Space Station is a fascinating and thought-provoking read that explores big ideas in a unique and immersive way. The story pulled me in with its intriguing concept and kept me engaged as it unfolded. I really enjoyed the themes it tackled and the way it made me think beyond the pages. While it has a slower pace at times, the depth of the narrative made it well worth the read. A great book for those who love speculative fiction with substance!

4 stars

This book is such a surreal trip! I like the brevity of it overall; the writer hasn't drawn out any sections in weird or boring ways. Each chapter is a short story in the strange journey through the Space Station - each new area completely different in scope, appearance, smell, experience. But I think each of the experiences has to happen specifically for you/the narrator to learn something. Are you learning about yourself? Are you learning about how and why you ended up here? The jarring nature of not knowing what's going on is bizarre but your own mind's unbalance works well for the story. And just when I thought I was getting a handle on what was going on, the story pretty much ended! This book has been crouching in my subconscious for several days now as I try to untangle what I read; it's definitely not a trip for everyone, but if you enjoy being a little off-kilter through most of a book then give this one a try. It's short on length but not on personality.

Thanks to NetGalley, author K.R. Gadaken, and BooksGoSocial for giving me access to a digital ARC of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own and are provided here voluntarily.

Damn, that sure was one hell of a trip.

For being such a short novella, this story included a variety of different themes, with such a descriptive writing style that makes you feel like you yourself are trapped in one of the spheres. (Which is quite literally true if you understand the metaphors and their correlation to our lives.)

However, what this story lacked was context. You never really find out a lot about the space station itself other than the information provided in the blurb (and this information is also not the most accurate, since the memory swapping or witnessing of earthly events never even get mentioned). The vagueness might have just been the author's intent, since we do not get a lot of context before starting out our life on earth either. Also, because the novella was this short, some topics felt very rushed and didn't get the attention the whole setup deserved.

To sum up, "Space Station" is a short but fascinating read that can make you reflect on your own life if you are willing to overlook a lot of unanswered questions and immerse yourself in the situations K. R. Gadeken puts you in.

Thanks to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for providing me with this ARC in return for an honest review.

Space Station gave me an 'out of body' feeling. Think, a fever dream, Alice in Wonderland rabbit-hole type stuff, but a short story. We follow our MC as they navigate different 'spheres' of a space station. Unfortunately, we weren't given any explanation further than that or any real plot. I was very confused for a large proportion of the book and found the writing leaning a bit too young for me. Not all sections, but there were parts where I found the vocabulary very limiting, which pulled me out of the feelings the writer was trying to evoke. I'm not sure if this simplistic language was supposed to reflect the character - in which case this went over my head.

I liked the concept and wouldn't mind reading something a bit more fleshed out. I think this would suit a reader who likes the sound of 'Bunny' or 'My Year of Rest and Relaxation', but hasn't taken the leap or is a bit worried about the writing style suiting them. This could be a great book to test out that 'fever dream' feeling those books are known for.

Space Station offers a surreal, dreamlike experience that will resonate with fans of strange, thought-provoking sci-fi. While its beautiful writing and disorienting narrative style create a unique atmosphere, the lack of clarity and cohesiveness can leave readers feeling disconnected, unsure of what the story is truly trying to convey.

I noticed a few reviewers on different platforms found the book difficult to follow, and I can agree to some extent. The book feels almost hallucinogenic in its delivery, and we're limited in what we think and feel by our narrator who feels almost like they've just hopped off the boat and started being human, so to speak. Some things felt interesting or like they could have been explored a little more, whereas others received a sort of "anyway, that happened, and a while later..." treatment. One thing I can definitely give this book is that it succeeds in feeling like a dream or hallucination. Nothing feels grounded, and it hops from one topic and place to the next like you would during a bad night of sleep.

It's difficult to compose my thoughts about this novella. Part of it, at least in terms of syntax and overall writing quality, felt poor and strange, and in others felt fine. It was an extremely fast and easy read, though I don't know if that helped or hurt the message or delivery. There's several spots that felt a little weird for an editor or proof reader to have missed, misspellings and malapropisms mostly, and the bits of dialogue where the point of view character spoke aloud felt forced and/or unnecessary.

What an interesting little fever dream! It reminded me of Alice in Wonderland meets the Oculus game Red Matter. Space Station by K.R. Gadeken feels like a surreal, disorienting trip through a fragmented reality, blending eerie isolation with a sense of wonder.

This made for a really interesting read. I picked it up expecting a light, easy read, and in some ways, that is what this was. In others, it really makes you think.

The imagery in this book is beautiful and I was really impressed by just how different every one of the spheres was. Each one was really wonderfully described, and I enjoyed how much the tone shifted, both between spheres, and also within individual spheres.

The character's journey, and grappling with the realisations that some things will never make you happy, some things (like the Perfects) are not what they seem, and sometimes radical change feels like the apocalypse was very well-handled.

Sometimes, we just all need to have the bravery to set the world on fire!

Thank you to the editors and NetGalley for my ARC!

This was quite an interesting read, using a very unique approach to building the narrative within this novella. I'm not sure that I am the target audience because I didn't quite understand the flow, not I appreciate the creativity!

This was a very interesting book that took me on a ride and made me feel like I was experiencing the story rather than reading it. The writing style wasn't really for me but the plot was trippy enough that I remained engaged. If you want a unique sci-fi story, this one is for you.

Thank you NetGalley for a free digital ARC in exchange for my unbiased review.

Another book this year for me that was more an experience than a story. I had no clue what I was getting into but I loved the cover so much I took a dive. This novella takes you through life lessons in the form of AI/simulated experiences on a space station.

I highly enjoyed the journey we went on with our main character. It was fun, enjoyable, and thought provoking. I just wish there was more. More of what I’m not sure but it feels as if a piece was missing.

Again thank you to NetGalley for the free digital ARC in exchange for my unbiased review.

a very trippy, cerebral book. I liked it. The context surrounding the story doesn't make much sense, we don't learn much about the character and some of the metaphors/lessons of the book feel very on the nose but honestly great setting, idea and the writing really brings realism and weight to the whacky ideas of the book.

I really enjoyed this novella and the message that it gave. The writing is so beautiful and descriptive with how people think which was relatable. I loved the experiences the main character went through because they hit home for me. I highly recommend this novella and I definitely want to read more from this author!

Thank you to NetGalley for the e-arc copy of this novella!

This novella is definitely for the adult Alice in Wonderland lover. We follow a nameless character through these spheres in a spaceship that aren’t really explained and they all lead to different worlds. There is a bit more exposition and analysis of the greater meaning of life than in Alice in Wonderland, but oh boy nothing is explained during this novella. I struggled mightily with this one and for something super short it was an absolute slog for me. I guess I wanted more explanation and a semblance of an idea of what is going on.

I don't think I really understood this book because I was constantly waiting for the pin to drop and for me to be clued into what was happening to the narrator but that never happened. I didn't feel that connected to the main character and I didn't understand any of the situations they were in, in particular why they were even at this space station to begin with. I'm sure other people may enjoy this but it is not for me.

What did I just read? I can't say I'm sure I entirely understand this novella. Maybe I'm not supposed to. But the writing was so beautiful that I had to keep on reading. It reminded me a bit of Becky Chambers or How You Lose the Time War. If you like those, maybe Space Station is for you!

"I got Lost on a journey to the center of a planet, but I made it back before the dinosaurs could eat me."

At first I wasn't sure what this story was all about. This started with me not being able to tell whether the protagonist is a male or female character or even human at all! I soon realized though that this may have been the author's intention all along, so that the reader can experience the story from their own point of view! As soon as I realized this, I started to like this fact a lot (which initially kept me wondering).

I read the comparison of Alice In Wonderland a couple of times in other reviews before choosing this book and I think it describes this story perfectly! It is so confusing at times, makes no sense at all and yet makes perfect sense at the same time. It is like entering a dream world to explore the meaning of your own life or maybe life in general.

Who am I? Why am I here? What is the sense in this all?

I especially enjoyed the beautiful writing style. The author describes everything so vividly, I had an easy time imagining myself into this world.

Sadly though the story feels a bit incomplete. It left me feeling like there is no real end to it, but maybe there really isn't one? After all, the protagonist explored all kinds of different possibilities and impossibilities of life and just got back from that journey, back to the real world to begin or continue their real life. Or maybe they still are at the Space Station, exploring yet another Sphere. Will we ever know??

***
I received an ARC for this book from NetGalley.com , but this review is solely my own opinion about this book.

DNF at 50%

I really wanted to give this a fair shake, especially since it's so short and the writing was really nice but I just couldn't follow anything that was happening. Nothing made any sense whatsoever. It's a no from me.

While the story had some engaging moments, I just couldn’t connect with it. It felt like it had a lot of potential, but in the end, it left me frustrated and underwhelmed. The sci-fi elements were interesting, but not enough to make me fully invested in the plot. I never felt compelled to keep reading, and I wasn’t excited by any of the twists or turns it took.

The book’s brevity didn’t help—it felt like it was trying to pack too much into too little, leaving things feeling rushed and a bit all over the place. I’m still not entirely sure what the author was trying to say with some parts, and honestly, by the end, I just didn’t care enough to try to figure it out. I’m sure some people might appreciate the deeper meanings, but for me, it just didn’t hit the mark. Overall, it was a meh experience, and I’m not sure I’ll be thinking about it again anytime soon.

Giving this book 1 aka 0 ⭐.

This tiny novella started like a fever dream but quickly revealed itself to be a beautifully written insight into the human condition - namely, the anxieties we harbor deepest and struggle with the most - as well as the benefits of overcoming them. I enjoyed how the author creatively framed the fact that, while scary, negative situations can be neutralized by problem solving and making your own way even if it involves failure or creative work arounds. The space theme and being able to tap into different worlds was fun, creative, and inspiring. The use of an unnamed protagonist added to the sense that this book could be about anyone - including the reader.

Personally, I was also charmed by my favorite characters - the sassy tulip and the sentient light.

Would definitely recommend to someone looking for a short but impactful read!

Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and BooksGoSocial for the read in exchange for an honest review.