Ghost Station

4.5 stars

Phenomenal, unputdownable. I read this in a single sitting. It was totally enthralling and exciting. I really enjoy the way that Barnes writes. It keeps me turning the page, and wanting more.

I loved Dead Silence and was super excited to get an arc of Ghost Station. It took me less than 24 hours to finish. I couldn’t put it down. I enjoyed the characters, especially Ophelia and Ethan. I do wish there were just a couple more pages at the end with just a little more information, but it was a really good book. I can’t wait to have it on my bookshelf!

Holy shit I loved this book. It was so many absolutely wild things all wrapped up in one- space archeology, mass murderers, Kardashians In Space, space therapy, so many steaming hot messes. It was terrifying. I was holding my breath. I was also incredibly on board with watching someone who should Absolutely Not Be A Therapist try to be a therapist while shit hit the fan. So good.

While I thoroughly enjoyed “Dead Silence” by S.A. Barnes, there were some spots that I didn’t entirely love…but I enjoyed it to the point where I knew Barnes was headed places. It was a solid debut that nearly stuck the landing.

“Ghost Station” was just totally awesome. I read it in a day. The problems that I had with Barnes’ debut? Not in this novel. It’s a tight claustrophobic read. It feels like “Alien” meets “The Thing” meets slasher film. The landing stuck with this one.

I honestly can’t wait to suggest this one. I also honestly can’t wait to see what S.A. Barnes writes next.

Wow, what a page-turner! I've never considered myself a huge horror fan, but after reading Barnes's last book, I couldn't wait to get my hands on this one. Thanks to Tor and NetGalley for allowing me an ARC! Barnes has a way of weaving visceral description into extraterrestrial worlds, and making the reader reflect on their humanity while exploring these imaginative sci-fi settings. The cast of characters is strong, the twists and turns kept me on the edge of my seat, and I finished reading it in a day!

The story follows Ophelia Bray, the estranged daughter of a wealthy family, who has spent her whole life fighting to define her own identity beyond her last name. Ophelia is a psychologist specializing in ERS, a syndrome that has caused deep-space travelers to meet violent ends, even attacking their own crews. She is assigned to accompany a small exploration crew following the death of one of their own, to help them avoid a similar fate. When they reach their assignment on an abandoned planet rife with alien ruins, it becomes clear that things are not as they should be.

I love, love, love sci-fi horror and S.A. Barnes is killing it!

Ghost Station follows a psychologist with a shady past on a scouting ship full of people who don't want her there. When the crew makes landfall on an abandoned planet, they are immediately drawn to the inexplicable evacuation of the previous researchers. Barnes incorporates the unreliable narrator in this book and it shines as a psychological thrill ride.

Ghost Station and Dead Silence are some of my absolute favorite Sci-Fi Horror books!

Ghost Station is another amazing space horror from S.A. Barnes! I love how Barnes sets up her main characters and alludes to things that they are hiding from the reader. I also love how it feels like sci-fi without it being overly complex, and the backdrop of a snowy, stormy, dark planet. I was HOOKED from the very beginning and I haven't been able to think about reading anything else. I also appreciate how this book is more psychological rather than jump-scare horror. I feel like that makes everything way more creepy! I loved this book and I can't wait for more from S.A. Barnes!

I was so excited to see S. A. Barnes was writing another space horror because I love the genre so dearly and it's just so under-represented, and she knocked it out of the park with this one again. Things don't REALLY get going with this book until almost 50% in but it doesn't feel like that because there's still tension and an unnerving sense of wrongness that seeps from the pages starting at chapter 2. I also appreciated the backstory given to our main character, I think it really enhanced not only the mystery, but the psychological (hehe) tension of the story. I always wish I could write a space horror story but I worry that it would be too much like Alien - Kade has managed to create something that has that same feel to it but is different enough I can't imagine anyone complaining that it's just a rip-off (although there are similarities. But that's to be expected for space horror). I also have to say that I really enjoyed the cast of supporting characters here. I didn't have any problems keeping them straight, and they were all enjoyable. They added a great dynamic to the story, and I was honestly sad to see some of them go (because inevitably people will die). I think my one main complaint here is that I would have liked a little more of an explanation as to what everything really was, and maybe where it came from. Although I suppose that in a situation like that one it would probably be more realistic not to know. I'm just the kind of person who wants that information though, while I'm sure there will be many others that don't are either way. Despite that I will happily hand-sell this to anyone I can, and I'll certainly be writing a shelf-talker for it when it hits shelves. Fingers crossed Barnes writes more space-horror, because it's a niche I love and she's very good at it. Another slam dunk for Tor Nightfire.

I received a ARC copy of this book through NetGally.

S.A. Barnes is one of my favorite authors. She is able to captivate a reader by placing them in space and provide the dread and emptiness that space must actually feel like. With that, she also is very good at making you feel the emotions that her main characters feel.

Her most recent book, Ghost Station, was just as phenomenal as Dead Silence, her first novel with space as a main theme. The main character, Ophelia, had quite the backstory when we meet her and it was interesting to find out more about why she was so keen on leaving earth and going on a mission in space.

The plot was great, the writing flowed well, and I enjoyed the ending.

Space novels are always hit or miss for me, but I enjoyed this one a lot.

S.A Barnes had a hit book release a couple years ago called Dead Silence that I really enjoyed so I was looking forward to this new release. This is another scary scifi story about an abandoned crew who must try to survive on an old planet. Fans of this authors storytelling we are in for another creepy claustrophobic feeling story that will definitly scare the pants off you so maybe have an extra pair on hand if you read this.

Outer Space Is No Place For Things To Go Wrong

SA Barnes has given us another volume of excellent, horrifying, and character-driven sci-fi. A quick read despite its length, the story grabbed me from the beginning and the action and suspense carried me to the end before I knew it.

The plot is well-balanced between the universal human issues we may encounter one day and the individual backgrounds of the characters. I appreciated that where there is drama, the revealed character motivations naturally move the story along.

I enjoyed meeting the central character, Dr. Ophelia Bray. She's gone through a lot, but has survived and grown steel in her spine. She's not another two-dimensional female kick-*ss either, she's driven by conscience and compassion.

Ghost Station was a great read for me because the descriptions didn't overwhelm suspense-building, and even more importantly, the science was plausible. The author illustrated how tech will change in the future, but human nature’s basic instincts aren't likely to change too much. The ethics of corporations aren't likely to change much in the future either, when business will be flung far and wide in Space. Barnes's vision feels frightening and desolate, but crystal-clear.

Thank you to the author, S.A. Barnes, Tor Nightfire, and NetGalley for the free advance reader's copy of the book. I'm under no obligation to them to color my review positively. Like her previous book, Dead Silence, I recommend Ghost Station to sci-fi fans because I loved it.

Thank you to Tor Publishing and NetGalley for a copy of the ARC!

S.A. Barnes has done it again. I loved her first novel, Dead Silence, but enjoyed Ghost Station even more. Now THIS is how sci fi horror is done.

We follow Dr. Ophelia Bray, a psychologist assigned to a small exploration crew on an abandoned planet. There is a mystery about the crew, a mystery about the planet, and a mystery about Dr. Bray herself. For the first 30% or so, I found her character just as annoying as the MC in Dead Silence and I was worried this would be more of a psychological horror instead of sci fi. I'm so glad it wasn't, and that it was very much sci fi. As she did in Dead Silence, Barnes sets the perfect creepy atmosphere in Ghost Station that had me refusing to read at night. The character development is excellent too. It was a gripping story and I only wish I had more to read.

4.5 stars - the ending felt a little abrupt and I wish we had more answers. At this point, S.A. Barnes is an instant read for me and I cannot wait to see what's next.

You ever have a craving but don’t know exactly what it’s for? That’s how I felt before reading this book.
This sci-fi horror blend deals with space exploration, alien life and tech, unequal opportunities in society, and family trauma. I was hooked from the very beginning.
The way Barnes takes the time to allow the reader to really get to know and understand all the characters (even the ones who end up not having as much presence in the story) allows her readers to connect with and care about them and ramps up the tension later on. Readers who are bothered by a slow burn may not appreciate this aspect, but it worked for me.
I liked this one even more than her debut, for the way she weaves in clues and keeps her readers guessing until the very end. The ending wraps up the loose ends of the plot, but leaves room for imagining what the next phase of the story is.
I want more.
This is definitely a book I’ll be recommending in the future and possibly rereading.
Thanks so much Tor Nightfire and NetGalley for my copy!

*4.5 stars rounded up*

The year is 2199 & Dr. Ophelia Bray is traveling with a Reclamation & Exploration team through outer space, on a mission to take samples on a planet that has ruins of an ancient civilization for the corporation that just purchased it from another conglomerate (outer space & all its planets have been turned into a for-profit enterprise). The original owners left a space station structure there that should be vacant & ready for them to use… but are Dr. Bray & her team really the only ones there?

This book was all kinds of spooky with a pleasantly surprising dose of introspection & personal growth on the part of our main character, Ophelia. She’s a psychologist determined to help prevent cases of a violent mental health disorder called ERS, which can occur in people doing a large amount of space travel. There are many contributing factors that cause ERS, one of them being the cramped conditions that come with living on other planets - which is why the cavernous space station they arrive at is such a surprise, & an eerie one at that. As Dr. Bray works to develop a rapport with her team in hopes of them opening up & trusting her, she has to battle flashbacks to her own past on a space station similar to this one.

I really enjoyed all of the new technology described in this book (particularly the autodrillers that one of the team members had named) & found the depictions of future society to be thoughtful & complex (also mildly terrifying). I’ll definitely have to read this author’s other space horror novel because I now know that this is a genre I enjoy!

Thank you to NetGalley & Tor Nightfire for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This novel was extremely entertaining and very unique! I was not sure what to expect when I first started reading this, and I really thought the story was going to veer into a completely different direction than it did. I have never been much of a fan of stories set in space, but this one won me over. I want to read everything S.A. Barnes writes going forward! Give this novel a chance if you are hesitant about reading anything in the sci-fi genre but would like to give it a try. This was so much fun, very spooky, and horrific in ways I did not expect!

It’s official, S.A. Barnes is an awesome writer. I loved Dead Silence and was concerned that her new book would not be as good. No worries, Ghost Station is amazing. Full of interesting characters with undeniable chemistry, smart and funny dialogues, a creepy, Gothic atmosphere that is not easy to achieve in space, and a fantastic plot that never lets up. Ophelia has been trying to run away from her heritage all her life, so she joins an exploration crew on a distant planet. All the elements of a successful haunting are there but with an original take. The storm that always rages outside may be the same but instead of a big castle, we get an abandoned hab module and the ghost in chains is something else. Or is it? Ophelia has devoted her life to studying a psychological condition that causes hallucinations but no one knows too well how it works yet. And that was one of my favorite parts. The casual references to their own world. Medical conditions that have been normalized because space travel is no big deal. The lingo, the food, the medical technology (of course somebody badly injured needs a well-trained AI, stat!) This is a world in which humans live in space and the technology would be unfathomable to anyone alive today. But the plot is the real winner. Twisty, addictive and very well thought out, it is a real page turner. Fun and horrifying all at once, I loved, loved this novel!
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, #NetGalley/#Tor Publishing Group, Tor Nightfire.

Sat down in the lobby of the Alumni Center before my department retreat day to finish this VERY spooky ARC.

Reading this over a very cold, extra-days weekend was PERFECT. If I may quote the book: “Space is cold.”

S.A. Barnes is quickly becoming a go to for sci-fi thriller/horror, a genre I’d really love to see a lot more of. And while I think I enjoyed her debut, Dead Silence, more, I still found Ghost Station to be an engaging adventure. In fact I not only read the ARC but also had the opportunity to listen to an advanced copy of the audiobook. Zura Johnson’s narration is quite good so I’m pleased to say you can’t go wrong no matter how you choose to experience Ghost Station. I really liked how we continued to learn things about Ophelia, instead of just getting one big info dump. Ophelia is a psychologist specializing in studying ERS (think space madness, often characterized by violent outbursts, with one case resulting in the murder of nearly thirty souls.). At the start when we meet Ophelia it’s clear she is determined to get away from home, away from most of her family (which we learn more about later on) and she joins a small crew whose on a mission to explore a planet that’s been abandoned. They’ll be taking up temporary residence in an abandoned station not far from ancient alien ruins. Her crew mates are an interesting mix of characters, with many of them not at all interested in getting to know to her, with some resenting her for she is and her family, some not at all pleased to even have her along. Ophelia senses the crew is keeping stuff from her, but what? The atmosphere and sense of isolation is well developed. And of course she has questions as to why exactly was this station abandoned? Then one of the crew is found murdered. Who did it? What is going on? Can they trust each other? Is someone suffering from ERS or is it something else? Something worse? I’d like to thank Tor Publishing Group, Tor Nightfire, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of Ghost Station and Macmillan Audio for the chance to listen to an advanced copy of the audio version.

In my perpetual hunt for haunted spaceships I was excited last year to find Dead Silence, S.A. Barnes’s space horror debut. If you haven’t read that one and you love horror and sci-fi, I definitely recommend it. After having read Dead Silence I went straight to twitter to look up the author and was delighted to see that she’s got another space horror book coming out, Ghost Station.

I received an ARC of Ghost Station from Tor Publishing through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review of the book.

The book follows Ophelia Bray, daughter of an extremely wealthy and powerful family who run a company called Pinnacle. Her relationship with every last one of her family members except her sister is not just strained but extremely antagonistic, and that antagonism paired with her family’s Lords of Capitalism Assholery are a large part of what drove Ophelia to seek out a profession as a psychiatrist and to find a job working for her family’s company’s competitor, Montrose. But it’s Ophelia’s struggle with her own feelings of guilt that truly drive most of her decisions, including prompting her to take a very remote assignment for her company; the book opens with Ophelia preparing to enter cold sleep for a long interstellar trip out to accompany a corporate Reclamation and Exploration (R&E) team staking a claim for Montrose, on a far-flung planet once inhabited by now-extinct sentient life, while her family makes one final attempt to convince her not to go.
Her official reason for accompanying the R&E team is to act as an on-site psychiatrist in an effort to help reduce the risk of psychological problems arising from the stress, isolation, and long periods of cold sleep that their jobs entail, especially as this team has recently suffered the loss of a team member—a loss Ophelia suspects is more complicated than the team lets on.

The team themselves clearly don’t want Ophelia there, with reactions to her presence ranging from cool and aloof to openly hostile, with the exception of one team member who is portrayed as more vulnerable but also younger, less mature, and more naïve. It is with this inauspicious start that Ophelia finds herself descending with a mostly-hostile, secretive team to a poorly-understood, inhospitable alien planet, where things take a turn from bad to worse.

From the jump, the threading together of Ophelia’s openly acknowledged motivations and the secrets she keeps about her past is deftly handled. It’s immediately clear that there are some things that Ophelia not only refuses to talk about with others but also does her best to refuse engaging with in her own mind. The hints laid throughout the text early in the book give shape to those secrets without explicitly defining them, in a way that keeps interest without becoming annoying. The character interactions are well-written, varied, and keep the tension high even in between the scares. Clues are trickled out in a mix of obvious moments and more subtle hints that makes it easy for the reader to second-guess the situation in a way that feels intriguing and natural rather than obfuscating, and because of that it is easy too for the reader to understand oversights on the characters’ parts. All the pieces are woven throughout the narrative so that when it’s time to wrap the story up it feels neither painfully obvious nor contrived, and very satisfying.

The whole book was a fun, enjoyable, unsettling read, but there are two aspects in which I feel Barnes really excels.

First, throughout the book there is a growing sense of unease, dread, and even disgust. The team’s natural inclination to pranks, and their expectation of being pranked in turn, make it so easy for Ophelia and for the reader to feel wrong-footed throughout the first half of the book. Is this something to be concerned about, or is it the R&E team playing a joke? Is this something uncanny, or was it the previous team indulging in some malicious mischief? The book puts your guard up or gets your guard down by turns, so that the thing you can really expect is that whatever you’re looking at isn’t quite what it seems. It’s hard to pull off an unreliable narrator who the reader wants to believe in even if they can’t believe them, but Ophelia is just that. The book didn’t have the literary equivalent of jump-scares, but it didn’t need them, relying instead on an ever-increasing dread and paranoia that was deftly handled.

Second, the underlying theme of guilt—both earned and unearned, both resolved and unresolved—was powerfully woven. From guilt that was wrongly put on Ophelia’s shoulders by others, to undeserved guilt she assigns to herself, to the guilt she actually owns, Ophelia has a lot to face. The themes of guilt and accountability would be powerful enough if Ophelia only had to resolve her unearned feelings of guilt over situations that were out of her control, or if she only had to reckon with her actual complicity in situations which she could have changed but chose not to. But Barnes crafted a story in which Ophelia had to both forgive herself and let go of guilt that was not hers and accept and resolve guilt that she did have a part in. Doing both at once could have wound up clunky, but Barnes wove them together deftly in a way that caused each aspect of the guilt theme to highlight and strengthen the other, and resolved it satisfyingly. I was very impressed.

The only thing about the book that I wish had been different is more of a me-problem than anything else—my memory is so poor, and Barnes introduced a whole handful of corporate acronyms pretty quickly, which left me flipping back through pages to figure out what people were talking about more than once.

I’ll wrap it up by saying that I loved the way the resolution of the story felt tidy and well-resolved but still left enough threads open that I can sit here and hope for a sequel without feeling frustrated by the end of the book. Whether S.A. Barnes does write a direct sequel to this book or not, I absolutely hope that she gives me more of the space horror I crave.

One of my most anticipated books because I loved Dead Silence and it lived up to expectations!

Therapist Ophelia joins a mission to another planet after the crew suffers the loss of one of their teammates. She's supposed to be there for moral support but ends up doing WORK after the members of the team start acting strangely, Of course, there's a question in her mind as to whether things truly are strange or if she's projecting concerns because of a secret she's tried to run from her whole life.
I loved this book although the ending was a considerable amount more open than Dead Silence. The other issue I had with this book was the heavy amount of abbreviations used, as I believe they could have been named something else for the sake of the story (for example, writing out medical unit instead of PMU which I'm guessing stands for personal medical unit now, but it took me a long time to remember what it was supposed to be when someone referenced it in the story).

Like Dead Silence, S.A Barnes does it again. This was such an unsettling read. I loved the characters and was invested in their story and their outcomes. I really enjoyed how the plot had a little something to do with our main characters past. I also loved the alien aspect, incredibly creepy and well done.