Ghost Station by S.A. Barnes

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

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.