This book is a science fiction, mystery and adventure read. The book hosts a likeable cast of characters that all felt real. The multiple POV works well, the voices are distinct and the view points kept the pace of the read propelling forward. I loved the alien character and how they communicated. The story is thought provoking yet has a fun quality. A great entertaining read that would be perfect for those new to Sci-Fi due to the accessibility of the writing.
Thank you to NetGalley and Independent Publishers Group for an E-ARC. This is a voluntary review of my own thoughts.

Being familiar with Johnstone’s Skelfs crime fiction series, I was intrigued to learn he’s ventured into the science fiction genre. Actually, this book is first-contact science fiction with elements of a thriller and a drama.

The protagonists are three troubled souls. There’s 16-year-old Lennox Hunt who lives in a children’s home and is often bullied because of his mixed race. Heavily pregnant Ava Cross is trying to escape her psychologically controlling husband. And Heather Banks, a grieving mother with a terminal cancer diagnosis, sees suicide as her best option. After the appearance of a blue-green light that streaks across the sky, the three suffer catastrophic strokes, but unlike many others, they miraculously recover. Instinctively they realize that there is a connection between what happened to them and a mysterious cephalopod which is found washed up on a nearby beach. When they seek out this unusual creature (whom Lennox names Sandy and always speaks of in the plural), they work together to protect them from shadowy government agents while attempting to reunite them with the rest of their species.

The novel employs a multiple point of view structure. The perspectives of Lennox, Ava, and Heather are given in alternating chapters. A fourth viewpoint is that of Ewan McKinnon, a jaded journalist who begins by following the story and ends up supporting their endeavours.

The book is fast-paced with a lot of suspense. The fugitives are constantly in danger: not only are they involved in a cat-and-mouse chase, evading the police and the sinister government agents, they are also being tracked by Michael, Ava’s abusive and well-connected husband. This tension, along with the short chapters, keeps the reader engaged.

The premise is certainly not new. Initially I kept mentally comparing the novel to E.T. the Extraterrestrial and any number of other first-contact films. But the book also examines some serious issues like bullying, grieving, and gaslighting. In many ways, the novel struck me as a plea for people to be more open, to accept and connect with others. At the beginning, Lennox, Ava, and Heather feel alone in the world. Then they form a type of surrogate family linked by a common purpose. When they connect with Sandy, they realize they are no longer isolated and separate but “three parts of something much bigger.”

The limitations of humans are delineated. Lennox realizes that “none of them had a clue about life, the way the universe worked. There was so much mysterious, incomprehensible shit out there making a mockery of their pathetic concerns, their wee lives.” Heather concurs: “The human view of earth was so myopic it was virtually blind. . . . Humans were nothing in the scheme of things.” She gives a lot of thought to how little we know about life on earth because of our inability to communicate: “She wondered about other forms of communication, the buzzard above, the sparrows in the trees, worms in the earth.” Perhaps “the human idea of being singular, apart, alone, was a ridiculous and lonely way of looking at life.” Isn’t “the point of humanity, a search for empathy, putting yourself in someone else’s shoes” so we can close the space between us?

As I read, I also couldn’t stop thinking that the book is, whether intentionally or incidentally, a commentary on the refugee crisis. Sandy is really a refugee who washes up on a shore. They and others of their species are looking for a safe haven. Like Sandy, migrants are sometimes viewed as having a worldview that is “completely alien” and are often not warmly welcomed.

I found the villains to be two-dimensional with no redeeming qualities, and there are some coincidences, so some suspension of disbelief is necessary. And, certainly this book is not for those who like hard science speculative fiction because parts are “frustratingly vague.” Nonetheless, I enjoyed the read; I guess I was just in the mood for a caper across the Scottish Highlands with an occasional conversation with an octopus-like alien – though the book, I think, is more about human beings than it is about aliens.

Readers should be forewarned that the ending is abrupt and open-ended. But I gather that this is actually the first of the Enceladons Trilogy. The second book, The Collapsing Wave, is expected next year. I will definitely be picking it up.

A science fiction tale, Doug Johnstone's latest book, The Space Between Us (2023) is the first of a new series. Narrated from different characters' perspectives: Lennox a troubled teenager, eight months pregnant Ava, Heather battling cancer and Ewan a journalist. As they go on the run from the police and try to escape their past lives, they are bound together in order to try and save the strange creature washed up on the beach. Their road trip takes them north to Scotland, barely a step ahead of the authorities when strange occurrences impact them individually. An engaging tale with thoughtful characters, fable-like quality and an action-adventure element makes it a four stars read rating. Given the indeterminate, post-action finale leaves open what happens next? With thanks to the Independent Publishers Group and the author, for an uncorrected advanced review copy for review purposes. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own, freely given and without inducement.

Sandy is the catalyst for change in the lives of three disparate people. There is Lennox: a sixteen-year-old outsider who lives in a group home. He has learned that he can only trust himself. Heather is also alone: she is divorced, and grieving her daughter’s death. She has an incurable brain tumor which makes her choose to commit suicide. Ava is married to an abusive and controlling man whom she lacks the confidence to leave. Eight months pregnant, and distant from her mother and sister, she is also alone. Together, Lennox, Heather, and Ava form a kinship as they team up to help and protect Sandy.

Sandy is an alien from outer space that crashes into Yellowcraig Beach, located in Scotland; he also is alone. He resembles an octopus with just a few differences: he has only five tentacles, can live outside of water, squish his large frame to fit into a backpack, and has a calming, blue-green glow. Lennox is the first to gain entry to Sandy’s multiple consciousnesses. By touching him, Lennox can experience all that Sandy has ever experienced. Now able to intuit each other’s thoughts, Sandy asks him to “Help Us”. This message is enough for him to convince Ava and Heather that they need to smuggle him to safety. Hounded by a gun-toting scientist, and an irate and lethal husband, they take an often dangerous—yet comforting--road trip through Scotland. Along the way, they learn more about themselves, and what it means to have a family.

This is more than science fiction that delves into the meaning of humanity: it is a psychological, literary, feel-good road trip book. It delves into the loneliness of being human. Sandy is total empathy, able to enter into their inner thoughts and feelings, infusing them with well-being and love. Who wouldn’t want that?

They are aided with what I found to be unbelievable good luck and coincidence as they are chased by Ava’s well-connected husband, and henchmen from an unnamed government entity. However, every good story does need dramatic and dangerous encounters with a villain or two.

Even if you are not a science fiction aficionado, you will enjoy this book. I highly recommend you give it a try.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Orenda Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.

An octopus with only 5 arms - so a pentapus actually - is an alien life form that is stuck on a beach an which is trying to get back to its family. Three people who have suffered a exceptional stroke and miraculously got cured immediately team up with a journalist to help the octopus named Sandy. They can communicate with him via telepathy and he - well they- guide them to the right body of water where the rest are. Time is of the essence as the government is on their tails wanting to dissect Sandy for more insights. If you get a high level of "ET phone home" at this point, you would be correct. The whole story is very similar and if the domestic violence that is inflicted on Ava the pregnant woman, would have been more muted, the book would actually be a good YA recommendation.

I found the story a bit juvenile, maybe because it really reminded me of ET so much, but the thing that really irked me is that the octopus is referred to a plural. I found it very confusing and not adding any value to the story. The book is very well written and very fluent and I'm sure it will appeal to a large audience. But for me, it just lacked some depth.

A sincere thank you to NetGalley, Independent Publishers Group, Orenda Books and the author for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Scottish crime writer Doug Johnson tries his hand (successfully) at something completely different in his latest novel The Space Between Us. This is science fiction – a first contact novel that is much more about being human than it is about its cephalopod aliens.
The Space Between Us opens with strange lights over Edinburgh which put a large number of people in hospital with strokes. Three of those victims – a teenage orphan (Lennox), an expectant mother fleeing an abusive husband (Ava) and a suicidal older woman (Heather) – miraculously recover and find they now have an uncanny bond. That bond is associated with a strange octopus-like creature washed up on a local beach. And the three will come together to rescue it.
The Space Between us is essentially ET for adults (with a bit of Close Encounters of the Third kind thrown in for good measure) with a distinctly Scottish sensibility. The alien not only connects with the three but is almost zen-like in its philosophy of one-ness. Meanwhile, they are being pursued by shadowy, violent government agents as well as Ava’s scary, well-connected husband. Also in the mix is Ewan, a journalist who helps them out despite his instincts being to blow the story.
As already noted, this is not really a story about aliens. It is a story about humans. All three of the main characters are struggling in some way and their found family and connection to each other helps them to work through their emotional wounds. The alien, called Sandy by Lennox, is really just a catalyst for a study of people being people. Some of this can be a bit heavy handed. As Heather realises at one point:
But how can we know what another being is thinking? How can we comprehend what anyone is going through? But that was the point of humanity, a search for empathy, putting yourself in someone else’s shoes. It seemed futile though… we can’t know other people, never enough.
While this is considered science-fiction, Johnson is pretty light on the science elements. The aliens are fairly magical and just want to be our friends, although they themselves are running from some undefined threat. But this is not a book about aliens. It is the humans – good and bad - who are at the centre of this drama. And these characters are drawn strongly and compassionately enough to make the journey worth taking.

I enjoyed this book! The writing was solid, easy to get through. I really liked Sandy and the other characters in this book. There was mystery, action and different POVs, which I all enjoyed.

I do feel like the ending was quite predictable, I could guess most parts of the ending. I also felt like I couldn't really connect to the characters. And that's the main reason I give the book 3 stars. I think it didn't make me FEEL enough.

All kudos to Sandy, the alien creature.

This one was an interesting premise but the way it actually rolled out was not at all what I expected... I guess I was looking for more of a SciFi vibe - but it felt more like a mystery/ domestic thriller. That's fine, just not what I was expecting - which may be why it left me feeling like I wanted more about what the aliens and less about the personal drama of the three main (human) characters. It reads easily enough, and the characters were an interesting mix of personalities to be tied together, but there were several parts where it felt drawn out in terms of their melodramatic flight from everyone, and those were definitely not my favorite bits... On the whole I think it just wasn't a good fit for me.

Rating: 2.5 stars

Synopsis: Three people suffer a rare stroke after seeing lights in the sky and awake in the same hospital room - with a sense that the event is tied to a mysterious creature who has washed up on shore.

Thoughts: This is science fiction that reads more like a "race-against-time" thriller. Great option for thriller/mystery fans who don't typically read sci-fi, but it lacked the hard science or explanations that I typically want from my science fiction. The chapters alternate between POVs of the three survivors and a journalist who is determined to track the story. One survivor is being hunted down by her abusive husband and they are all wanted for questioning by some M.I.B.-types, so tension is high from the start. It didn't really have any shocking reveals or twists, but had enough action and character likability to keep me engaged. Overall, it was a decent thriller with sci-fi elements, reminiscent of the film "E.T.", and one that I'm sure many will enjoy.

When reviewing a book about alien lifeforms, the top factor for me is how believable the story is. This includes the aliens themselves and the interaction of aliens with humans. In my opinion, this book does a good job with believability. I both liked and believed “Sandy”, an alien octopus of sorts, who comes in contact with three main characters, each of whom is struggling with loneliness and hardship. Lennox is a bullied teenager living in a children’s home. Ava is a pregnant young woman who is trying to escape her abusive husband. And Heather is a suicidal woman dealing with a loss of her daughter and a terminal brain tumor.

Sandy and their crew of aliens appear one night in Scotland as a flash of light in the sky. The three main characters suffer catastrophic strokes and are hospitalized, only to be completely recovered by morning (16 others were not so lucky). The three team up to “rescue” the alien lifeform that has appeared on the beach. And thus starts the adventure. Lennox, Ava and Heather run not just from their personal demons, but from the police and representatives of the secret extraterrestrial division of the government.

This book reminded me of a cross between the movies ET and Alien. ET because the alien was kept hidden and was pursued by the authorities, and Alien because of the physicality of the lifeform and its ability to “talk” to humans using rudimentary language. I also liked the fact that Sandy was a refugee of sorts, a homeless being washed up on a shore, looking for a place to live without fear. How timely. This book has a lot of layers to it and it all worked for me. Recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley and IPG for allowing me to read this e-ARC prior to the publish date.

Thanks to Netgalley, Independent Publishers Group, and the author for the e-ARC of this book.
When several people suffer strokes after seeing dazzling lights over Edinburgh, then awake completely recovered, they’re convinced their ordeal is connected to the alien creature discovered on a nearby beach…
I’ve been testing the science fiction genre this year, and so far I haven’t been disappointed. I really enjoyed this book. I thought the writing was very consistent and engaging. The plot was interesting and made it very easy to get through the entire book really quickly. It was very fast-paced and told in the form of a journey, where we got to figure things out slowly along with the three main characters, as they gradually understood their role in the alien’s life and their relationship to it. It’s hard not to get attached to those characters. I was invested in all the storylines and the outcome for each character. That’s why my only problem with the book occurred only at the very end because, to me, there was no ending. I understand and accept that an open ending worked very well for this kind of book, however, we never got to really see what happened to any of the characters after this whole adventure was over.

A solid story from an established author. He knows how to create a good story, and this has some good tension which kept me engaged. Recommended.

Thanks very much for the free ARC for review!!

An entertaining and unique sci-fi read. This book follows three people who all saw a bright light one evening and then shortly after suffered a stroke! Miraculously they wake up the next day perfectly fine. All three admit that they feel a connection to one another and to the creature that crash landed on a beach nearby and caused the light. The book cycles between each character's POV and follows them as they save "Sandy"(the extraterrestrial being) run from the police and a secret government agency and try and deal with their own heavy baggage at the same time! The characters are so very different but they all have a sense of loneliness and in each other they have a found family, which Sandy becomes a part of too.
This was such a fun read. It has suspense, mystery, drama and lots of First Encounter vibes.
Definitely recommend!

It's true that I don't exactly read a lot of science fiction, and I'm not exactly a fan of stories involving aliens either. Why on earth would I want to try my luck with The Space Between Us then, would you ask? Well, the fact is that I do tend to love Doug Johnstone's writing, and there was just something about the blurb that had me intrigued. I'm so happy I decided to give this story a chance now, because I ended up having such an excellent time with it! This is such an unique, well written and captivating read, and I can recommend giving it a chance even though sci-fi/aliens might not be your usual taste.

This story kind of gave me The Humans (Matt Haig) vibes, and you will most likely have a great time with The Space Between Us if you enjoyed that book as well. I think what makes this story work so well for me is that despite the fact that this is science fiction and that there are aliens involved, there is also a significant focus on other elements and humanity in general. The different elements are balanced extremely well, and this makes the whole alien angle feel a lot less daunting. The fact that Sandy is absolutely fascinating only helps of course, and it was interesting to learn more about their background and impact on the main characters. Especially the bond with Lennox, but also with the two women...

The Space Between Us uses a multiple POV structure, and this worked perfectly for this story. With every character being so distinctive with an unique background and development, it is very easy to keep them apart, and they complemented each other perfectly. The switches helped adding suspense as well as more insight, and I enjoyed seeing the characters develop over time. Like I said before: this story isn't just about aliens. Instead, it also includes the human side of things with topics such as bullying, cancer, grief, death, suicide, (domestic) abuse and gaslighting. These elements gave the story more dept, and it helped turn the plot into so much more than just a group of unlikely characters being chased while they try to protect Sandy.

I think this is one of those stories where it's best to go in blind and with an open mind, and simply sit down and enjoy the ride. The Space Between Us has so much to offer, and it's a perfect balance of different genres/elements and heavy topics with lighter moments and even banter. The writing itself is excellent (as always), and I really enjoyed how everything was wrapped up in the end. The Space Between Us is definitely one of my reading highlights so far this year!

an unlikely trio experience identical strokes when an octopus washes up on the shore. lennox, a boy from a group home who is bullied, ava, a pregnant woman with an abusive husband, and heather, an older woman with terminal brain cancer, are all outside at the same time when they see a bright light and have strokes. they all three miraculously recover, and are bound together to save the creature on the beach.

this is a beautiful novel, at moments it brought me to tears. this is not your average alien story, oh no. doug johnstone breathes life into all of his characters as they travel through scotland. incredibly emotional and moving, this is a phenomenal tale of friendship and family. love, patience, and acceptance are bold themes in this piece. this has quickly become one of my favorite novels. i love you sandy!!!!

thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for this phenomenal arc in exchange for an honest review!

Actual rating: 3.5/5 stars

One ordinary afternoon on the Edinburgh beach, a display of lights in the sky, the stranding of a mysterious squid and a series of unexplained strokes suffered by bystanders connect the lives of our three protagonists. Lennox is a teenage boy struggling with his identity and feeling like he doesn’t belong. Ava is heavily pregnant and on the run from an abusive relationship, in search of a new place to call home. Heather has lost all hope of ever finding that feeling of home again, after losing her daughter to cancer, and now suffering a terminal diagnosis herself as well.
What follows is a thought provoking character-driven first-contact sci-fi novel that explores themes of connection, loneliness and language in the face of meeting a life-form who’s understanding of those things is completely alien from our own.

What I liked:
The Space Between Us reminded me of one of my favourite sci-fi movies Arrival, and although I don’t think it’s quite as brilliant as that movie, I still really appreciated what it did. The story shines in its portrayal of these three protagonists, and the interweaving of their storylines. There’s a deep sense of loneliness to all of them at the start, and their journey of connection to each other, themselves and the humans around them is a wonderful one to witness. Ironically wonderful, as it took an alien visitor to begin with. Without spoiling any of their story- and character-arcs, Heather, Ava and Lennox were all well-rounded and memorable character, and I enjoyed their arcs equally.
Speaking off the alien visitor: “Sandy”, as they call, is one of my favourite types of literary alien. The closest comparison, again, is the Arrival-aliens; sentient enough to communicate, but so completely alien that their comprehension of some concepts is so different from our human ones. In this case, those concepts being “connection”, rather than time in the case of Arrival-. The implications that has on communication, understanding and even the way we view ourselves is wonderfully explored here.

What I didn’t like:
When it comes to sci-fi, I’m very good at suspending my disbelieve. Squid-aliens touching down on earth? Sure. Telepathic communication? Hell yeah.
However, when it comes the realistic elements within a sci-fi novel, I want them to actually be rooted in reality. For that reason I was immediately annoyed with the first few chapters of this novel, especially with the ridiculous depiction of the hospital-scenes. Since it’s mentioned in the synopsis, and happens in the first few chapters, I don’t consider this a spoiler; the inciting incident involves our protagonists suffering a simultaneous, unexplained stroke and waking up within the hospital afterwards. What follows is a scene in which they’re all in a multi-patient open room, having woken up not 5 minutes earlier, only for a doctor (read: walking-plot-vehicle-of-exposition) to walk in and explain in detail what happened. This involves exposing patient-sensitive medical info to other patients (hello HIPAA violations!!), discharging patients mere minutes after suffering massive strokes and potential brain-damage, and quite a few medical inaccuracies that can’t be explained by “magic-alien-stroke”. The entire sequence reads incredibly amateurish on an exposition level, and feels written by someone who has never experienced a hospitalization themselves. As a chronically ill, cancer-survivor and MD: this stuff bothers me personally more than it might most.
The second element to knock of a star involves a spoiler; namely the inclusion of a trope that I personally detest. SPOILERS AHEAD.

On multiple occasions, the book pulls the “magical healing” trope that I hate. I could overlook it in the case of the alien-induced stroke, but I was not OK with the “twist” at the end where Sandy magically removes Heathers tumor and cures her cancer. From a disability-standpoint, ánd that of a cancer-survivor; this trope has always been a slap in my face. If you chose to make cancer a part of your story, you have to commit to it. There are no magical cures, ánd I strongly resent the idea that the only way to write a fulfilling ARC about illness is to cure it. Usually, this trope is a deal-breaker for me. Considering it came so late in the book and I already enjoyed the rest of it so much, it’s surprising that it didn’t impact my experience more.
As a testament to how good the rest of the story was, I will still recommend it as a first-contact sci-fi novel, for those in the market for it. On the level of disability-representation, for which some of you know me, it’s a no for me.

Many thanks to Orenda Books and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

A well written and riveting speculative fiction, a thought provoking novel and solid sci-fi.
I liked the style of writing, the storytelling and the solid plot that kept me turning pages.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine