A sci-fi horror novella about a ship carrying something hidden and the fight against it.
Had a good time reading this. It’s a novella so it won’t take up much of your time but is fantastic when you want some bite sized spooks. I’m excited to see future works from Ness Brown!

The Scourge Between Stars is an entertaining creature feature, but the real scourge in the novella is a lack of space.

As much as critique is not my favourite part of book reviewing, I'm going to start by saying that this book is an example of what I call “novella syndrome” - where the novella just feels too short, and I’m left frustrated. I think novellas have their place - some stories need more space than a short story but don’t have enough content for a full novel - but I don’t see any reason this book couldn’t have been a full novel. None of the aspects - characters, world-building, or the ship mechanics - felt fleshed out. There are too many characters so that when they die, you don’t feel anything because you didn’t know them at all. As such, I found the story lacked tension.

While Jack’s motivations and actions made sense, there were aspects of her personality that fell flat due to a lack of backstory. Her initial dislike of the android is never explained, and there isn’t space in the novel for the family drama that the plot hinges around. Had this novel been filled out with flashbacks or memories, a reveal that happens at the end would have been really cool, but there’s too much going on to give it proper attention.

Now, believe me, I love a good Alien homage, as I am a huge fan of the movies and books. And it’s clear this book was intended as such, given a rather fun line that twisted the “in space no one can hear you scream” tagline of the movie, the climax fight having (very) similar elements to Alien and Alien Resurrection, and a person finding the intruder “perfect” (a la Ash in Alien). I do imagine it’s hard to write a space horror about a creature menacing a spaceship without making people think of Alien, so leaning into that isn’t a bad idea if you can mix it up somehow. This book, unfortunately, doesn’t have anything to help it stand apart. The stakes initially seem different - a bigger ship, more people, a lost-in-space aspect rather than just a mission home - but it’s mainly people hunting around the ship for the creature that’s killing them one by one. If not for the diversity of the characters - which I definitely enjoyed - it made me think of 80's b-movies that leapt on the Alien bandwagon (this isn't necessarily a bad thing - I love those old movies).

I also am being picky here, and call me such (or worse) if you want, but Xenomorphs are thin and very flexible. Despite the piping and electrical and H-vac in the walls of the Nostromo, the xeno is able to maneuver in there until it grows too big. And that’s the aspect of this book that didn’t work for me the most. The aliens in this book have a carapace and considerable bulk. Why is this massive generation ship built with enough space in the walls for a human-sized creature to move through it? Empty space on a spaceship seems like an illogical design, as you would want things created with as much spacial efficiency as possible (jamming those walls full of components) to use less oxygen. Random passageways with nothing in them is a huge waste of resources, especially on a ship that fits six thousand, so I didn’t really understand how the monsters were living within the walls. Unless I severely missed something.

I also don’t think the lost-in-space aspect was needed; it only served to compete with the main story. The space could have been used to flesh out the characters more.

I will say, I thought the tone of the novel was excellent. Before the action really starts, Brown has some really evocative metaphors and language to foreshadow the horror aspects. Mundane things are described as oozing or vomiting, which helped situate the novel as a horror. I was really into the novel for the first third.

Had the novel been full-length, these things could have been resolved, and the horror aspects made scarier because we actually cared about the crew.

Overall, while the novel had great potential, I loved the diversity of the characters, and I do appreciate the Alien homage, it just suffered from being too short. I do think the author shows promise, and I’d like to see what they do with a full-length novel.


One caveat: I think someone who isn’t as obsessed with the Alien movies would enjoy it a lot more than me; it's just too similar for my tastes.

When I saw the cover of The Scourge Between Stars, I was excited to read it. I've always been fascinated (and horrified) by space so I was looking forward to it. I enjoyed the descriptions of space, the stars and planets.

Brown is an astrophysicist. I was worried her writing would be hard to digest but it really is a pretty easy read.

Watson was my favorite character. Honestly, I didn't really care about any of the other characters. Apart from Jack they all just kind of blended together for me and I was left feeling meh about them.

TSBS clocks in at 120 pages but sometimes it felt a little too long. Lots of banging noises and going up and down in lifts. I think the ending felt a little weak. It felt easily explained away and wrapped up in a bow. There were things that happened that don't really get a lot of explanation. Overall this is a decent novella that doesn't break new ground.

The spooky parts were SOLID - the stress and anticipation as they work through the dark, cold ship deck by deck, occasionally being confronted with some leftover gore or a sudden attack really ramped up the tension. Jack was also a really good, complex MC and Ness did a fantastic job of teasing out the various layers to her personality and her relationship with her role, her family, and the rest of the officers.

Where things didn’t hold up was mostly in the background/worldbuilding part. We didn’t have enough of a look at what “normal” looked like before things started going wrong. Like, there are riots and mutinies but we don’t understand enough about what caused them and what daily life looks like for the regular citizens on the ship. There’s also not much sense of scale. I couldn’t figure out how many people were on the Calypso, how many ships were in the Goddess class (fleet?), or how many other fleets there were. Like it’s just the barest hint of “there’s way more people out there” but I couldn’t comprehend the scale. And also, like, comms between ships, and why all of this was going down at the same time was pretty unclear.

Read it for the vibes and take it as self-contained, and you’ll enjoy it much more than trying to tease out more details where they aren’t offered. Overall, great debut, and I can’t wait to see what Ness comes up with next!

Exactly what I expected in a fun, queer space thriller, inspired by the Alien franchise and similar media. I really liked the cast of characters and the setting of the Calypso, a ship on its return to earth after a disastrous attempt at finding humanity's new home in space.

I only wish this had been a full novel, rather than a novella, as certain elements of the plot and characterization felt abrupt and could've benefited from a more gradual lead up.

Overall, it was a fun read for fans of the genre.

I read a lot of sci-fi and it's been so difficult lately to find something that both sounds right up my alley and then actually meets those expectations. I was so pleasantly surprised by The Scourge Between Stars!

Something I usually have a difficult time with when it comes to novellas is pacing, but fortunately that was something I didn't have to worry about here. The story keeps a really rhythmic pace throughout, all the while introducing the reader to the various challenges of the Calypso crew's reality. From acting captain Jack having to oversee everything on the ship all while covering for her captain father who is MIA, to not having enough resources to get the ship back to to Earth, dissent between crews, and a new and much more immediately dangerous threat looming, it never felt like we forgot all of these challenges because they were weaved so well together.

I thought this resolved really well, too. I normally want novellas to be longer since I don't think enough was covered, but in this case I wanted it to be longer because I just fell in love with the story and would have loved to spend more time with it. I'm definitely going to be picking up whatever Ness Brown writes next.

Big thanks to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for the arc!

An amazingly written novella that I devoured in one afternoon! This was the perfect definition of the sci fi/horror genre. It was packed with dread and suspense and wish I there was more. Looking forward to more like it from Ness Brown.

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Macmillan-Tor/Forge, for an advanced copy of this novella about space travel, horror, accepting your own truth, and persisting even when all seems lost.

Space for all of its vastness, confines humans into the tightest of spaces. For all the beauty of nebulas, and planets moons and quasars this same beauties radiate things that will kill us. If the temperature of -455 degrees Fahrenheit, 2.7 Kelvin for the cool kids, doesn't kill us first. Oh wait it is the lack of breathable oxygen that will kill us. Space is cruel. To travel through space humans must provide food, water, shelter from the cold and radiation, fuel to keep heaters running and some sort of propulsion to keep us moving. Suddenly humans are in a tiny area, surrounded by a lot of things that will kill us, not out of animosity, but just because that is what is. That is how the characters in The Scourge Between Stars by Ness Brown, find themselves, stuck on a ship that is slowly powering down, dwindling food, and rising tensions. And suddenly there are sounds behind the bulkheads of something wanting to get out.

Acting Captain Jacklyn Albright is very good at her job, a job she does not want, but her father the Captain of the Calypso, has locked himself in his room, and shows no sign of coming out. The Calypso is part of a fleet of returning ships, from a failed attempt at colonizing a planet, hoping to return, to Earth, though none of them have seen or heard from Earth and have no idea what they are coming home to, or when they might even get there. The ship is breaking down, almost quicker than the crew can fix it, communications with the fleet are sketchy, food is getting scarce, and mutiny is in the air. Plus space is filled with all sort of obstructions, almost a minefield and parts of the ship are being sheared off as they travel. Albright is not doing well, having lost her mother to a sort of space sickness and her sister recently to an accident, and with her father hiding in his cabin, Albright is not sleeping, nor thinking right. And suddenly, when things start to really go bad, Albright begins to hear noises behind the walls of the ship, and Albright knows, they are not alone onboard.
A tense, spooky ghost story about creatures in the walls, but set in space. There is also a lot more going on then that, in fact for such a short novella, less than 200 pages, there is a lot of plot and character building, which hopefully will be addressed in future books. The idea of a colony picking up and coming home is interesting, and I would like to see more made of this, and how the decision to travel so long and so far, to a place that you fled from originally is better than the world the colony is on. I like the science and the ideas, thought the ending has a little huh ending, but if this part of a series, I could see where this could help the plot. The creatures behind the wall are scary, and there is even a little conspiracy story about them, that makes sense, and again deserves more story time. A very enjoyable story.

I do hope there is more planned. Ness Brown has a very good style, a good way with dialogue that sounds like the way people would talk and act, under pressure and under the fear of death. Nothing is super new, Alien a little Rats in the Walls, but this is still a good way of presenting the story, and hopefully will lead to a lot more, and I hope there is.

This book was intense! I just finished this sci fi novella, and it was fantastic. The last of a failed colony is heading back to Earth. The ship is in bad shape and might not make it there, and then there’s a murder. And another. And they get a warning from another ship- don’t open the door.

It’s a fast-paced story that makes you want to keep turning the pages. The crew is on edge, and there are great action scenes. This was Ness Brown’s debut book, and we can’t wait to read more by them. It comes out April 4. Thank you to Tor Nightfire and NetGalley for my copy.

The Scourge Between Stars is a delightful, fast-paced space novella that will keep you on your toes for the entire ride! You can easily devour this is one sitting and the suspense will keep your attention.

There are some pieces to the story that could have used more time and backstory, but the author provides enough context that you understand the relationships and thoughts/feelings behind each so while I was left wanting a little more I also didn’t feel like the plot was lacking in any way.

A great, short, exciting sci-fi story!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A gripping, claustrophobic sci-fi novella, about Jaclyn, an anguished officer, forced to step in as Captain of the Calypso, a ship of 6000 souls lost in space.

Jack’s character is well rounded, and we understand her and her decisions as her backstory is revealed. Jack’s relationship with the droid, Watson, is a great balance and I was rooting for each as they began to trust each other.

The science in this sci-fi was approachable and logical, never overwhelming but enough to respect the story and assist in bringing the reader front and center in the bowels of the Calypso.

I needed a little more info on the “anomaly” or the intruder because I struggled to picture the creature and truly feel it’s menace.

But Jack’s story is well-told and I enjoyed my dark and anxious time on the Calypso.

The Scourge Between Stars is a sci-fi/horror novella that tackles some well-tread ground in the genre: the crew of a transport ship must deal with a strange, violent species invading their ship. In this particular case, the ship is returning to Earth after a failed attempt to colonize a distant planet, and is facing dire circumstances that challenge their ability to make it home.

Unfortunately, this particular take on the story is nothing new at all. Generally, when a story is so short, one hopes that it would devote its time to exploring thought provoking concepts or unique, inventive settings. The Scourge Between Stars, however, feels as though it cannot find much more to be than a speedrun through the plot of Alien.

The characters are interesting but certainly not original, and have not nearly enough time to truly develop. They quickly run through the process of discovering the aliens, fighting the aliens, and killing the aliens, leaving little room for fully-realized character dynamics to form. There is a brief glimmer of something fresh towards the end, but the plotline is almost immediately eradicated.

What truly bothers me, however, is that the book ends with possibly the most egregious deus-ex-machina I’ve ever read: in the final pages of the book, the characters’ biggest problem is solved almost instantaneously by an unseen, unexplained force. This is the textbook definition of a hasty ending, and seriously soured my opinion on the entire thing.

Overall, The Scourge Between Stars offers very little beyond generic, rehashed story beats and a wildly abrupt resolution.

“Don’t open the door.”

Jacklyn Albright is first mate and acting captain of a ship limping home from a failed colony. She’s in charge of humanity’s last hope—and they’re not going to make it.

The ship’s drives are broken, the food stores depleting faster than possible, and something is out there in the void, something that attacks their ships and picks them off one by one. The crew and passengers are growing mutinous, and there are no good options at hand.

And then something starts murdering crew.

Something that is not human.

“It had been cheaper to take to the heavens than try to undo the environmental sins of twenty-first century capitalism.”

Sapphic space horror is my JAM.

This novella is short, grisly and packs a mean punch to the gut, with no good answers at hand for its crew, or for its acting captain.

While the ending is a little hmmm and reminds me a bit of An Unkindness of Ghosts (vaguely), the beginning and middle parts are straight up out of a horror movie and I LOVED IT.

Claustrophobia. Mysterious monster. Banging in the walls. The call is coming from inside the house and we are not alone in here. It’s a nonstop ride and does not let up on its heroine or the crew.

I received an ARC from the publisher/NetGalley.

The stakes of this action-packed story start with the survival of the human race on a doomed generation ship and only go up from there. A bit of a cross between "Alien" and "Battlestar Galactica." I really appreciated the way the author shared bits and pieces of the story's background, like clues in a mystery.

The Scourge Between Stars is a tense, wild ride packed into a compact story. It felt like a slightly more gory episode of a sci-fi tv episode- a world you could just drop into and pretty easily get the gist of what was going on, but you could also catch glimpses of a much wider world this author had created.
We follow a young woman named Jacklyn on a spaceship who has had to take over Captain duties, as the current captain, her father, has locked himself in his quarters with no response. The spaceship is full of the members of a failed planet colony, who are on a multi-generational trip back to Earth, not knowing if, by the time they get there, Earth will even be habitable.
During their return journey, the ship has been attacked several times by a mysterious and untraceable cosmic force, causing catastrophic damage to the ship and their meager resources. And on top of all that, something in the ship is picking off the crew one by one.
This story was exciting and tense and kept me engaged, fretful, and hopeful the whole time. I wish I had had the time to devour it in one sitting, but as it was I was always excited to get back to the story. I hope this author has more stories to come, I will watch their future author career with great interest.

This was a solid sci fi horror. I got Alien vibes, I got Predator vibes, I got all the best survivor-horror genre vibes in one of my favorite locations: Space. This being a novella meant that this book was quick and moved fast, and I would have enjoyed a full length version of this book too. We really only get to know the main character to some degree, and how she interacts with the crew closest to her. The ending was overall satisfying, and I'm so glad I picked up this book. I had a fun time with the suspense, and I appreciated the twist at the end. Overall, definitely a read for those looking for a quick sci fi horror novella. A big thank you to Tor Nightfire and Netgalley for a copy of this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I don't read a lot of sci-fi, and I now remember why, and I mean that in the best way possible. This book was intense, I found myself holding my breath so much that I wasn't sure if I would make it to the end. The story starts a little slow and it took me a min to get clear bearings on who people were and their roles on the ship. Once I got that down and the story started picking up, I found myself getting into a steady Rythm. I enjoyed the mystery around Watson, although I'm not sure that I was completely understanding that side story. Once the action started was when I started to get a little antsy. To the authors credit with a story like this I reacted exactly as I was supposed to. Overall, I would absolutely recommend this to anyone that enjoys sci-fi, thriller type novels. or is looking to get their blood pressure up!

Thanks to MacMillan Tor/Forge and Ness Brown for making this book available to me via NetGalley. After reqding m4 fantasy for a few months, I was craving science fiction. The Scourge Between Stars delivered. It started with some creepy vibes that evolved into fast-paced space horror. I had a good sense of the characters and the setting and found the story easy to read. The only negative was the captain. Trying to avoid spoilers, I can only say that I would have expected intervention much sooner. Ultimately, he got off easier than he deserved.

This book took me less than a day to read. I wouldn't have minded more, but it told a pretty complete story, as is. I would be interested if the author writes more, either as a sequel or a new story.

"Just thinking about Otto going through the ship’s salvaged metal and choosing a face for his pet droid that Jacklyn had known and loved made her stomach clench"

There were literally times when I gasped out loud, and wished I could read it with my hands over my eyes.

I absolutely loved this little novella. It's the perfect amount of suspenseful and horrifying. I'm definitely going to be purchasing a physical copy when it comes out in April.

Ness Brown has created some really great characters that are both captivating and relatable. Jack was a really well rounded and thought out character, especially considering the size of the novella. I loved Watson and Jack's evolving relationship, as well as everything happening between Jack and Jolie.

Brown writes just enough about Jolie and Jack to where it makes you long for the rest of their story, but not so much that it overpowers the plot. I thoroughly appreciated this, however I would also love a book that delves into their relationship more.

If Ness Brown ever writes a sequel or an additional book in this universe, I will definitely be buying it. I cannot say enough positive things about The Scourge Between Stars! I had such a good time reading it. 🙂

Thanks to NetGalley and Torn Nightfire for providing me with an ARC, in exhange for an honest review.

I felt like this book couldn't quite decide what it was. An Alien-style claustrophobic slaughter? Eldritch space horror? The plus is that this led to some really interesting mysteries as the story ramped up; the downside is that the answers to most of those mysteries were really uninteresting.

That said, it was extremely atmospheric and a lot of fun. The thumps in the walls really got to me. I appreciated how all the problems just kept cascading - it felt more real, and the level of sleep deprivation the characters reached made the hints even more strange. Was it just hallucinations? Debris from all the catastrophic failures? Or something spooky?

The side-storyline about sexual exploitation of an android was unnecessary in all ways.

The ending was frustrating in many ways. The use of alien DNA was just silly. The sudden climax of the super-powerful space beings left me longing for the eldritch horror that could have been. The mutiny is just dissolved like it never existed, and it basically didn't; we never really FEEL the mutiny, never even meet anyone that's part of it. It might as well be on a TV in the background. And the ship is left by Jupiter, much to everyone's delight, having forgotten that they're completely adrift with no propulsion whatsoever. They're going to starve to death right next to Earth. What even happened to the other ships anyway? Did they get shooed out as well, eaten by aliens, jumped off somewhere on their own? Why do ALL the ships have stowaways? Some very frustrating questions to be left with.