Ghost Station by S.A. Barnes
Science Fiction/Horror
April 9, 2024- Tor Nightfire
ARC

Review by Angela

I’m not sure why I waited so long to read this book, maybe when I first picked it up I wasn’t in the mood for dark, atmospheric, grim science fiction? Not quite sure. I do know that once I finally opened it for a second time the other day, I read it straight through to the end in one sitting.

Ghost Station is told from the POV of Dr. Ophelia Bray, a psychologist with a complicated backstory who ends up on a small exploration crew to study ERS (a condition commonly suffered by crews when they are in deep space or cold sleep too long) and to support the crew after the death of one of their members.

They arrive on an isolated planet that has mysteriously been sold by her family’s company to the competitor she currently works for. Things immediately start to go wrong, and Ophelia can’t tell if she’s in the beginning phases of ERS herself, or the things she’s seeing and imagining are real.

As the other members of the crew begin to experience similar physical and psychological problems, a grisly murder occurs, and everyone must work together to fight an unknown entity and find a way to get off planet and save their lives.

I will admit that the beginning of this book was slower paced as the backstory and worldbuilding were built. But once Ophelia finds herself on planet, and mysterious things began to happen, I was all in. The bleak, cold surroundings and Ophelia being an outsider to the group lent an ominous feeling almost immediately. Every page ratcheted up that feeling until I was gripping my Kindle in worried anticipation of how they would manage to save themselves and who would be left alive in the end. I was thankful for the epilogue that definitely calmed my nerves

This is my first read by this author, but it won’t be my last. I look forward to whatever S.A. Barnes releases in the future.

Grade- B