost Station by S. A. Barnes blew me away. As far as space horror goes, this author has already one the title of outstanding authors in just two books because I cannot get enough of them.

The atmosphere of this novel is next level. If there’s one thing S. A. Barnes excels at, it’s the horror inducing tension of a creepy environment in space. This author is unmatched in the bone chilling settings they are able to create, making the reader feel as if they are there themselves, and providing a sense of paranoia with just the words on the page. Just reading this book had me on the edge of my seat with tension, waiting for something horrifying to happen or jump out and provide an intense scare. The ability of the author to create these feelings in the reader is one of the reasons I have become an immediate fan of their science fiction horror creations and has made anything they come out with an automatic read for me.

The mystery both of what was going on throughout this book, and the information Ophelia was missing that the crew was clearly keeping from her had me beside myself needing to know what was going on. The way that this kept me hooked and coming up with all kinds of theories as to what was going on beneath the surface was perfect. If I had been able to I would have sat down and read this book in one go because I did not at any point want to stop.

Liana was a quick and easy favourite character. She is the quintessential teachers pet but in the sweetest, most eager way. Volunteering for extra duties because she genuinely enjoys it, wanting to be the first on planet for bragging rights, open minded where the others are cautious and wary. I also had a big soft spot from tough, in charge Severin because he was for sure the kind of male character I love. Large and in charge, I felt he and Ophelia had such outstanding chemistry and despite this being a horror sci-fi novel, I was desperately hoping for a romance to spring forth between these two (I am what I am, ok?).

Ophelia herself was also a great main point of view character. The book is told entirely from her point of view, and she has such a fascinating backstory that plays out throughout the course of the book, both in its telling, and in its significance to her present. I loved learning more and more details about her past, and about the trauma she has been fighting to work past her entire life which has dictated who she is, how she acts, and the distance she maintains between herself and others. In the present it becomes significant in how the other team members react to her, and in the similarity of events that start to happen while on the planet they are exploring and researching.

Now for my current conundrum. I’m so ready for the next book in this genre by S. A. Barnes and have to deal with the fact that Ghost Station hasn’t even been released yet and I somehow have to wait for another one, when for all I know the next hasn’t even been thought of yet. The eternal struggle of a reader. If/when it comes, I’ll definitely be reading it.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC, and to Tor Publishing/Nightfire for sending the invite to read this book, in exchange for an honest review.

Do you like The Shining? What if the Overlook were moved to an isolated space station?

Yes, please!

While I am a fan of horror, I have not spent much time in the realm of Space Horror. Ghost Station from S.A. Barnes is an excellent introduction to the genre. I have not read their previous work, but I am very excited to backtrack based on my experiences. A speed bump I often get tripped up on with Space fiction is believable technology and interactions with foreign/interstellar species. True, it's all in the imagination of the author -- their choice! Barnes' take on new planetary exploration and the crews manning these missions felt the most "real" so far.

Ophelia Bray, our protagonist and specialized psychologist, needs a therapy session of her own before agreeing to aid a mission to Lyra (insert number I always skipped over). This is in no way a slam to the character. Her setting her personal trauma aside to help others is an endearing part of her personality. Plus, the slow-trickle leak of the baggage she carries amps up the tension throughout the novel.

The rest of the crew has their own baggage, creating a landmine of secrets, betrayals, mistrust, and stress. Despite that, they have such an adorable family dynamic that gradually opens up to Ophelia (some more than others), revealing the honeycomb of a mess in the entire industry. The clustercuss of late-stage capitalism reaches into the future.

The horror aspects were a delicious slow burn. With the readers introduced to ERS early on, it's easy to attribute the initial creepiness to mental distress. Mental Health in high stress careers is a huge issue, even today, so transferring that to space explorers makes perfect sense. When other symptoms begin to surface, the solution is nowhere in sight; but, goodness, did I enjoy the trip.

Bleeding gums, sleepwalking, hallucinations, rashes (that move!), mysterious nosebleeds, temper flares, and inhuman strength. If you are squeamish around body-horror, tread lightly.

With incredibly believable spacey tech, deep characters, stupendous pacing, and the use of current day fears to propel a future society, Ghost Station is a beautifully whole package.