Suspenseful, hopeful, anxiety filled.

If you love horror and space, you will enjoy this story. The main protagonist will have you rooting for her the entre time. The author does an amazing job of instilling a sense of claustrophobia while on the space ship and a sense of helplessness. I was at the edge of my seat the entire time and was wondering what would happen next. This story also has a feel of a coming of age story, since the protagonist is thrust into a position of power she is not ready for. As well as not only dealing with an impending mutiny she also has to deal with random murders that are occurring in the ship. The characters are well written and you can see the main protagonist changing and stepping up into a position of leadership.

The Scourge between Stars is the debut of Ness Brown, a blend of science fiction and horror set upon a decrepit spaceship trying to return home to Earth after generations away. The author works in the field of astrophysics and astronomy and I am sure had both eyes on the sky when writing this short but highly engaging and atmospheric 176-page novel.

There is tension from the outset in the beautifully paced first half when members of the 6000 crew (and very humanistic droids) of the starship Calypso start to hear noises, banging and knocking in the walls of the craft. This and other aspects of the plot were very reminiscent of the reboot of Battlestar Galactica where the humans who do not know they are Cylons also become obsessed with noises deep within the fabric of their ship. The Calypso is one of a fleet of ships trying to return to Earth, but they have lost contact with many of the other crafts, also similar to Battlestar where the ships are on their last legs and there are all sorts of food, other resource shortages and talk of mutiny.

When the story opens Jacklyn Albright is the First Mate and stand-in captain for her absent father (who nobody seems to look for particularly hard) and leads the investigation into the weird knocking, aided by the data droid Watson. ‘Watson’ must be trending as a name, as the droid in Nathan Ballingrud’s recently published science fiction horror The Strange had the exact same name! Before long Albright realises they are not alone, are being stalked or hunted, and must do all she can to keep her crew alive, whilst in the background hunger riots kick off and her father continues to hide in his quarters.

Although The Scourge Between Stars was a fun read it borrowed heavily from both classic films Alien and Aliens. Empty corridor scenes, background noises, and crew members being picked off one at a time were very reminiscent of the Ridley Scott film and there was a major fight sequence which was reminiscent of James Cameron’s Aliens, when the marines first encounter the creatures and are attacked suffering heavy casualties. The big fight finish also recalled the ending of Aliens and although it is difficult to be truly original, this was too similar for my taste. Jumping past the action ending to the ultimate sequences, I was equally unconvinced and did not understand this highly convenient and seemly rushed ending. My final thought was “yeah, right” as the story made several incomprehensible jumps and seemed to throw the science the story was built around straight out the window.

I loved the idea of this broken-down space-fleet limping back to Earth after their colony failed on a distant planet. Very little detail is given into what went on there and I could not help feeling this would have been a better book if this had been a longer work, 176-pages falls between novella and novel length and more flesh on the bones would have helped. One does not need all questions answered, but it this type of story it might have helped. Once is a while Ness Brown does drop the odd, intriguing breadcrumb which adds to the story, such as the reason why humanity left Earth in the first place. The backdrop was also fascinating, with silos producing just enough food to avoid starvation, which had me thinking of the cult seventies flick Silent Running. But instead of a hippy Bruce Dern the crew of the Calypso is totally frazzled and exhausted.

If you do not look too deep then The Scourge Between Stars is a book which you can easily read in a couple of sittings, but as I grew up on science fiction giants such Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle, with other authors such as Robert McCammon and Scott Sigler who blend science fiction and horror beautifully found myself looking at the gaps. On a number of occasions the book refers to “engagements” and as mankind has never previously encountered alien life it was not clear what this was referring to? Meteor storms, asteroids or other unexplained space phenomenon I guess. Again, more clarity would have helped.

The Scourge Between Stars has some nice jump scares and cool action sequences whilst recycling a well-used science fiction trope. The story nails the claustrophobia and loneliness of space, but I am unconvinced the cosmic horror style vibe the ending had fitted with the rest of the book. Ultimately it was a solid read but had the potential to be much better if it was expanded and fleshed out.

The Scourge Between Stars is a quick read (novella) for fans of sci-fi and the movie Alien. The crew of the Calypso is limping its way back from a failed attempt to colonize the planet Proxima b. Destined for a likely *still* uninhabitable Earth, the acting captain Jacklyn and her crew face decreasing food supplies, mutiny, and yet unexplained "engagements" with a force living in the stars and frequently damaging their ship. Even more worryingly, the Calypso has lost contact with its sister ships, and as Jacklyn tries to maintain order on the ship she is increasingly alarmed at mysterious banging from the walls and anomalies with sinister implications. This novella does not add much to the sci-fi genre in and of itself, but it's not a bad read. I actually think I like the robots better than the human characters in this novella, but not in the same light-hearted vein as the Murderbot series. Overwhelmingly, I just couldn't get the thought "wasn't this in Alien?" out of my head while reading.

The Scourge Between Stars is a debut sci-fi horror novella that I will highly recommend for fans of Alien. The atmosphere and setting of a generation ship flying blind and on its last legs is perfectly claustrophobic. Don't tell me you wouldn't be shaking in your boots if there was banging in the walls in space!

With themes of loss, guilt, survival and grief, the stakes are high for acting captain, Jacklyn Albright, and the six thousand on the Calypso. The slow unraveling of Jack's family mystery had me with baited breath, even though I was prepared to recoil from whatever was hidden in the walls. Watson brought some entertainment, as well as somber tones to the story.

The novella leans towards hard science, especially within the first chapter, but once I was in, I flew through this one. The body horror isn't too gory but is still there. There is great diversity representation and it was no surprise to me to find that the author is queer themselves.

CW: body horror, death, blood, violence, grief, death of family, sexual violence (secondary character)

An intriguing debut that, while not quite avoiding all the tropes of space horror, carves out a memorable enough space in an increasingly-crowded genre to be worth paying attention to.

Something I particularly enjoyed about Brown’s writing in this novella was their ability to really impress upon the reader the desperation of the Calypso and the rest of the fleet in their ramshackle, dingy, and just-barely-possible journey back to the solar system from Proxima Centurai. You can feel the discomfort of the claustrophobic quarters and the hopelessness of the crew, especially when placed against the stories of what it was like for their progenitors to try and survive in the Proxima colony in the first place (a history that does go largely unexplored, to my disappointment, aside from occasional remarks about the conditions there). There’s a slow ratcheting up of tension with a lot of eerie moments placed throughout, making the ultimate reveal of the creatures feel somewhat earned, if not especially scary itself.

The ending feels a lot….less earned, though, and awfully convenient. The story aspect of Watson’s upgrades and the mysterious force that kept rocking the ship was confusing, and in my opinion wasn’t developed enough to smoothly fit with the rest of the narrative—it gave me the impression of being tacked on to the end instead of a continual plot element.

Speaking of continual plot elements, the characters, with the exception of protagonist Jacklyn, were a little forgettable. This isn’t a major issue, as it’s hard to have a lot of character depth in a novella, but Jacklyn’s measurable and organic growth from beginning to end have me interested to see what Brown can do with a full novel’s worth of space for development.

The Scourge Between the Stars is an above-average space horror novella, a great debut, and a compact story about survival in an inhospitable environment. Even though I was disappointed with some plot choices and unexplored worldbuilding, I’d still recommend this to anyone who enjoys stories like these.

If you liked the first two Alien movies you're primed to like this book as well, since it hits many of the plot points of those films. You've got your creepy aliens looming out of the darkness to messily devour folks, you've got tracking the alien through the corridors of a spaceship while it picks off characters all around you, you've got a nefarious plot to possibly try to harness their killing powers because you admire them, and you've got (what seems like) an ending that will seem awfully familiar, to say nothing of the deus ex machina of the actual ending. Brown introduces some unique concepts that are here and then gone, in particular possible cult action and whatever was going on with that droid Watson, a situation about which I needed either more explanation or not to know of at all, and I think that if they'd explored those concepts more fully, this might have seemed more fresh to this reader.

"The static buzzed in her ear again, but this time it fizzled into clarity. The last fragment of the message came out loud and clear. '. . . is . . . the Atalanta. Something—ssssss—ollow . . . xima. It’s . . . the ship. Wa—ssssss—epeat, warning . . . ssssss—ssssss—ssssss . . . on’t . . . epeat, don’t . . . ssssss. This is Captain Isidora of the Atalanta. I—ssssss—anyone listening. Please. Don’t open the door.'”

The Scourge Between the Stars by Ness Brown, 176 pgs, Tor Nightfire:
Overall ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Prose ⭐⭐
Pacing ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Character Development ⭐⭐
Scary ⭐⭐💫
Gore ⭐⭐💫
Atmosphere ⭐⭐⭐
Library or Buy-worthy: Library

I'm such a huge fan of space operas, post apocalyptic space journeys and scifi-horror in general. When an author can take a recycled premise (Alien) in an original direction, I love them even more. I even rate these on a curve because, honestly, I just enjoy reading them (despite their literary worthiness). Repeated phrases got a little annoying, we heard several times how Jacklyn "didn't feel rested, just numb" or her repeatedly jerking back and fighting someone who grabbed her after a tense scene. I wanted a little more creativity but overall I really enjoyed the book. The premise was fantastic though. I liked the haunted ship vibe and the mystery of what was out there as well as the tense political unrest and the mental deterioration of the leaders. I also liked the diverse cast and the weird Artificial Intelligence Watson. The cosmic horror ending could've been a bit darker but I hope there will be a book 2. I'd love more adventures with this group.

The Scourge Between Stars is DOOM meets Ridley Scott's Prometheus. A taut, thrilling novella that provides plenty of jump scares, ooey gooey gore, and intense shoot 'em up action. This one implores you read it in one sitting.

The Scourge Between Stars is one of the best books I’ve ever read. In less than 200 pages Ness Brown plants you firmly in First Mate Jacklyn Albright’s terrifying world and takes you on a journey like no other.

Jack assumes the mantle of Captain after her father mysteriously locks himself away and now she is left with the colossal responsibility of ensuring the health and safety of the 6000+ people aboard the generation ship Calypso as the crew struggle to figure out a way to get them back to Earth.

On top of the brewing resentment among the slowly starving masses, Jack has to deal with brutal attacks to the ship from an undetectable enemy lurking in the vast darkness surrounding them and with an unknown threat banging on the bulkhead walls that Jack is desperately hoping is a figment of her imagination.

I am in awe of how much Ness Brown was able to pack into their debut novella. I had goosebumps and sweaty clammy hands the entire time I was reading this book.

In short, this was the best movie I’ve ever watched in my head in my life. And I highly recommend you check it out when it’s released on April 4th.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for this advanced reader copy of The Scourge Between Stars by Ness Brown to be reviewed.

I think one of my favorite things in horror is space horror. The idea of being in space, with nowhere to go other than the spaceship you call your home is such a claustrophobic scene. It was a good set up for sure, the terror that our main character Jacklyn felt when there were loud, terrifying bangs surrounding her when she was alone, working on that ship which was all her own. Adding the terror and loneliness of space to being <i>alone</i> while something unfamiliar is crashing all around you really got the hair to raise off of my arms.

I did feel a little overwhelmed by just <i>how much</i> was put into this book. <spoiler>There was family trauma, traumatic loss, mental instability, sexual assault to a droid (implied but definitely can read between the lines), failed ex-earth colony, failing travel to a new colony, alien "invasion", and even a new medical technology derived from the DNA of said alien</spoiler>. It could have made a <i>really</i> solid full length novel and I would have really enjoyed being able to thoroughly explore all of that. There was just a lot that seemed so good but there just wasn't enough time to really feel fulfilled on all of it. It did make the world feel richer, but I didn't get to really enjoy it.

I was a little disappointed with the horror at the end. The build up to the reveal was so good, when the team was heading through each and every section of the ship and the paralyzing fear that came from each and every step knowing the monsters were right near them, even when Jack was alone, in the elevator, terrified and alone. -chef's kiss- stunning! But everything after? The scenes where the creatures descended and took Jack's teammates? Eh. It was creepy and I don't need the gore but it just was... a little underwhelming. There wasn't a solid, or chilling moment when describing the monsters. I may just been inexperienced with horror but the reveal was just... okay!

I did love Jack, I did love her relationships and I was so interested on what was going on in her life. It was a solid novella, I just wish there was more!

*Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for this copy of The Scourge Between Stars by Ness Brown to be reviewed.
Great sci-fi read. Jack was a great strong female character. If you liked Ripley from the Alien franchise you will like Jack. Fast paced, quick read. It kept me on the edge of my seat. It was a book that was hard to put down.

The Scourge Between Stars is a fast-paced sci-fi horror that takes place on a generation ship limping its way toward home after a failed colonization attempt. Despite the ship’s vast size, the writing builds suspense and atmosphere masterfully to convey the horror of being trapped inside with *something else*.

The setup of a missing and unresponsive captain and a first mate filling in and already in over her head made for an excellent story and I loved Jack as a lead. She was competent and assertive but also compassionate and listened to the experts around her. The way she worked with her crew gave me a compelling group of people that I rooted for and worried for, and served to make the tension throughout the story that much more intense.

I found this to be a very enjoyable horror story in space. It delivered its revelations in such a way that I went from doubtful of its direction to truly surprised. Its pace and characters had me fully invested in the outcome. I didn’t feel that Jack’s history and backstory had quite enough page time to really have the emotional effect that was intended, and I do have some minor complaints about the conclusion that left me just a bit disappointed, but overall it was a highly enjoyable read that I’d recommend to fans of Alien-style space horrors especially.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor / Nightfire for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Ness Brown’s debut, The Scourge Between Stars, is touted as a Sci-Fi Horror novella. I found it to be Sci-Fi Horror light. The author is an astrophysics graduate who appears to use their expertise in building the tense closed confines of a large ship in the black void of space and the scientific aspects of the story.

The main character Jack is the First Mate captaining a generational ship in place of the Captain, who has sequestered himself in his quarters. The colony ship returns from a failed attempt at colonizing a distant planet, Proxima b, suffering major issues with important ship mechanics and food supplies when all hell breaks loose. Jack must now make life/death decisions for their crew while dealing with an unknown entity traveling with them.

The story seems influenced by ‘Aliens,’ which I don’t mind as I love the franchise. I wish the author had fleshed out more details here and there, especially the backstory for the failed colony. How many generations have passed in space, making their way back home? The why and how of the android Watson and the influence of outside sources at the end.

I look forward to reading more fleshed-out novels by Ness Brown. The Scourge Between Stars was a quick read, and a great jump start for my foray into Sci-Fi Horror.

This was incredibly terrifying sci-horror story. It takes one of my favorite narratives (trapped in space with thing trying to kill the humans), but it is hard to do something original with it. Ness Brown was able to create the same intensity these narratives typically have, without it being just another version of Alien. I really look forward to other works from this author!

Thank you to TOR and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC. These thoughts are entirely my own.

In all honesty, I don't have much to say about this book because, well, it is a rather short one. The premise did intrigue me since I do rather like the concept of space horror. In execution is where it ends up falling short though because I don't think the author quite managed to successfully tell a new and tantalizing story. This is a very hard genre to navigate because most space horrors revolve around the same thing, and as an author, you have to somehow rise above mediocrity.

I am not saying that this was bad, it was just mediocre. Especially when you naturally compare it to titles that excelled in this area and became the face of the genre (I am talking about Aliens here). Even Aliens: Isolation offered a far better and more visceral experience, so if you like the concept as I did, maybe stick to those instead.

Thank you, NetGalley and Tor, for giving me the opportunity to review this in advance. My review will be posted to my blog two weeks prior to the release date.

As someone who doesn't read sci-fi or horror often, The Scourge Between Stars was a great read. The writing was incredibly descriptive and the perfect pace. The book kept me on my toes; every time I became comfortable, it pushed a button, which I think is perfect for Science Horror.
The book does a great job at presenting post apocalyptic space exploration, and the return to Earth after a failed attempt to find another habitable planet. However, this already complicated situation is made worse when all the other ships carrying humans go down and a new monster emerges in their limitless night. I really enjoyed reading this book and highly recommend, especially to fans of movies like Alien and Predator.

This is the most recent book that I finished and though it’s not out yet, I wanted to bring it to your attention. I had pretty high expectations for it. As someone who loves the Dead Space video game series, the story here sounded very familiar to it. It’s also easily comparable to the Alien franchise. It’s sci fi novella, and it was great.

It’s about the last humans of a failed colony who are heading back to Earth. The ship they are on is in bad shape and might not make it there so you already have the intensity of that and then there’s a murder. And then another. And they get a warning from another ship to not open the door. It’s a very fast-paced story that makes you want to keep turning the pages even with the length, I think this would have benefitted a lot if it was a full length novel. I feel that away about every novella though. You are on the edge of your seat just like the crew you’re reading about, there are great action scenes. This is Ness Brown’s debut book, and I can’t wait to read more by them. It comes out April 4. I gave this 4 out of 5 stars.

The Scourge Between Stars is a sci-fi horror action novella that was scary and quite a page turner! The characters described are typical Star Trek like positions although they have lived and worked their whole lives aboard this vessel. It is more than a job it is their existence.

Every hard decision Jack, a take-charge, no-nonsense attitude must make decisions without her absent Captain, who is her father, who locks himself away, displays her vulnerability as she tries to save everyone on board and her entire flotilla from the unexpected alien life form who has invaded under their radar.

Jack, our main character, was born on this ship like many others as the flotilla of ships are coming from a failed colony. It will take centuries to get to their intended location or back to a degraded almost destroyed Earth. Supplies and morale is dangerously low when simultaneously a mutiny begins and strange knocks on the walls and a sense of uneasiness overwhelms the characters. Then a body is found, and it is ruled that the murderer is not human.

There are various androids and robots to assist on board but the one who irritates her is the most, Watson, because of its resemblance to one she loved, also she gets the most help from. I liked the relationship development between Jack's character and the android, Watson. Learning about the relationship between Watson and its creator, Otto, led Jack to be more open and trusting of the android.

The sci-fi isn't dense and hard to read, so casual readers can pick it up without becoming too bogged down by scientific details. It's a quick read too.

I liked that Jack never gives up, she was willing to sacrifice herself.

Thank you to Netgalley, Ness Brown and Tor Nightfire for the ARC of this novella. I look forward to reading more from this author. I provided an honest opinion of this ARC.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Scourge Between the Stars had an intriguing premise but I just couldn't get into the writing style. The prose was a little purple, which felt really out of place in a claustrophobic space thriller.

This was a pretty intriguing read. Though a lot of the plot was fairly cookie-cutter 'murderous intruder aboard a spaceship' though with the little sprinkles of the role of the AI robot, that kept things intriguing. I kept wondering 'just how big are the vents, anyway?'.
"Jack' was the only real character we get to connect with, and I appreciated that she was not impenetrable. I liked the intrigue of the 'engagements' though never explained. So there were some parts of the book that I enjoyed though this may be a great pick for someone who doesn't read sci-fi but likes the movie Alien. I felt like I've read at least 3 or so other books that were exactly like this.