there were parts of this book I enjoyed, especially the earlier sections with more exposition about the world, but the navel gazing introspective philosophy (which I didn’t mind at first) seemed to take up more words per page as the book went on. all of this rambling bogs down the pacing and is not very interesting, so near the end I was skipping over whole pages just to get to the plot.

(3,5 stars, rounded up to 4.)

Interesting and thought-provoking, if a little long-winded at times. Especially towards the end where some of the philosophical musings became a little repetitive for my taste. Otherwise, I quite enjoyed the novel.

“Void Station One” (2023) by Mike Futcher is a sci-fi novel set a few hundred years in the future. A colony has long been established on Mars and much of Space has been explored without any sign of extra-terrestrial life, which has largely caused mankind to lose interest in further exploration.

We follow Simon Cole who, as a salvager, travels the ‘Black Road’ of Space on his long and lonely voyages to salvage decommissioned space stations and the like for profit. Long bouts of hypersleep and time working differently in space than on Earth cause Simon to age much more slowly than his contemporaries. Combined with a sense of merely existing rather than living a life with any meaning, Simon has devised a plan to go on one final salvage, to a Void Station One that is close to being swallowed by a black hole. His intention is to let himself be annihilated along with the station and thus end his meaningless existence.

A sci-fi novel about the vastness of Space is hardly a novelty. What sets “Void Station One” apart from the others is its focus on suicide, a theme not commonly found in the genre. Simon’s feelings of loneliness and alienation – fairly normal feelings for most people at times – are multiplied manyfold by Time and Space in the most literal sense possible when, over and over again, he finds himself unmoored from both.

As most good science fiction – to my mind, at least – “Void Station One” is mainly about humanity and what it means to be human and alive. I enjoyed many of the philosophical discussions even if they could have been pared back at times without any loss of impact.

A philosophical look into the mind of a man going through the motions of his life as a space salvager when he is given a mission he intends to make final. This novel is melancholic and introspective sci-fi at its core, as we examine the world (which has long since forgotten the loft goals of the pioneers that first took to the stars) through the lens of a deeply depressed man hoping to end his life in a black hole. Slow, often nihilistic, but ultimately redemptive, this book is an intriguing foray into existentialism and the repercussions of late stage capitalism in space.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for access to this arc.

Void Station One follows Simon Cole, a man who is simply going through the motions of life, taking on the jobs that no one else wants due to the years lost in the time slippage of space - think Interstellar. His next job will take him to Void Station One to salvage the station before it is swallowed by a black hole. But Simon isn’t too sure he is going to come home.

I enjoyed this book, however there were definitely moments that I started skimming. This book is very philosophical and stream of consciousness - we spent countless pages inside of the MC’s head as they consider the meaning and value of life - expect some deep discussions of mental illness and death. Overall I did enjoy the writing style and found the plot interesting, I do think that this would have been a much stronger novella as some passages inside our MC’s head got a bit repetitive. I would recommend for fans of Interstellar and those who enjoy texts which ponder the meaning of life.

Thank you NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

TW: mental illness, depressive thoughts, suicidal ideation.

For fan's of Andy Weir's particular sort of 'everyman sci-fi' this is a surprisingly deep tale about an ordinary man under extraordinary conditions. Gripping from the first page, I wholeheartedly recommend this novel.

Void Station One is a captivating journey into self-discovery and the exploration of one's worth within a mesmerizing, far-future galaxy expanded by humanity. Despite occasional hiccups and its predominantly introspective nature, the narrative remains engaging, sprinkled with subtle twists that enhance the overall reading experience.

The protagonist, Cole, navigates a profound emotional struggle following the departure of his beloved wife. Working as a deep space trucker, he undertakes salvage missions in the farthest reaches, particularly at Void Stations—abandoned relics of humanity's early forays into space. These remote stations, situated near black holes, require long journeys, adding to the sense of existentialism that permeates Cole's life. As he contemplates the void within himself, he decides to embrace the challenge of Void Station One, a station teetering on the edge of a black hole, ready to accept whatever fate awaits him.

It's important to note that Void Station One predominantly takes an introspective approach. While there are dialogues, expositions, and world-building moments, the narrative focuses heavily on Cole's internal struggles, blending a healthy dose of philosophical existentialism into the science fiction framework. This novel invites readers to confront their own sense of self-worth and the sources of meaning in their lives rather than delivering an action-packed adventure.

Structurally, the story unfolds effectively, establishing the groundwork to bring Cole to his destination. The characters are intriguing, and while Cole undergoes development, some shifts felt abrupt and perhaps not fully earned. The limited cast and the book's brevity may contribute to this rushed feeling of character growth. Towards the end, certain chapters seemed to linger, giving the impression of an impending conclusion which doesn’t quite arrive.

Overall, Void Station One was enjoyable. Despite areas that could benefit from tightening, the novel is a satisfying read. Fans of Becky Chambers' approach to character and self-exploration within a science fiction context will likely find this book appealing. However, those seeking hopepunk themes may want to explore other options. If you appreciate a contemplative narrative that allows you to delve into a character's thoughts, Void Station One is worth picking up.

Thank you to Mike Futcher and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book.

I really enjoyed Void Station One. It was completely different to anything I have ever read before, and although I found it slow in places, the overarching story was powerful yet melancholic and left me wanting to read more from Futcher in the future. 4/5.

Mike Futcher has a great writing style and I thought it worked overall in the sci-fi elements. The concept was terrifying and I thought it worked overall with the themes of the novel. It left me wanting to read more from Mike Futcher.

Void Station One feels like a throwback to a simpler pulp age. The story is not without emotional complexity, our protagonist is a lonely salvage operator with an unfulfilled life. A little time slipped, and with no close friends or relationships, the long periods in space have numbed him to the extent that he has decided that on his next job, once the salvage has been sent, he will stay with the station and drift into a black hole with it. So it is a story of a man contemplating suicide.

Of course, things are never as easy as that and there are two revelations he comes across that bring this out of the relatably interior contemplation of self-destruction, into the realm of pulp. First, Void Station One (a sort of intergalactic Watford Gap Services) is not actually empty of life, and he meets someone even more damaged and alone than he is. So comparative depression! The second revelation I won't spoil but is one of those things that push this to the edge of a science fiction you can believe in the science of (relativistic effects of a black hole notwithstanding) and into almost a fable. Its sweet and almost a bit profound.

Void Station One isn't great science fiction, even when Mike Futcher slips in the odd space station fight and discussions of aliens. But it is quite a good book about redemption, and about finding a purpose - an almost religious conversion in places without the actual religion. It took me a while to get into its headspace, which as suggested starts rather depressive. But for all the tragedy in the book, it does end up in a hopeful space, which I rather liked.

5 stars, Adventurous

VOID STATION ONE
by Mike Futcher

Simon Cole feels like he is at a dead-end. He thinks the only thing left for him is suicide by a black hole. Little does he realize, his future is about to change.

Simon gets assigned to Void Station One, to scavenge all that he can from the abandoned station and then destroy it. Things don't go as planned. Do they ever?

Has everyone known the utter hopelessness of being lonely? My husband and I have experienced it. I didn't realize that the future could be grand and that it was simply waiting until the right time to expand.

I will be rereading this book, several times per year. There is some phrasing that might be considered a trigger to readers.

I am grateful for the complimentary copy of #VoidStationOne that was #SelfPublished I was under no obligation to post a review.

#ScienceFiction #Fantasy #Space #TriggerWarning #Adventurous #Diverse

Thanks to the publisher for sending me an arc of this book to review in advance!

Void Station One is a melancholic exploration of one's self and self worth set in an interesting, far future where humans have stretched throughout the galaxy. Despite some stumbles and being largely introspective, there was enough story to keep me intrigued, and even had some small twists along that way that made this an easy read.

We follow Cole, a deeply sad man who is struggling to find purpose in life after his beloved wife left him. He works basically as a deep space trucker, collecting salvage from wherever his agency sends him, but lately he's been taking the farthest deep space jobs located at the Void Stations, or stations that were initially set up during humanity's initial traversal into space. These stations have long been abandoned, and they take a long time to get to. Even though very fast space travel exist, it still takes many many years to travel to these places, thus preservation drugs and cryo sleep is used to preserve the traveler, but that doesn't stop time for when they return home and many years have passed since they departed. This adds to Cole's sense of meaninglessness, and he decides to take on the Void Station One assignment, a station that is about to fall into a black hole so the window for recovering salvage is tight. He resolves to go to the station and stay on it, allowing the black hole to kill him. However, upon arrival, he encounters the last thing he expected.

The first thing that you need to know about this is, as I mentioned before, it is extremely introspective. There are moments of dialogue, and there are moments of exposition and world building, but the majority of the book is a narration of Cole's spiraling depression and bleak outlook on life, with a healthy dose of philosophical existentialism. This is a science fiction novel, and there are beats that advance the plot but it feels that this is really supposed to challenge you to confront your own sense of self worth, and where you draw meaning in your life. So if you're looking for an action packed adventure, this isn't it.

While I do enjoy introspective stories, particularly science fiction based, there were moments of this where I felt the pacing was severely limping along. There was a lot of repetition during these parts in particular that had me skimming to get to the next conversation or something.

With regard to structure, the story was fine. There was a lot of set up to get Cole to where he was going, but I didn't mind it. Characters were interesting. Without spoilers, Cole as a character did have development, but it didn't feel fully deserved in my opinion. He had epiphanies and revelations that changed him, but they seemed rushed and contradictory to what felt like his stagnant nature, but with so few characters to begin with and the short length of the book, I suppose it makes sense that the character development felt rushed. Also the ending chapters of the book felt drawn out at times. Several chapters ended with language that I felt would be fitting for the end of the book, only for me to turn the page and realize it was still going.

Overall, I enjoyed this. There was some tightening up that could have been done, but I thought it was good. If you like the way Becky Chambers approaches themes of character and self mixed with sci fi, you'll like this (but not necessarily if you like the hopepunk themes because this isn't the book for you). If you like a quiet narrative where you get to sit with the thoughts of a character, pick this up.

Thank you to Mike Futcher and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

★★★½ Rounded to 3.5 stars.

Content Warning: This book deals extensively with themes of suicide and may be triggering to certain people.

As someone who has directly experienced the tremendous loss that comes with a death by suicide I was hesistant at first to dive into this book. However, Mike writes about depression and suicide in a way that smacks of someone who has experienced these feelings first hand. There's no romanticism here although in the latter half the discussion turns more philosophical.

I enjoyed Mike's take on interstellar travel and the mental toll that it would take on it's users. At it's core this is a work of science fiction but it weaves interpersonal relationships and technology together in a way that humanizes the future. It is not hard to believe that the future depicted in the book is possible.

Some of the philosophical elements of the book do ramble somewhat - there was one point where I expected the book to be finished but it continued on for another few chapters. The ending itself could be conceived of being a little trite but one that is not wholly unexpected.

Existentialist (even nihilist for the most part), defiant and introspective; what more do you want from a novel such as this? Void Station One chronicles the loneliness of Simon Cole, who simply survives rather than lives in a world where humanity has achieved interstellar travel. The buildup of Cole's arc is gradual but justified. It gets much more philosophical near the end but that's to be expected. Literary sci-fi is a good genre for tackling existentialism, and it's done to an enjoyable extent in this book.

Thanks to Netgalley and Mike Futcher for providing me with the e-ARC/DRC in exchange for an honest review.

Void Station One is a sci-fi, literary journey of one man through the bleak, solitary, hypersleep filled blackness of deep space. The main character Cole is on a suicide mission and, as such, a lot of the book is an skillfully traversed articulation of suicidal thoughts and ideation. Although this is often dreary and quite depressing it is articulated really well. I feel many people who have experienced depression will probably relate a lot to what is said here. Roughly halfway through, however, I was desperate for the introduction of some other character. That character does, eventually, come along and brings with it an eerie ominous tone. The story at this point felt like it could take any number of routes and Im not quite sure Im happy with the one it took. I found it a little unending and even a little cheesy. I think a couple chapters very easily could be edited down.
Nonetheless, I do recommend this book. It is not a long read and does have a lot to offer.

Thank you for making it available.