S.A. Barnes is quickly becoming a go to for sci-fi thriller/horror, a genre I’d really love to see a lot more of. And while I think I enjoyed her debut, Dead Silence, more, I still found Ghost Station to be an engaging adventure. In fact I not only read the ARC but also had the opportunity to listen to an advanced copy of the audiobook. Zura Johnson’s narration is quite good so I’m pleased to say you can’t go wrong no matter how you choose to experience Ghost Station. I really liked how we continued to learn things about Ophelia, instead of just getting one big info dump. Ophelia is a psychologist specializing in studying ERS (think space madness, often characterized by violent outbursts, with one case resulting in the murder of nearly thirty souls.). At the start when we meet Ophelia it’s clear she is determined to get away from home, away from most of her family (which we learn more about later on) and she joins a small crew whose on a mission to explore a planet that’s been abandoned. They’ll be taking up temporary residence in an abandoned station not far from ancient alien ruins. Her crew mates are an interesting mix of characters, with many of them not at all interested in getting to know to her, with some resenting her for she is and her family, some not at all pleased to even have her along. Ophelia senses the crew is keeping stuff from her, but what? The atmosphere and sense of isolation is well developed. And of course she has questions as to why exactly was this station abandoned? Then one of the crew is found murdered. Who did it? What is going on? Can they trust each other? Is someone suffering from ERS or is it something else? Something worse? I’d like to thank Tor Publishing Group, Tor Nightfire, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of Ghost Station and Macmillan Audio for the chance to listen to an advanced copy of the audio version.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R2L8MHBLOJL5U9/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

Great setting here. The weirdly claustrophobic feeling of space travel always makes me unsettled. I was uneasy through the entire book. Nothing is as it seems and no one is quite who they say they are. A long but satisfying read.

[2.75/5]
This novel follows Dr. Ophelia Bray as she makes her way into space with a crew in an attempt to study and prevent ERS.
This novel was an utter disappointment. First, our main character Ophelia has blinders on when it comes to ERS. Anything that happens in this novel is always attributed to ERS and any other factors are excluded. S.A Barnes fails to find a balance with this and almost undermines the readers' ability to discern that this is one of her main reasons for being in space. The constant repetition of ERS as a causative agent for every event truly hinders the story. This was painted as a sci-fi horror and while I wasn't expecting a chain-saw massacre, but I was expecting more than a paper cut.
That is, this book lacks any significant horror moments and truthfully isn't overly thrilling. The most thrilling aspect of this book is the 'murder' of one of her crew members. This plot component is not only revealed in the synopsis of the novel, but doesn't happen until about 60% through the novel. I'm sorry, but if you spoil the most significant event in the book and this plot point doesn't occur until well into the book, it is highly likely that your book is lacking content. Overall, this novel adds nothing new to the sci-fi horror or sci-fi thriller genre that hasn't already been done.

***Thank you to NetGalley, S.A. Barnes, and Macmillan Audio for graciously sending me the audiobook to review. All thoughts are my own.***

Nothing can convince me that space isn't one of the best landscapes for horror. Ophelia Bray is a psychologist, who specializes in ERS, which is a space condition that led mass murder. We follow Ophelia and the crew as they are assigned to explore an old, abandoned planet. immediately things are not as they seem and Ophelia and the crew must figure out a way to survive while dealing with their own trauma and secrets. The setting of Ghost Station was immensely creepy and Barnes did a good job of setting the atmosphere and having us question the reliability of the characters, especially Ophelia. The way it is written allows for the layers of the characters to be unraveled. While this is a slow burn, I enjoyed exploring the planet with the crew and slow dissent into chaos and possibility insanity. The added element of narration made some of the scenes even more intense and creepy. 3.75 stars rounded up.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for an ALC.

Thank you to Tor Nightfire and NetGalley for the free ALC of this book which published today!

My rating 3.5 stars, rounded up.

Ghost Station is a decent sci-fi/horror read. While the premise of exploring a mysterious abandoned planet was intriguing, I found the pacing to be slow, and I struggled to connect with the main character, Dr. Ophelia Bray.

Ophelia is dedicated to studying Eckhart-Reiser syndrome (ERS) but outside of this I didn’t feel much depth to her character. However, the build up of tension and suspense is well done as the crew uncovers secrets of the planet and they face the threat of violence and mental deterioration.

Overall, this is an engaging sci-fi/horror that just fell slightly short in keeping my attention. I listened to the audio version narrated by Zura Johnson and would recommend this format if you are interested in reading this one!

Ahhhhhhhhh!

But this audiobook scared the crap out of me!

The narrator was perfect. Delivered this spooky space horror like it was her last wish.

I do not recommend listening to it at night. You will be jumping at shadows or strange noises all night long!

I highly highly recommend this audiobook.

I was a big fan of Dead Silence and was so happy to get the audio version of Ghost Station. I loved Zura Johnson's narration and it was still very enjoyable/easy to listen to at 1.75x speed.
Ophelia Bray is a multi-layered, complex character among a crew with secrets and layers of their own. Barnes does a great job balancing internal reflection and external action, pushing the story along with increasingly concerning events while also showing Bray's character development.
This was a tense, creepy, story expertly performed.

This is the second Space Horror book I’ve read this week and I’m loving the vibes. This story had an immersive, atmospheric vibe with incredibly complex characters. While the story did have a slow start, once it took off, it was go go go! I wasn’t as scared as I had expected to be, but I mean, how scared can you make me about a setting in space? 😂 I did thoroughly enjoy the characters slow descend into madness, so that definitely made up for the lack of scaries. I really hope s.a.barnes sticks with space horror, because I’m loving these books she’s writing!

Ophelia Bray is a psychologist specializing in the study and prevention of ERS, a space-based condition, similar to PTSD, that can lead to mental deterioration and violence. Dr. Bray is assigned to join a small exploration crew as they journey to an ancient, abandoned planet. Unfortunately, it doesn't take Ophelia long to realize that the new crew isn't exactly excited to have her aboard. They've never needed a Head Doc before, why now?

Ophelia is confident in her purpose though, so she just tries to do her best to fit in and help them to understand the reasons for her attendance. She knows better than most just how imperative her skills may become. The rest of the crew have worked together before and feel more like a family than a team. Ophelia, as the only outsider, has a long way to go to endear herself to the group.

As they begin to establish themselves on the abandoned planet, they start discovering disturbing signs left behind by the previous colonizers, who apparently departed with haste. It presents a real mystery for the crew. They have no idea what happened to the previous inhabitants, but signs are pointing to the fact that they didn't live happily ever after. The longer Ophelia and the crew remain on the planet, the more unnerving things become, until Ophelia's worst nightmare starts to come to life.

Ghost Station is the latest from S.A. Barnes, author of Dead Silence, which I read and really enjoyed. I've been anxiously anticipating more from Barnes ever since. I loved the SF Horror vibes she delivered in Dead Silence and definitely believe she succeeded on that front here as well. For me, Ghost Station is way more of a slow burn than Dead Silence, but the content and MC, Ophelia, are so interesting, I didn't mind that one bit. I enjoyed getting to know Ophelia and learning of her past and motivations, while watching her try to find a place within this new crew. I also feel like you can see a maturation of Barnes writing in this one, which is lovely to see. We love to watch an author progress over the course of their career.

I really enjoyed the dangerous feel of the atmosphere that was created on the planet they were exploring. There was a sense of foreboding over every page that kept it compelling and also kept my pulse slightly elevated. The audiobook for this was fantastically narrated by Zura Johnson. I highly recommend that as a format choice if you have the option available to you. The narration style was very soothing to me, in spite of this being an intense story. I really felt myself relaxing into it.

I was extremely satisfied with how Barnes wrapped this up. The conclusion surprised me in the direction it ultimately took. I wasn't expecting it and I was happy with that.I would recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys SF Horror, or darker SF in general. As far as Science Fiction goes, I would consider this light, with concepts that are easily understandable to a wide audience. You aren't going to get bogged down in scientific jargon in this one, if maybe that is a concern for you.

This is an easily understandable, compelling story, with chills and thrills, as well as great characters throughout. Additionally, I think this could translate really well to film.

Thank you to the publisher, Tor Nightfire and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review.
As mentioned above, I was anxiously awaiting this one and it didn't disappoint. I look forward to seeing what Barnes comes up with next!

I am so glad I enjoyed this book. I loved Barnes first book and I was concerned that this one wouldn't be live up to my expectations but it did!
This book had such a feeling of dread all throughout. I felt like I was going to have a panic attack throughout most of the story and that is exactly what I wanted. I also really enjoyed piecing together the mystery with the rest of the cast.
This was definitely a solid read!

Note: being a therapist is not the career path one should take if they have enough unresolved trauma for a dozen people.

Dr. Ophelia Bray deals with her problems by trying to fix others. After losing a crew member, a small space crew requires a psychologist, and Bray eagerly volunteers. From the beginning, it's clear the crew does not want her to help, but when their assignment kills another team member, Bray might be the only one who can help.

I loved Dead Silence, so I went into this one with high expectations, but it let me down. It started well. Gray is hiding something about her past, and the little flashbacks to her childhood are intriguing. Tension on the ship is high and everyone is at each other's throats.

But nothing happened til the 70% mark. This thriller focused on Gray's budding relationship with the captain than anything else. At first, Gray's perspective was initially interesting but it got bogged down by all her self-therapy sessions and her relationship drama. It threw me for a loop since Dead Silence was focused more on the action than character development. I was expecting that dynamic here, but it was completely altered.

The twists at the end were rewarding, and I did enjoy where Barnes took the story. It just took so long to get there. The audio clocked in at fifteen hours! If you enjoy slow-burn psychological thrillers, I'd recommend the book format for Ghost Station. The narrator was great, but at the end of the day, it was too long in audio form.

Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio, for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Dr. Ophelia Bray has dedicated her life to treating ERS - a psychological condition linked to people who live and work within the darkness of space. Being in the darkness and on a different circadian rhythm can mess with people's sleep and, as one infamous tragedy shows, can be deadly.

Ophelia is assigned to work, and head out on a mission, with an exploration crew who just suffered the loss of one of their own. She is eager to make a difference regardless that they have no interest in her help to the point where it's clear the crew is keeping information about their colleague's death from Ophelia.

As they land and begin to make residency it quickly becomes apparent that something unexplainable happened on this planet. And when those inexplicable things begin happening amongst the crew, culminating with one of their deaths, Ophelia begins to question if it is the beginning of ERS or something else entirely. In order to survive they'll have to trust each other, but that trust becomes difficult when it's apparent that they've all been keeping their secrets.

Space is the perfect setting for a mystery because it’s so vast yet also so suffocating. You can’t just go anywhere you are at the mercy of your team and technology. And for Ophelia she can’t trust either. As readers it's put in our heads early on that we also might not be able to trust Ophelia's perspective on things. So there is this tension slowly building and running throughout as we kind of walk side-by-side with Ophelia as everything starts to go sideways. Who do we believe? Can we believe anyone?

I will say that there are quite a few too many feints without much forward momentum early on in the book. Yes, it is a slow build and I was completely captivated in the narration, but I also feel like the pacing could have been stepped up a little more while still maintaining that building tension.

In that regard, however, the narrator has a very haunting quality about her voice and listening to the audiobook lent itself well to keeping this eerie quality running throughout. I think the decisions made as far as tone of voice and pacing of the read was spot on. Even though the story is told from Ophelia's point of view, each character was distinctive on their own. When the dialogue changed I knew who was speaking without cues. Overall, impressive and immersive narration.

I don't typically read a lot of horror. But there was just something about the premise of this on that called to me I guess. If you're not super into the squishy, squicky moments that often pop up in horror, then I think you may like this. Don't get me wrong it certainly has its moments of that, but I personally felt like it was lighter than the other times I've read a true horror book. Maybe it's because it has a futuristic bent to it that lends itself well to not feeling overly gross like some horror tends to be.

I do feel like this is a good book to go into with very little knowledge of, so in order to avoid giving anything more away, I'll leave off here, but do want to say that I like and appreciate the way SA Barnes chose to tie everything up at the conclusion.

I've not read SA Barnes previous book, but reading this certainly gets me interested. Next time I'm in the mood for a thrilling sci-fi mystery/horror, I'll know where to look.

S.A. Barnes does it again! While I really loved the creepy atmosphere of Dead Silence, and was hoping for more of that here, I also really enjoyed the fast-paced thriller style here.

Our main character is dealing with some severe trauma. Now, armed with a degree in psychology, she plans to help those who may be going through similar things. It has been decided that having mental health professionals on site, in the places known to cause people to spiral, is a good thing. She will be the first to be sent out to a team that may need her advice. However, this team will encounter more than they bargained for.

I really enjoyed the twists and turns this book took. I even enjoyed a couple of the red herrings. I could definitely see how the crew would believe some of them.

Another sci-horror to add to the recs list.

Unfortunately, "Ghost Station" didn't quite live up to my expectations.

One of the major issues I encountered was with the pacing, especially in the first 60% of the book, which felt like a tedious journey. I felt like Zura Johnson did a great job narrating the story, however the story was extremely boring for a good portion of the book and the narrator wasn't able to save that (which is fine; that is not part of their job description).

The protagonist, Ophelia, failed to resonate with me; her self-centered and excessively analytical nature became quite off-putting as the story progressed. I feel like this is one story where multiple POVs would have really added a lot of depth. The absence of other perspectives to break up Ophelia's monotonous internal monologue.

The second half of the book did manage to pick up the pace and introduce some elements of horror, however the ending left me with unresolved questions and unfinished plot lines. The repetitive descriptions and themes, such as tingling skin and pervasive feelings of paranoia, grew tiresome over time.

I really struggled to maintain my focus during the sluggish first half of the audiobook, despite the narrator's acceptable performance. While there were some good moments in this book, "Ghost Station" failed to evoke the level of fear/tension that I had anticipated going in.

Overall, "Ghost Station" fell short for me in several aspects. It had some good parts; however, you have to slog through a lot of boring parts to finally get there.

I confess, I'm not a fan of Space settings in stories but I decided to give this one a try anyway- it sounded intriuging. However the pacing on this one was just too slow for me. This is definitely a slow-burn, atmospheric horror and I just felt the build up took too long and I lost interest. By the time things started happening I just wasn't interested. It was a flop for me, but if you like the slow-burn build up in a trapped room kind of setting this one might be for you.

The audio narrator of this one was great! I loved her narration despite not connecting to the story I found the narration engaging and haunting. Would absolutely seek this narrator out in the future.

Mmmm…3.25 stars ⭐️

Imagine you did the unthinkable and your creditability as a doctor is in question…what would you do in order to restore your honor. That’s what Ophelia had to go through in this story. I honestly didn’t know what to expect, I chose this book solely off of the cover and that it was a horror. I listened to it on audio and it was pretty good. Now I wasn’t obsessed with it.

I kept waiting for her to stick up for herself at least once. But every time she went to, they kept talking over her. It was sooooo frustrating and slowly pissed me off. In terms of plot, i thought it was going to be more of a slasher and it really wasn’t that. This story had a more thriller/mystery feel than horror in my opinion. It did get scary sometimes but more in the way the characters were reacting than anything sinister going on. I thought the cause of everything was a little weak in terms of scare factor. And I wish there was more closure in terms of what happened with one of the past.

I did however enjoy the different dynamics with the characters. Each interaction felt unique to the person. I could distinguish who was who towards the end even though I was listening to the story. Which sometimes can be hard to do. Overall it was entertaining enough to finish but idk if I’d recommend to horror lovers. I think I’d recommend it more to thriller/mystery lovers who like a little gore. I wish there were more scenes with the potential romance but overall a solid read.

3.5 stars. I picked up Ghost Station with middling expectations, since my experience with S.A. Barnes' previous novel, Dead Silence, was so mixed. In my review for that book, I said that it wasn't the terrifying, mind-bending deep space horror novel I was looking for -- and ultimately, Ghost Station wasn't quite either, although Barnes definitely got closer with this one.

Dr. Ophelia Bray has dedicated her professional career to studying the effects of ERS, a condition suffered by space explorers that can cause mental deterioration and violence, and which can be contagious. She is invited to join a small crew on an exploratory mission to an abandoned planet, but as the crew begins to establish residency in the ghost station left by their predecessors, it's clear that everyone on the crew is hiding something...and so is the planet itself.

Aside from the deep ocean, there's nothing scarier to me than outer space. The vastness and darkness of it, the fact that it's a giant vacuum, the fact that literally anything could be out there -- I mean, it's totally terrifying. So naturally I'm drawn to space horror, because reading about it is the closest I ever want to get to facing down this particular fear. One of the things Barnes does so well in Ghost Station is set an otherworldly, claustrophobic, hostile atmosphere, both vivid and eerie, that her characters have to navigate. It would be impossible, so far from the planet you call home, in the silence and isolation of outer space, for your mind not to play tricks on you, and Barnes explores this idea so effectively. Are the characters suffering from the effects of ERS, some extraterrestrial force, or just the human mind's uncanny ability to overthink and create nightmare scenarios? We aren't sure, and neither are the characters. It makes for some very unsettling reading.

Barnes gives Ophelia an interesting backstory and family history, which adds a lot of texture to the narrative and allows her to explore the effects of trauma, the role of genetics in behavior and illness, corporate greed, toxic ambition, and the consequences of late-stage capitalism. She integrates all of this into an engrossing narrative that ratchets up the tension insidiously as it gradually descends into madness. I wish there were more truly "scary" moments, and the ending was somewhat lackluster, but Barnes really does make the most of this concept. I listened to the audiobook read by Zura Johnson, who did a fabulous job of maintaining the narrative's sense of pervading unease. Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the complimentary reading opportunity.

Dead Silence was one of my favorites from last year, and I am also a sucker for space horror in any capacity. When I heard about S.A Barnes' next book I jumped at the chance to read it early. I'm glad I did because I really enjoyed it. I won't give away too much because this story is better experienced than written about, but it is definitely tonally different than Dead Silence, with this story focusing heavily on themes of guilt and responsibility. Barnes' writing and world-building are so thorough and compelling that even though this story was a lot different than I was expecting and hoping it to be, I still enjoyed this a good amount.
For the audiobook specifically, I enjoyed the narrator. I don't think this was an instance of the story coming to life more in narrated form than reading it physically. But, I did think that the story lent itself well to being read aloud versus other sci-fi which is too convoluted to really dig into in an audiobook.

Ghost Station is a Horror Science Fiction where a crew is sent to explore an isolated planet and investigate ENS they are quickly met with the terror after a team member is found murdered.

This is my second S.A. Barnes books. Both of her books seem like they should be right up my alley. Unfortunately they both are a let down. The story lacks suspense and we are left with a slow plot line with minimal body horror. Very disappointing.

I was provided both a print and audio ARC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

The audio narration was great. The narrator did distinctive voices for each character, making it easy for the listener to distinguish between characters. I always appreciate that, especially when there are multiple characters with a good bit of dialogue.

Ophelia is a psychologist assigned to a crew tasked with exploring an abandoned planet and investigate what happened to the previous crew. Ophelia is tasked with keeping them mentally healthy after the loss of one of their crewmates on a previous mission and after a condition called ERS has become more prevalent for those that spend alot of time in space. ERS has been known to make people violent, and Ophelia has dedicated her life to studying and preventing the disease after experiencing it's effects first hand as a child.

Upon landing on the desolate planet and beginning explorations, the crew begins to exhibit strange behaviors that mimic ERS. The crew has not warmed up to Ophelia for many reasons, and no one wants to be diagnosed with ERS. When one of the crew turns up dead, Ophelia has to unearth the skeleton's in her closet and work with the remaining members of the team to figure out if they are sick or if there is something else going on.

This is my first book by the author, so I wasn't sure what to expect. This book was extremely atmospheric. This blurs the lines between sci-fi, horror, and thriller. I definitely got the creepy, desolate vibes the author was going for.

I thought the premise was really interesting and the author did a good job describing the planet and the surroundings. I did find the writing repetitive at times especially when it came to Ophelia's character arc. I feel like had the author stuck with the weird planet plotline or the medical plotline this book would have been a knockout, but there were too many threads of stuff about Ophelia's family, her job, the crew, and the planet going on for it to be a cohesive story. I was a bit disappointed in the ending, as the action starts to build up to something that doesn't ever happen. Honestly, I expected a little more death and destruction from a space horror, but this is more of a mystery/thriller. There is some gore and the descriptions are good, but I wanted a little more suspense and scare factor. I felt like finally when we got to the good part when the action was picking up and the horror elements were really taking off, it ended in what I feel was an unsatisfying way.

Overall, I thought this was entertaining but the conclusion was underwhelming.