Dr. Ophelia Bray is a psychologist running from her dark past. She's been working with patients suffering from ERS, a violent illness caused by space travel, and joins an expedition to an abandoned planet to watch the crew for signs of it. Not long after waking from Cold Sleep on the planet Lyria 393-C, Ophelia and her five crewmates realize something very strange is going on. When the crew discovers the body of their pilot, Ophelia is terrified that she has failed to prevent ERS from spreading amongst her team. Will the crew complete their mission, or has something far more sinister been set into motion?

This was one of my most anticipated books of 2024. I absolutely loved Dead Silence and was very excited to dive back into space horror with S.A. Barnes. From the minute the cast of characters arrived at their desolate destination, I could feel the tension, and got lost in the creepy atmosphere. The characters are very real and flawed, but you still want to root for them. I had goosebumps nearly the entire time I was reading, and I can't wait to return to space again with Barnes' next book. (Fingers crossed!) Thank you to Netgalley and Tor Nightfire for the gifted copy.

Overall Impressions: Very creepy, with a building sense of ominous dread as the story goes on. I actually liked Ophelia quite a bit, even though she’s meant to be a flawed character, and was satisfied with the ending even if it didn’t answer every possible question. I particularly liked Ophelia’s backstory and her realizations as the book went on.

Worldbuilding: Fairly standard sci-fi capitalist space nightmare, without a ton of additional details. There was enough there to frame the story but I would have liked a little more about the main threat in the end.

Plot: Several red herrings, twists, and turns which left me wondering what was even happening at a few points. I generally enjoyed it.

Pacing/prose: A little rushed at the end but otherwise I thought the pacing was good and the prose was excellent.

Recommend/Read More? Absolutely.

I was excited to explore this sci-fi horror novel because it’s not a genre I typically read. Dr. Ophelia Bray, a psychologist, is assigned to an exploration crew that has suffered a loss possibly related to the syndrome she has dedicated her life to studying. It soon becomes clear that they are keeping secrets, and Dr. Ophelia Bray is being haunted by her own tragic and dark past.

There were elements to this novel that I felt could have really worked. There is a sense of isolation I felt with Ophelia, an outsider to this small exploration crew. And the slow burn lent itself to creating this ominous atmosphere as the things begin to unravel. Ultimately, I felt that there were TOO many ideas that weren’t fully fleshed out. The motivations for Ophelia didn’t seem to match or make sense with her inner dialogue or her actions, which confused me. After taking a while to really build up, the ending unfortunately didn’t land for me. But this is just my opinion, and I’d say if sci-fi horror is up your alley, you should check this out and see if you like it!

Thank you NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for the ARC!

Dr Ophelia Bray is wracked by the guilt of belonging to one of the universe's richest families, which lead her to a career in psychology. After a horrifying incident at her job, Ophelia signs up for a mission to a far away planet, one that was abandoned by the company that her family owns and is now owned by the company she works for. The crew, fresh off the death of a cherished member, reguards her with suspicion and doubt, especially since she comes bearing fresh technology to be tested out to stave off the space madness they call ERS. The longer they stay on the remote planet, the more doubts and fears surface, and Ophelia learns that more than one of her fellow crewmates is harboring dangerous secrets....including herself.

I absolutely was obsessed with Dead Silence, so I was super excited to read this one! It doesn't quite grab ahold of you like Dead Silence, probably because its unlikable characters are a smidge *too* unlikeable, whereas Dead Silence's characters were more endearing. I still really enjoyed this book, and it kept taking me places I didn't expect as I read. Even though it was spring when I read this book, I could almost feel the bone chilling cold that Ophelia and her team must have experienced any time the needed to be outdoors. I also couldn't help but imagine the Lyrians as elongated, sentient sloths, so I was kind of disappointed that there wasn't one or two lingering long beyond the rests of their race so we could see what they were actually like.
There was also a really weird romance subplot that honestly never really went anywhere so I'm not sure why it didn't get edited out. If you want to show some sort of trust between a man and a woman...there are ways to do that without trying to force two characters that probably wouldn't have any chemistry with a radium watch let alone another human being into a weird subplot. I'm sure the mission commander was a silver fox hottie, but that whole thing was just confusing and meh.
The story itself is enough to keep you reading--I had to know what was going on on this planet, and why Ophelia was so squirrely about her family and background when on the surface she's just appears to be the pampered princess of a wealthy family that grew up and wanted to right her family's wrongs. It was a very compelling book despite its flaws, and I cannot wait to read more from SA Barnes.

I really enjoyed Ghost Station. This book follows Ophelia, a psychologist, on a trip with a space exploration group to document a planet once inhabited by an alien civilization. I have not read a science-fiction book where the main character was a psychologist before, and I found this choice to add a unique perspective to the story. I loved Ophelia's attempts to help her teammates who had a traumatic and disastrous past mission. However, probably my favorite aspect of this book is seeing her reveal and work through a terrible event from her childhood. There are some beautiful lines regarding making your own path in life and not feeling responsible for horrible events that were outside of your control. While I was expecting this book to be chilling and engaging (which it was), what made it truly special was learning about the characters' pasts and seeing how that impacts their responses to problems during their mission.

The author did a great job of blending space exploration, horror, and diverse characters in a way that felt meaningful and heart pounding at times. My two (albeit minor) complaints is that I found the ending a little rushed and the first ~50 pages hard to get into. However, I was soon invested and read the rest in one sitting. I would definitely recommend this book to someone who wants a scary survival story with an added dose of introspectiveness.

Thank you to the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

After reading Barnes' Dead Silence, I was highly anticipating her sophomore attempt and had high expectations. Dead Silence was so delightfully creepy with great atmosphere, that it easily made my list of top books for 2022.

I'm happy to say that I liked Ghost Station just as much, if not even a bit more than it's predecessor! First, here's what I would have liked to see adjusted:

- It's hard not to compare books by the same author. Due to that, and my love for the atmosphere in Dead Silence, it was hard not to look and hope for that in this book. While there were some tense and creepy moments, it didn't quite compare with Dead Silence. Dead Silence had a scene or two that still haunt me at times. I would have loved to see a bit more of that in Ghost Station.
- I thought that the ending felt a bit rushed. I would have loved to see a bit more of the end tension. I would have also loved to see more from when they returned to Earth
- I felt the book wrapped up a little too neatly. It felt like everything ended on a relatively happy note. I would have loved if the end made the reader question if they had really gotten all the bugs. Maybe the last line was Ophelia hearing "Hey Little Bird," or out of the corner of her eye she thinks she sees her dad.

What I loved:

- I loved the execution of this book. I loved the mystery and the explanation for what was happening. I felt like it embraced the weird, which is really all I want from a sci fi horror!
- That Liana scene!
- Ophelia's secret was a great addition to the mystery and created an awesome red herring
- The setting. While not quite as creepy as Dead Silence, it was still unique, well described, and chilling

Overall, this was a fun and hauntin read. I recommend it for fans of sci fi and horror reads. This was a 4.5 rounded up for me!

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!

Thank you Netgalley and Tor Publishing Group for the opportunity to read and review S.A. Barnes' new book, Ghost Station. All opinions are my own. The tags for this novel are Sci Fi, Fantasy, and Horror.

I read Dead Silence last year so when I saw a new novel from this author, I knew I needed to read it. The main character Dr. Bray comes with a good background story and a lot of baggage. Let's just say she has a history and doesn't want her crew to know it. She studies and treats patients with ERS, a mental disorder that seems to afflict people working in the space industry. The crew is of course not happy with her being added to their assignment and has no trouble telling her about it. Things go from bad to worse very quickly once landing on this planet.

Pros: Creepy setting with close quarters, a little bit of body horror, good plot, good characters (although some of them you will not like), survival story. The story kept me interested and I really wanted to know who would live and what was actually causing all the problems.

Cons: I would have liked more explanation about the plot, especially what was the end game for the "villain" in the story. What did they want? What was the goal? Also, towards the end of the book the pacing picked up too fast considering the buildup for most of the book. Very quick resolution.

Overall, Ghost Station did entertain me, and I give it 3.5 stars. This comes out tomorrow, April 9th. Happy Reading!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Having loved Barnes's debut, Dead Silence, I was highly anticipating this book. However, it was a let down for me. It was a serviceable book, but not anything I loved.

The characters felt like a recycling of the characters from Dead Silence, and not in a good way. They felt pretty bland to me here. I also did not feel that Ophelia's weird infatuation with the captain, Ethan, lent anything to the story. The pace of the novel was also pretty slow, and instead of creating suspense, it just ended up feeling a bit boring and repetitive.

I will read more from S.A. Barnes, because of how much I loved Dead Silence. Hopefully her third novel will be more to my liking than this sophomore one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group as well as the author for this ARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
#NetGalley #TorPublishingGroup #S.A.Barnes #GhostStation

Title: Ghost Station
Author: S.A. Barnes
Publisher: Tor Publishing Group
Publication Date: April 9, 2024

Themes: Paranormal, space horror, mystery, thriller, slow burn
Trigger Warnings: PTSD (ish), mental health,

This is the second book that I’ve read by this author. The first was Dead Silence. I felt similarly about this book. It was a slow burn that was a bit hard to get into. I did feel that it was less horror than sci-fi/thriller. There were some horrific events but the whole vibe felt more like a thriller.

Dr. Ophelia Bray is a psychologist who has been assigned to a small crew in order to help prevent a type of PTSD that results in horrendous violence. ERS is the result of space exploration. The crew doesn’t trust or respect her however and she should really not trust them. Obviously, bad things happen.

The author’s first book was a similar slow burn. It was similar in many ways but I thought the pacing was better in Dead Silence. This book felt choppy to me. It was slow for a long while and suddenly a bunch of things started happening at once. Literary whiplash at its best!

The characters needed to be more established. They were all two-dimensional and difficult to like. I think I could have dealt with the add pacing if I could have found a character that I liked a lot and could emotionally invest in.

All in all, I can tell Ms. Barnes is a talented author with a lot to say. Her ideas are clever and I love the space horror idea. I even love the slow burn. It’s really difficult to maintain tension and interest while slowly unraveling the story. I’m interested to see how S.A. Barnes’ writing improves as she publishes more.

This is the first book by S.A. Barnes that I have read and I thoroughly enjoyed it! The tension, the moodiness, the character development was all excellent. If you enjoy a tension filled journey to an unknow planet in an abandoned space lab this will be right up your alley.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing for this ARC!

3.5 stars

Ghost Station is great if you're looking for an atmospheric sci-fi horror that has an isolated, trapped feeling. The premise of the story had a lot of potential, and Barnes managed to create a palpable sense of tension throughout the narrative. One of the strongest aspects of the book is the atmosphere Barnes creates. The eerie setting of the abandoned station, paired with the protagonist's mounting paranoia, kept me hooked until the end. However, there were a few shortcomings that prevented me from rating this book higher. Firstly, the pacing was sadly my biggest issue because it felt like it took a little too long for the story to pick up and for the horror aspect to start. I also found the character development to be lacking. While the protagonist was fairly fleshed out, several of the other characters weren't and so felt one-dimensional. I would have loved to have seen more depth and complexity in their personalities. Additionally, the resolution felt somewhat rushed and anticlimactic. After building up the tension so effectively throughout the book, the ending left me wanting more. It seemed as though loose ends were hastily tied up, leaving certain plot points unresolved. Overall, Ghost Station is a decent horror that delivers on its promise of suspense and intrigue. While it may not be a standout in the genre, it's still worth a read for fans of sci-fi horror looking for a quick, atmospheric read. I'm excited to read more by S.A. Barnes in the future!

I am a huge fan od S.A. Barnes and their space based novels. This was a must read and I loved it so much! Thank you Netgalley for my advanced copy.

Thank you Netgalley, Tor Publishing Group, and S.A. Barnes for the ARC! Although I hadn't read Barnes' debut "Dead Silence", the premise of "Ghost Station" reminded me so much of those creepy Doctor Who episodes I loved as a teen that I couldn't pass the opportunity to pick this one up.

Trying to escape her powerful, wealthy family and the dark secrets of her past, Dr. Ophelia Bray volunteers to be the resident psychologist on a deep space exploration mission. Unfortunately for her, the Bray name and her family's reputation lend to the already tightknit crew's hostility and distrust- especially in the wake of a recent tragic accident of one of their own. When things start to spiral on this eerie, cold, and desolate abandoned planet, Ophelia must gain the trust of her crew in order to unravel the thread of secrets and undercurrent of violence plaguing the crew.

The abandoned planet setting was particularly effective in capturing the isolation and descent into madness throughout the story. I really enjoy reading books that have that sort of "trapped" feeling. I will say though, the buildup took a little longer than I expected, especially since the description of the book spoils one of the characters dying (which doesn't end up happening until about 60% through the book). At the same time, getting to know the characters a little better before things started escalating raised the stakes and made things a little more emotional. If you don't mind a slow burn, I think this one is ultimately worth the wait.

I was SO excited when I got the approval email for this and I immediately bumped it up to the top of my TBR, and it did not disappoint! Dead Silence last year was one of my biggest surprises reading wise and made me realize that I really enjoy a sci-fi horror story, and S.A. Barnes does it the best! I love the way that she really makes you read between the lines to figure out what's going on, and I really loved the way that Ghost Station focused on mental health and the effects of the missions they went on had on them. This had the same level of creepiness that Dead Silence had, and I was so glad that it did. Her writing just has a way of really getting under your skin (no pun intended) and making you second guess if you want to read at night. I also loved that the ending for this was left a little ambiguous considering the direction the twist went- it made sense to not have all of the answers and I thought it all felt very realistic to what might actually happen in that story. S.A. Barnes was already an auto buy other for me after I read Dead Silence, and this just solidified that even more!

**3.5 stars**

I really liked Dead Silence so I was looking forward to this one. I liked it but didn’t love it as much as her first book.

What I liked: the setting, the mystery on the ground, what happens in the story

What I did not like: the pacing was too slow, easily 30-40 pages could have been cut to speed the story up, and my least favorite part was Ophelia. She was really grating on my nerves for most of the book.

While this was not as creepy as Dead Silence I still liked it and it’s worth a read if you like space horror. I will absolutely read her next book.

**Thanks to the author and publisher for the e-arc I received via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.**

This is a very slow-burn horror, deeply committed to building an atmosphere that feels really immersive. The immersion effect is helped by a very close third person POV with the protagonist: we spend more time inside her head that outside, but I take it as part and parcel of the genre. I really enjoyed the build-up of tension and slow feeling of exploration, so no complaints about the pace there, but I did feel it sort of ambled towards the end without a really satisfying closure. If you are in for the vibes, this is an excellent horror novel; for a meticulously would-together plot, this isn't the book. I did enjoy my time with it, but I also read horror largely for vibes and character work, so it all worked out!

Thank you to Netgalley and Tor Nightfire for the ARC.

Ghost Station by S.A. Barnes

Science fiction is not my genre but this book was amazing. I learned so much about people and life from the near death experiences of these characters. I thank Tor Publishing Group
for this title.

Therapist Dr. Ophelia Bray, after a 3 month “cold sleep,” awoke with an assignment to help crew members who didn’t even want her aboard their ship. Their task was to get samples of a defunct planet to bring back for analysis. Her task was to use talk therapy to assess their mental health, yet no one would open up to her. Ophelia had years of dark family history to overcome to get this crew to trust her.

Commander Ethan, her closest ally, would remind her that “your past is not your future,” and to rise above by making good choices now. The wisdom this author shared throughout the story via the characters was inspiring.

Five stars from me, with a strong recommendation for any reader, but especially for sci-fi buffs interested in interplanetary intrigue.

Ghost Station" is a thought-provoking journey into the depths of guilt, redemption, and the complexities of human nature, framed against the vast, unforgiving backdrop of space.
Dr. Ophelia Bray, the central character, embarks on a mission that is as much about exploring the unknown territories of alien planets as it is about navigating the murky waters of her past and that of her complicated and publicly hated family.
This story took me a little bit to get into. I did find myself wanting to read it to see what happens. There were moments I found myself skimming some of the internal thoughts to get to the scary moments. "Ghost Station" may tread along the lines of traditional space exploration narratives, it distinguishes itself through its introspective dive into Dr. Bray's character. Her journey is fraught with moral ambiguities and questionable decisions, which, rather than detracting from the story, enrich the narrative by painting a portrait of a deeply flawed, profoundly human protagonist. These elements serve to underline the book's core message: redemption is complex and personal, and the path towards it, can be scary!

The inclusion of elements from Dr. Bray's school years didn’t add to the plot enough to be added in the story in my opinion. The dynamics of the ship's crew, seemed too reminiscent of familiar tropes within the sci-if genre. The crew did provide a canvas against which the characters' motivations, fears, and hopes are vividly shown, even if these elements sometimes overshadow the uniqueness of their setting.

The book's descriptive writing might leave some readers longing for more visual detail, particularly in its depiction of characters other than the captain. This choice, whether intentional or not, could be seen as an invitation to focus more on the characters' personalities and emotions rather than their outer appearances, aligning with the novel's introspective tone.

One of the more poignant elements of "Ghost Station" is the unresolved relationship from Dr. Bray's past, which mirrors the unresolved nature of many personal and familial conflicts. Its lack of resolution may frustrate some, yet it arguably adds a layer to the story, reflecting the often unresolved and messy nature of real-life relationships.

"Ghost Station" is a novel that will resonate differently with each reader. For those willing to navigate its complexities and embrace its explorations of human imperfection and moral ambiguity, it offers a reflection on our own journeys of atonement and the uncharted territories within ourselves. I would recommend for the lovers of Alien, The Thing, and Event Horizon.

An immersive psychological horror in space!

Despite taking place in space, <i>Ghost Station</i> feels grounded in reality. S.A. Barnes’s worldbuilding is believable and immersive. The author never over explains how the world functions, she writes as though this is our reality and the reader quickly buys into it.

That said, the first half of the book dragged a bit. While the main character, Ophelia, was well-developed, I don’t think all of her flashbacks moved the story forward. Then she joins a space crew and we’re introduced to a wealth of new characters. The initial descriptions of the characters felt clunky and it took me some time to sort them all out.

At about the halfway point, the threat becomes interesting. This is a psychological horror where we are led to question the sanity of the main character and her crewmates. The mystery is great. It keeps you guessing as to what the threat is and I didn’t see the twists coming.

Definitely one to check out for fans of space horror!