It's always difficult to write a review for a book that's not final, while also having only read one other book by the author. In this case, I fell in love with Barnes' horror and world building with her first book, Dead Silence, something I bought on a whim but wasn't sure I would ultimately finish. Dead Silence took me by surprise, a disturbing horror ride that had my heart nervously racing, something I couldn't put down. There was never a moment where I thought, "man, I wonder when this will be over", as some science fiction does for me.

I am definitely pleased to say that Cold Eternity hits the spot just the same.

It follows a woman, Halley, who is on the run from something huge and messy, and who has made every effort to cut herself off from the life she previously lead. She applies to a space Craigslist ad (I'm joking, kind of, but you get my point), and what follows is Karl, looking for the big space ship equivalent of a night guard, only the pay is horrible and the atmosphere somehow even worse. Halley of course accepts the job, because it seems like the perfect opportunity to get away from what she needs to, ominous bartender warnings and Karl's poor phone etiquette be damned! What leads from there is a paranoid and secluded exploration of a barely functioning ship, the only company being Karl, some jittery holograms, and hundreds of human popsicles. Or so it seems.

What starts as a book trying to find its footing and confidence (both in writing and narration) ends with a story that makes me long for a connection I never had, and ultimately stands on its own two feet, blood, loneliness, and all. It's not often a book gets a physical reaction out of me, but this one I threw myself back in my office chair and kicked my feet about, agonizingly bittersweet. UGH! I never thought I'd ever say, "I'm pining for a hologram", but S.A. Barnes, you went and got me! How'd you DO that?!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for this eARC in exchange for my honest review! I am STILL kicking my feet about this!!

Before I get into the review, a quick thank you to both NetGalley and the publishers over at Tor Nightfire for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Cold Eternity follows a woman on the run who decides to take a not entirely above board job on a museum ship in order to save up some money to continue living life on the run. But once there she realizes that there's more to this ship than meets the eye and the caretaker might be more sinister than she ever thought possible. Sci-Fi Horror is just a combo that works so well for me so getting access to this ARC was amazing. Cold Eternity comes out on April 8th and is available for preorder now.

Two things at the top of this review: 1) while reading this book, I got some devastating real life news which ultimately led to losing a family member so know that I wasn't in a good place while reading this one and 2) it only took this long to read because of that--it had nothing to do with the quality of the book. We all know I would have crushed this book in like three days if I were in the headspace to do so. I wanted to start my review by saying that because I think it did ultimately effect my reading experience. I really enjoy this author and this mashup of genres just works for me. But by only being able to read a chapter or two a day most days it made it easy for me to pick apart the mystery and the oncoming reveals. The story was working in the back of my mind even while I was unable to really focus on anything in my life. There was an aspect to the story that I didn't expect that I really enjoyed. It calls into question what makes us human (which we love in a SciFi) and it leaves you emotionally attached to a couple of these characters. I wish we had gotten more there, but this is a pretty short novel so I think we got about as much as we could in the time we had.

The characters were done really well and I appreciated the fact that they were all flawed in some way. (Some way more than others.) And I liked that the end of this novel got raw and gritty and real. It's hard to make a Horror gory without going over the top, but I feel like the author did a great job with it. I was on edge the whole time I was reading this one so the author does a good job keeping the tension front of mind for the reader. I just wish we had gotten a few more character moments to really enjoy them together. As well, I wish the main character had questioned a little bit more going into it, but what are you going to do when you're on the run and your hard credit is getting low?

Overall, this was a good time when I was reading it. I think it's best consumed at a more rapid pace than what I was able to do, but I still enjoyed my time with this one.

Halley Zwick is on the run. After a political scandal put a target on her, making it impossible to get an above the table job, she turns to answering an illegal job posting. This job is simple, watch over a ship full of the earth's elite and wealthiest, who are in cyro-sleep, and push a button every few hours to let the cooperate overlords know everything is okay. Things turn this simple job into something horrifying when Halley starts seeing things out of the corner of her eye.

I really enjoyed the first half of this book. The middle and ending weren't as strong as the beginning of the story, but I still had a really fun time reading this. There was never a moment where I felt like I wanted to put down the book because I was bored or thought the pacing was weird.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the Arc for an honest review!

Thank you to Tor Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of Cold Eternity in exchange for an honest review.

Halley is on the run. Fleeing from a dangerous political scandal, she's desperate to find a place to hole up for a while. When she receives an extremely sketchy offer to act as caretaker on a ship full of cryogenically preserved people, she takes it. She can hide out, save up money, and hopefully ride out the political storm in near perfect isolation.

Her misgivings regarding her new job begin as soon as the airlock closes behind her. The enormous ship, with its eerily preserved residents, is isolated, malfunctioning, and weird. Her responsibilities require tours among the residents, and hitting a peculiar button, every three hours, so she quickly develops sleep deprivation. She hears strange noises all the time. The man who hired her, the only other awake person aboard, is hostile and elusive. There are clues that previous caretakers did not live comfortably and did not leave happily. Then the ship starts malfunctioning and things get even weirder, very quickly. To say more would be to provide serious spoilers.

It's a great, fast read. Twisty, exciting, creepy-as=heck sci-fi horror and easily a "read in one sitting" kind of story. It's not perfect; there are plenty of questions left unanswered, but if you're looking for the kind of scares that only an ominous spaceship can provide, definitely read this book. It's gonna get weird and sometimes gross, but the story will stick with you long after you put it down.

Recommended for readers who enjoy a growing sense of unease, readers who love a good scare, and people who think, "Yeah, a mostly deserted former hospital ship sounds like the perfect hideout."

Womp, there it is.

I had thought GHOST STATION would be the exception but turns out DEAD SILENCE was; as in, it was the exception to what is turning about to be the rule when it comes to me and this author. I think we've broken up.

There was nothing wrong with this premise, and indeed it was what drew me in even after the disappointment of the sophomore release by this author, but I found myself experiencing a story through the eyes of a character I found very lackluster, who also bore similar resemblance (or at least her backstory did) to the last character this author featured, and whereas this at least did run horror instead of mystery it was just.. kind of ridiculous?

Basically, to come straight to the point, this just didn't feel well put together. The elements were all there to make this compelling but the execution just failed.

Sadly I don't think I'll be picking up another Barnes which means I guess I have to find a new author to fill this space horror sized hole in my life.

I loved Dead Silence but Ghost Station missed the mark for me, however I'm so happy to say that for me this was right back up there with Dead Silence! I loved how atmospheric and creepy this was, the body horror and sense of something just waiting around the corner was so much fun. I wasn't sure at any point where things were going between the oddly advanced AI, the frozen bodies, and the creepy, mysterious mechanic named Karl. I don't think I'll ever get tired of space horror, especially when they take place on ghost ships!

Now the thing that I didn't really like all that much that I've noticed is a trend with this author is the MC has a LOT of baggage and issues going on in her personal life that make them really hard for me to connect and understand them. In this case Halley is OBSESSED with doing what she thinks the right thing is and yet when it comes down to it she just...doesn't? And I was a little confused about her backstory and how her knowing the truth was such a bad thing? And the only other thing I was a little iffy about was the weird romance aspect, which I don't want to spoil but I struggled seeing where Halley was going with all that.

Overall though I really enjoyed this and I'm definitely looking forward to the next book from S A Barnes! Thanks to Netgalley and Tor for the arc!

Middle of the road horror! There were some genuinely scary parts in this and it scratched the itch I had for space horror, but I feel like there were some ambitious attempts to cover various themes in this book and I'm not sure if it was all successful. This is the third book that I've read by S. A. Barnes, and I'm learning that while she does incredible atmosphere and great build-up, that I find her climax and conclusions a bit lack-luster. I probably won't read another by her, unfortunately.

S.A. Barnes has done it yet again, this time with Cold Eternity, the newest space horror that will grace bookstores everywhere on April 8th 2025.

I am so thankful to Tornightfire and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book! And of course, I'm very thankful that S.A. Barnes writes these amazing books for us to consume. (And consume is the perfect word choice for this one!)

If you aren’t familiar with their books, I’ll share a quick recap of my experiences. I bought Dead Silence in 2023 and read it that same year. And wow! WOW! I loved it so much! Previously I’d only really read fantasy or scifi and Dead Silence was one of my first ventures into horror and now I have read a lot of horror! So, thank you to Dead Silence for getting me into the genre. 🩷 When Ghost Station was announced I preordered it and read it around pub day in April 2024, it was another banger and just sealed the deal that S.A. Barnes was going to be an auto buy author for me from now on.

Which brings us back to Cold Eternity! I will admit, I think this book has been my least favorite of the three, but it’s still a five star read for me. It just didn’t give me the same hair raising, chill on the back of your neck, that Dead Silence did. BUT it still did a lot of great things and the build up to the end was perfect. Also I may have been rooting for a romance subplot lol (that we did not get but that’s understandable because of the characters and setting).

Would I suggest this book to other readers? Absolutely. Especially if you are just getting into horror. I think it would be a great starting place. Creepy, spooky, a little gory, and a great story.

Just for fun: FMA - Fuck, Marry, Airlock
This was just too perfect lol

P.S. Tornightfire can we get a hardcover printing of Dead Silence please?? I'd love all of my copies to match!

Last year I received this author’s second book for review and waited FOREVER to read it, then finally picked it up at the end of the year when I was in a bit of a book slump. I was so mad at myself for waiting so long. I immediately went to my Libby app to see what else was available by S.A. Barnes. So, when this book came up for review, I quickly hit that request button.

All three of the books I’ve read by this author were fantastic. Cold Eternity opens by introducing a woman who is on the run and needing a safe place to hide until she can save up enough credits to disappear altogether. She answers an anonymous post for a job as a caretaker on a deserted ship named the Elysian Fields. This ship houses the cryogenically frozen bodies of the world’s richest and most famous people. She readily accepts, eager to finally be alone and safe for a period of time.

All of her peace and safety disappear when she starts to see and imagine strange things. But she chalks it up to sleep deprivation until all those weird things start to add up to something completely evil.

This author’s books are creepy as hell. Just imagine being alone, on an abandoned ship, with only the frozen bodies of the richest people in the universe all around you. A wonky AI system that glitches and warns you to RUN. Weird sounds and vibrations at all times of day and night. *shivers* It all lends a sense of atmosphere that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. I HOPE to see this author’s books on the big screen soon.

The atmosphere of this book fits the title perfectly - chilling and relentless. Recommended for fans of sci-fi, horror, complex female leads, creepy darkness and contemplating the value of life.

Read full review here: https://www.blog.melodyemcintyre.com/2025/02/s.html

I was soooo looking forward to this one, except I feel kinda meh about it after completion. :( I love S.A. Barnes's books a ton, & I figured this would be another romp for me. Except I think it leaned into the things I disliked the most about her other books, & I found myself wondering if I should dnf several times throughout.

So for one thing, it REALLY leaned into a pessimistic view of the future. This is 100% a me thing, but I have not been able to do most dystopia books for the past ~8-10 years. & while this book isn't exACTly dystopic, it did lean into that angle.

I also (for once in my life???) did not like the politics angle. I'm usually a HUGE politics fan in my spec fic, but in this instance it really put me off. I like politics when it feels like it actually adds to the contours of the story & is integral to the plot. Here? Not so much.

I'm not entirely sure what I thought of the AI elements. I'm leaning towards that I also felt they were shoe-horned in & not developed enough, but I'm still percolating on that.

That being said, the horror elements were SO fun. While I didn't wholly love the Thing that is causing the horror, the way Barnes actually writes her horror scenes is FANTASTIC. There's such a palpable tension that I find myself flying through these scenes and unable to put my copy down. It gets especially great in the final 1/3 of the book, & I really wish that more of that was present in the beginning.

All in all, not my fav from this author, but I still think it's worth picking up if you love space horror. I'll still be checking out books from this author in the future, even if this one didn't really work for me.

This is a book that made major improvements from her second book. It had the same space elements that S. A. Barnes is quickly perfecting, and misses the pitfalls of potentially being repetitive. It is great and atmospheric, spooky, and continues to touch on social class in space horror. As with her previous books there is an element of an unreliable narrator, but I think that it was combined with the AI "character" that worked as a really good foil. This book has reignited my love for S. A. Barnes' work!

This was a solid space horror from Barnes. It didn't go the direction I was expecting with the cryogenics, which I appreciate. I was a bit weirded out by the romance (can it be called a romance?) but that's more of a "me" thing. Barnes is great at creating atmosphere and a sense of place--I could vividly see each location in my mind.

I believe this is S.A. Barnes’ best work yet. A political outcast takes a job as a security detail in a spooky ship used to house cryogenically frozen bodies (rich people). The ensuing story has bits of The Shining, Five Nights at Freddy’s and, of course, Alien. The main character rules. Had a hard time putting this one down. Just phenomenal sci-fi horror and political commentary.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for allowing me to read an eARC of this book.

I have been a big fan S.A. Barnes since her first book, Dead Silence. I was excited to learn of her newest book Cold Eternity. I couldn't start reading fast enough!

The story follows Halley, who has accepted a job on the spaceship, the Elysian Fields, whose cargo is a bunch of cryogenically frozen rich people from Earth. Halley's job is to watch over the cargo, do rounds on she ship, and to press a button every 3 hours. This sounds very boring to me, but Halley is happy to do as she is running from a scandal and is getting free room and board. As loneliness, isolation, sleep deprivation, and madness start to creep in, Halley starts "seeing things". The man who hired her, Karl, tries to convince her it's nothing, simply a glitch, but Halley is not so sure...

This book has definite Alien: Romulus vibes. Being stuck on a spaceship full of frozen bodies, alone is probably my worst nightmare. Thes story is a nice, good, slow, tense, burn with a looming sense of unease and dread that never goes away. It will for sure give you the heebie jeebies if you read it alone or in the dark!

I highly recommend this book if you, like me, are a fan of Sci-Fi Horror/Space Horror Thrillers. Put this book on your TBR and make it your March book club read!

4 stars

A fabulous return to form for S. A. Barnes! This is a sci-fi horror novel in which the real horror is the hubris of a wealthy man. I ate this up with a spoon.

Hailey is a decent protagonist. She’s an idealist who wants to make the world a better place, despite having been raised by cynical, hyper-capitalist parents who will do dirty work for the highest bidder. Hailey sees the little people, the downtrodden and world-weary, and wants to find ways to make their lives better. This could have made her an overly twee and naïve character, but she’s recently had her world rocked by discovering misconduct from the political campaign she’d been working for, and is feeling disillusioned about her ability to actually effect positive change in the world while sticking to her principles.

The setting is incredible. Much like in <i> Dead Silence, </i> our protagonist is isolated on a relic of past wealth and luxury. This time, however, the ship has been a graveyard from the beginning: it’s a cryogenic facility housing the frozen bodies of yesteryear’s technically-not-yet-dead rich and famous. Cryogenic technology has long since been discredited, but the corporation that promised future miracle cures to its ‘residents’ is still warehousing its tanks in a ship that, once state-of-the-art, is now a half-forgotten tub beginning to fall apart. As caretaker, Hailey’s primary job is reporting malfunctions to Karl (the only other non-frozen inhabitant of the ship) and confirming the ship’s continued existence for a distant, faceless board of directors. It’s the perfect place for her to hide from her former employers… at least, until the ancient ship’s A.I. hologram show starts to malfunction, and celebrity bodies start disappearing from the tanks.

The buildup is fantastic. I knocked a star because I felt the reveal didn’t quite live up to the buildup’s full potential, and wasn’t explored to its fullest, but it was still a satisfying ending to the story.

I would recommend this book to: fans of isolation horror, body horror, eldritch horror, pixel/hologram/animatronic horror, sci-fi horror, or <i> Angels in America </i> by Tony Kushner (trust me on this one).

Cold Eternity is a monster space horror by the same author that brought us Dead Silence. It follows Halley, who after being the center of a political scandal, has run off to a far off station and taken a new position on a ship as a security officer.

The ship?

Oh, just the failed cryoexperiment, the Elysian Fields.

And the cargo she's been charged to protect?

That's right. The frozen un-revivable bodies of the rich and elite from more than a century ago.

Halley can't shake the feeling that it isn't the bodies making her uncomfortable. It's the sounds. The load banging, the shadows, the night terrors she's been having. It all points to something more sinister.

Something monstrous.

This is the third book by S. A. Barnes I've read and much like the rest, it was suspenseful, gorey, and full of horrors. I genuinely enjoyed some of the horror elements that were accomplished through the malfunctioning AI, and single other crew member that we never see except over video comm.

S.A. Barnes was my gateway to the terrifying world of sci-fi horror, so I stalked NetGalley until this showed up and read it immediately (and then neglected to write a review for MONTHS. whoops.) I wasn't a huge fan of her last book, Ghost Station, but Dead Silence is one of my fave books of all time, and Cold Eternity gave me lots of creepy-AF Dead Silence-y vibes, but in its own unique and horrifying way. Read this!

3.0 Stars
After reading this author's last two space horror novels, I have become wary of their work. The ending of Dead Silence was frustrating and Ghost Station was overall quite dry. Normally when I strike out with an author, I would give up on an author. However, as someone who is obsessed with the genre sci fi horror, I keep holding our hope for a new favourite.

Perhaps this is a symptom of my power expectations but I was fairly happy with the first half of this novel. I enjoyed a lot of the science fiction elements and found the story itself to be reasonably engrossing. Towards the second half, my warmed feelings cooled.

I find this author struggles to write a compelling climax and ending which feels particularly important in this subgenre. This one had a decent setup but failed to come together in a satisfying way.

Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher

Another super spooky space horror from S. A. Barnes! I love all of these standalones, and they never fail to scare me! Cryogenics is something that really scares me, so the situation our main character finds herself in, alone on a ship with a ton of cryogenically frozen bodies, was horrifying to me. Of course, the cryogenically frozen bodies ended up being the least of her worries. The historical context in this one was also super good, and I really liked the justification for how the patriarch of the family came to be...the way he was.