HORROR

Dead Silence

by S. A. Barnes
Tor Nightfire. Jan. 2022. 352p. ISBN 9781250819994. $26.99. HORROR
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DEBUT Clarie Kovalik leads a crew on the farthest outpost in space; her troubled history means isolation suits her perfectly. Hours away from returning to Earth, Kovalik and her crew pick up on an emergency beacon from a long-lost luxury ship. When the crew boards the dead ship, they find clues that are immediately troubling, obviously violent, and scientifically inexplicable. Even worse, whatever destroyed those passengers might still be lying in wait. With a compelling haunted-house-in-space frame, excellent worldbuilding, vivid imagery, biting social commentary, sustained tension, and a storytelling style that seamlessly moves between the mortal danger of the present and Kovalik’s unsettling past, this sf-horror blend will resonate loudly with readers.
VERDICT The Titanic and Sixth Sense vibes will pique interest, but it’s the engaging, traumatized narrator Kovalik whom readers will root for, even when they don’t always trust her, and who will keep them turning the pages. For fans of both space horror like The Luminous Dead, by Caitlin Starling, or Hematophages, by Stephen Koziniewski, and ghost stories linked to family trauma like The Good House, by Tananarive Due.
Reviewed by Becky Spratford, La Grange, IL , Jan 01, 2022
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