I was fortunate enough to receive and devour an advanced audiobook narrated by Amara Jasper.
Once again, Barnes has delivered another bingeable, space, horror novel. Cold Eternity is a slow burn, psychological, scifi mystery. Barnes really knows how to mash up a medley of genres, flesh out her characters, and then dump them into eerily, isolated environments. Jasper embodied Halley in all her paranoia, creating a believably unsettled yet strong mc. With this combo, I was easily hooked. And no horror novel is complete without the creepy, gross, icky bits... and lest we forget the horrors of a political and tech driven climate that mirrors our own.
#autobuyauthor

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced audiobook!

S. A. Barnes does space horror better than anyone else! The isolation coupled with the secrets kept me guessing and suspecting everything. Then there are the random sounds and the things she may or may not have heard. Is it just the old ship making noises or is it some entity out to get her? Is she imagining it all? I loved it!
The only gripe I have with it is that the ending went on a little more than I would have liked. It all made sense and wasn't bad. I think I just didn't want to know all of that. But it was only a few minutes of the audiobook, so it is picky that the last little bit bothered me.

April 8 update: TikTok post.
A strong, single woman on the run alone, political intrigue, and an eerie, antique cryogenic ship full of the bodies of privileged people.
Cold Eternity filled my craving for Space Horror. Parts of the book are terrific. It's got a tough yet vulnerable heroine in a tight spot, suspense, action, squelchy scenes, and some unhinged concepts.
From the creepy cover through the first two thirds of the novel, the weird situation and chilling setting gripped me. I enjoyed the antique cryogenic ship and its 'residents'. Isolation, questioning reality, and multiple threats rachet up the tension.
The last third went off the rails. By the final 25%, I tried to treat it like an old movie and ignore the strained plot and unbelievable actions. Most readers might not notice the kinds of things that jolt me out of suspended disbelief. S. A. Barnes has many fans and will no doubt win new readers with this book. She created some nightmarish scenes that will stick with me.
Overall, it was entertaining and fast-paced. The talented narrator enhanced the suspense and performed the wide range of emotions beautifully. The book has worthwhile themes, and The FMC is brave. I gave it 3.5 rounded up to 4 stars for the excellent audio performance and production values.
I strongly recommended the audiobook, particularly for seasoned Science Fiction, Thriller, and Horror readers. I'd listen to another book by Barnes.
Thank you, Macmillan Audio for the ALC for consideration. These opinions are solely my own. I'll add a TikTok link soon.

"Death smells you."

Absolutely phenomenal! No one does creepy, isolated space horror like S.A. Barnes!

Right from the start, the audiobook pulled me in. This main character, Halley, is clearly in hiding and/or on the run. She's hoping for a job - one with no skills needed and a bit under the radar. It's out on a ship full of the bodies of those who were cryogenically frozen - waiting for a point in time when they can be unfrozen and (possibly) live forever. Or, at least, live again. In its current state, this ship is old - and is no longer the tourist destination it once was when it was first out in the space. She's there to hit a button and prove someone is there, protecting those that are frozen, watching over loved ones.

But once Halley arrives for her new job, it's jarring. The ship creeks, thumps and hums. She starts having terrible dreams and then not sleeping much. She keeps seeing things - old holograms, phantom bodies, things crawling. Is it the lighting? The sounds? Is she losing it?

I loved the mystery to it all. I never knew what to believe. I loved that Halley had been here before, in the tourist hay day, and could remember the times the ship was in better shape. Aleyk was an addition I didn't anticipate but absolutely loved. The horrors honestly were so creepy and frightening. The arm out of the mouth, the breathing, the clacking of nails on the floor - all things that added just such an amazing level of detailed horror and kept me freaked out while needing to know more. The conclusion was so satisfying and well-crafted. I absolutely loved this one! Highly recommend the audio - it was nice to have 2 narrators to break out the voices and really help draw the reader in!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Thank you so much to the publisher for the #gifted book & Macmillan.audio #partner for the audio via NetGalley narrated by Amara Jasper who lent the perfect voice for this space horror!
——

The story drew me in right away with Halley escaping her past with a false name and accepting a very obscure job at the Elysian Fields from a shady man, Carl - in spite of the fact that she gets a warning that every person Carl hires disappears.

Elysian Fields is a remote ship that holds cryogenically frozen bodies, and from the beginning of her job, Halley sees and hears things as if the bodies are not frozen, which intrigued me as a reader to find out if the bodies are dead people trying to make it back alive some day or they’re living people trapped in confined spaces as punishment. Or are some supernatural beings involved? Everything is clearly explained as the story unfolds towards explosive final chapters.

The history of the ship’s founder, Zale Winfield, and how Elysian Fields came into place as it is today, was fascinating and you’re can’t help but parallel it with the current state of cryopreservation and AI.

I mostly listened to the book in audio format and I have to say audiobook is the way to go with this book. Amara Jasper’s voice brings out all the eeriness, intrigue, isolation and fear that Halley experiences throughout the story. Her voice as creepy Carl is also immaculate.

Book: 4.5 stars (rounded down to 4 on Goodreads)
Audiobook: 5 stars

Hiding from an interplanetary scandal, Halley finds a black market job on a space barge that is home to a defunct cryo storage facility. The program was created by a tech trillionaire, Zale Winfeld and holds and AI hologram program of his children. Halley soon learns she may be in more danger here than she was on the run.

This was a really fun and creepy read! It nicely balances horror with science fiction and mystery. Halley has a very interesting back story that we learn as the story progresses. We also follow the mystery of what happened to the Winfeld family. I stayed engaged with the story the whole time. There are some really great action moments that kept me on the edge of my seat. Highly recommend the audiobook. Amara Jasper did a great job with the narration.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

S.A. Barnes does it again! This was an amazing sci-fi horror just like Barnes other amazing works. I will say this wasn't my favorite of her books but that doesn't diminish how amazing this book was. I still really enjoyed this book and the dark mystery that you are trying to solve ad the book moves. I also enjoyed the sort of romance/relationship that bloomed in this book. I usually hate romance in a book like this but Barnes did such an amazing job making it a part of the story without it taking over or feeling like a last minute addition just for popularity. I couldn't put this book down and I will continue to read everything Barnes writing!

S. A. Barnes writes sci-fi horror better than anyone else in the biz!
Halley takes a job aboard the Elysian Fields because she needs to get away from her life for a bit. It’s the perfect job for someone in her position. Just her, the maintenance man Karl and all the dead bodies. Well, not technically dead. The Elysian Fields is a ship full of cryogenically frozen bodies. Halley toured it as a child and the memories have followed her into adulthood. The job is easy though. Do the rounds and push button every 3 hours. The problem with having to be somewhere every 3 hours though is it really messes with your sleep. So when Halley starts hearing weird sounds and seeing really scary things she thinks it must be because she’s sleep deprived…..or is she?
Another nail biter from S. A. Barnes. I really enjoyed this one from start to finish. It was creepy and spooky, trapped on a ship is just the worst place to be when all hell breaks loose.
I thought the ending wrapped things up nicely. I’ve seen other commenters saying it was abrupt but I thought it was rather poignant and completed the story well.
I listened to this as an audiobook, narrated by Amara Jasper. She did a fantastic job and really brought the story to life. I highly recommend this as an audiobook!
Thank you to NetGalley and McMillan Audio for allowing me to listen to this in exchange for an honest review.

S.A. Barnes keeps getting better and better.

There is not enough money in the world to get me on a spaceship full of frozen dead people. But that’s Halley Zwick’s only option for the chance of a fresh start. Following a political scandal, Halley is broke and forced into hiding. What better place to hide than aboard the Elysian Fields, a large space vessel/former museum that is home to the cryogenically frozen bodies of Earth’s wealthy elite. Halley has only been aboard a few hours when she starts seeing things that don’t make sense on the camera screens.

This book really managed to freak me out. Isolated space settings are scary enough on their own, but add in dozens of frozen dead bodies? NOPE. I felt so uneasily while reading this and couldn’t wait to see what happened next. I loved the use of the monitors and thought that really added to the feeling of always being watched. There was a “romantic” subplot I thought came out of nowhere, and that I really didn’t love, but other than that this was such a fun time. I hope this author keeps exploring the space horror genre in the future.

I loved tandem reading this with the audiobook. The narrator did such a great job of conveying the urgency and terror Halley was feeling throughout this novel. I could feel the uncertainty and doubt when Halley begins to question what she may be feeling. At the end, when the action really ramps up, you can feel Halley’s fear.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio, Tor, and NetGalley for a review copy.

3.5 / 5 stars

Halley Zwick (not her real name) is on the run. After getting embroiled in an interplanetary political scandal, she needs a place to disappear, fast, and a way to accumulate some credits. She finds it in an opportunity as a caretaker on Elysian Fields — a massive, decaying vessel once tasked with storing the cryogenically frozen bodies of Earth’s wealthiest citizens, who paid for the promise of a second life. The cryo program has long since proven dodgy, the AI hosts are glitching, and the ship itself feels more like a crypt than a sanctuary. But isolation soon gives way to paranoia, as Halley begins hearing whispers in the vents and seeing things that just shouldn't be possible. She's alone, sleep-deprived, and her only company is a ship full of long-frozen bodies and a single person she can talk to over a video link. Whatever safety Halley thought she had found on Elysian Fields might be even more dangerous than what she left behind.

S.A. Barnes is an author who has been on my radar because there’s just something about a spooky, derelict spaceship that hooks me every time — and that seems to be her genre niche. This book didn't quite meet my high expectations, but I'm still very excited to check out her backlist.

Halley is a compelling lead. She’s got this idealistic streak that’s partly rebellion against her wealthy, less-than-attentive parents, and partly just her own genuine drive to do good. I was rooting for her, even when she made some questionable choices and stumbled in to some common horror tropes. Overall though, she felt grounded and believable, which helped keep me invested even when the plot got a little wild. (More on that wild turn shortly.)

The atmosphere is, without question, the book’s strongest elements. The space barge setting is eerie from the start, but it’s not just the classic "abandoned ship" horror. There’s something extra unsettling about the contrast between luxury and decay — all these cryo pods, filled with people who believed they’d bought themselves immortality, now reduced to relics in a floating tomb. Barnes plays into that tension beautifully.

For most of the story, the creep factor builds at a satisfyingly steady pace; there’s a steady build of tension that kept me engaged, especially as Halley starts to question what’s real and what might be the product of exhaustion or something more sinister. I found myself genuinely immersed, and at one point I was audibly yelling at the audiobook. ("No, no, no! Don't go in there!" Spoiler alert: she ignored me.) Whether you’re reading or listening, it’s the kind of creeping dread that feels both realistic and relatable, especially since Halley herself isn’t sure what’s real anymore.

I think what is holding me back from loving this book as much as I had anticipated is the uneven pacing in the later parts of the book. There’s a long, slow burn as tension mounts, and then suddenly the final act hits like someone cranked the dial to maximum chaos. Personally, I like a little escalation, but this felt like it went from simmer to full boil a bit too fast — and not everything in the finale worked for me. I don't want to get into spoilers, but I will note that I am not the only reviewer who was thrown by the sudden mismatch between the setup and the revelation. The pseudo-romantic connection that Halley finds also felt shoehorned in and detracted from the finale's impact. I almost wished Barnes had let the core horror of the cryo program and its fallout stand on its own, because that thread was genuinely chilling and thought-provoking.

That said, this was still a quick, engrossing read for me. Despite a few narrative overreaches, I had a great time with Cold Eternity. It’s a fast-paced, claustrophobic ride through a chilling vision of the future — one that asks unsettling questions about wealth, mortality, and the lengths people will go to in their pursuit of eternal life.

If you’re craving atmospheric space horror with a healthy dose of psychological unraveling, this is absolutely worth boarding — just brace yourself for a bumpy landing.

Another sci-fi horror from Barnes that starts out very similar to her other two books. This book had a more science fiction explanation. It was an interesting twist, that set this one apart from the first two. The sociopolitical background was also interesting and prescient. The book also explores mortality and the ramifications of the search for immortality. Not as solid as Dead Silence but a good read.

Thank you so much to Tor nightfire and Macmillan audio for my #gifted copies of this sci-fi thriller! This was my first book by Barnes and will definitely not be my last! I love how sci-fi thrillers take you away from everything and create this new world to live in while reading! I was hooked right away with this one and on the edge of my seat until the end! The setting is so atmospheric, eerie and unsettling! I was thoroughly creeped out! Being alone on a space ship with cryogenically frozen bodies, always thinking you’re seeing or hearing something. I could never! As the book progresses and secrets come out, the main character realizes that something sinister is at play here, but it might be too late to save herself. This was great on audio, I recommend grabbing it in any format!

Halley is looking for a fresh start. She takes a job "guarding" the cryogenically frozen bodies of the richest and elite citizens of Earth. Her only job requirement is pushing a button every few hours. When she is making her rounds, she catches quick glimpses out of the corner of her eye. When she questions Karl, her boss and mechanic of the space cruiser,  he downplays her sightings a simple glitches in the system. But things keep getting spookier and creepier.  This was a fun and quick science fiction horror. Really cool and fun space monsters sprinkled with some AI.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and Tor Nighfire for the ALC / ARC. The narrator Amara Jasper was great.

Wow. This was SO much fun. S.A. Barnes continues to deliver the kind of sci fi horror I want.

Cold Eternity combined everything I loved about Dead Silence (eerie atmosphere, terrifying visuals) and combined it with what I loved about Ghost Station (a more technical aspect of sci fi horror). Add in creepy AI and cryopods - I was hooked and could not stop listening to the audiobook. S.A. Barnes once again does an incredible job at creating an unsettling sci fi setting.

While this was more of a slow burn than her other books, the creepy sights and sounds start early and had me questioning everything. In Cold Eternity, S.A. Barnes explores a different point of view in sci fi - the goings on of politics, the rich and famous, and failed experiments with cryo technology. With a sleep-deprived and paranoid narrator, I kept questioning if they are just unreliable or is this real. I think Halley is my favorite of Barnes's characters so far, and I loved how she found a plausible explanation to explain away the strange things.

The audiobook narrator, Amara Jasper, is fantastic at different voices, stressing their voice at the perfect moments to send chills up my spine, and overall keeping my rapt attention.

I highly recommend S.A. Barnes's sci fi horror. With Cold Eternity's release as her third novel, and yet another enjoyable read for me, her books are on my instant preorder list, and I think they have each had enough variety to provide a different reading experience each time.

I find that Cold Eternity really does have the perfect balance of horror and sci fi - I had moments where I stopped to debate if I should be listening to this at night, but I was never too scared to continue.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for a copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I've heard mixed things about S.A. Barnes work in the past and I didn't love Ghost Station, but I love the idea of space horror, like space is absolutely terrifying. Unfortunately, I think her work just isn't for me because I also didn't love this. Halley is running from political scandal and ends up in a spaceship housing the cryogenically frozen bodies from a long ago program for the wealthiest of the wealthy. Halley's job is to do rounds and press a button every 3 hours but then she starts to think she sees creepy crawling things and she's not sure if she's maybe not as alone as she thought or if she's suffering from sleep deprivation. Billed as blending "the dystopian dread of Severance with the catastrophic approach to AI from M3gan" I honestly just found myself incredibly bored. It started out strong with a creepy atmosphere, but by 20% I found myself losing interest and ultimately not really caring about this life or death situation the main character was in, and then I found the ending to be really anticlimactic. I did find Amara Jasper's narration to be solid, but I think I've determined that this is just an author that's not for me.

What a wonderful novel, reminiscent of the Alien franchise! Lovely sci-fi read. Definitely recommend it! My rating is four stars rather than five because of some repetitive plot points. It seemed the author was reminding the reader rather than letting the reader remember.

* Thank you to TOR Nightfire, Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for the ARC of this audiobook *

If this is your first S.A. Barnes book, you'll love it. If it's your second or third, you'll like it but notice patterns. When I saw that this ARC was available, I jumped on it, being a fan of the author and the genre; I was super excited.

I loved how eerie it was. Empty creaking spaceships/stations in the middle of nowhere in space fill me with anxiety and dread. Although that's the setting for all of Barnes' books, I'm not mad as they always have their own quirks. The atmosphere and setting was done perfectly. Our main character running away from her past and having complicated relationships with the men she's stuck with, paired with sleep deprivation and "Am I hallucinating" kind of moments (although it really works in this setting) is redundant on the other hand. I kept picking up on similarities between the different books and I ended up predicting some of the events in the book. However, what truly sets this one apart is the body horror. Without giving away too much this book made me gasp and I really loved it

The narrator was fantastic and added much depth to our FMC's emotions and thoughts

I overall recommend, out April 8th

Halley is on the run from a high-profile interplanetary political scandal and seeks refuge in what seems like the perfect hiding place: Elysian Fields, a massive, defunct space barge housing the cryogenically frozen bodies of Earth’s wealthiest citizens. Her job is simple—make rounds and press a button every three hours in exchange for food, shelter, and a small salary.

But isolation in deep space is never truly quiet. Strange noises—scraping, slithering, rattling—echo through the ship’s vents, and Halley begins to see shadowy figures moving in the halls. Sleep deprivation and paranoia take hold, and the unease slowly turns into terror. Something is very wrong aboard Elysian Fields, and Halley soon realizes she may have escaped one nightmare only to be trapped in something far worse.

S.A. Barnes masterfully crafts an atmospheric, slow-burning horror story that thrives on tension, paranoia, and isolation. Cold Eternity grips the reader with its eerie setting and relentless sense of unease. The ship, filled with its frozen occupants, becomes a chilling character itself—silent yet full of sinister possibilities.

The creeping horror builds gradually, allowing the reader to sink into Halley’s fraying mental state as she struggles with exhaustion, fear, and uncertainty. The novel’s pacing is deliberate, enhancing the dread as each strange occurrence escalates. Fans of claustrophobic, psychological sci-fi horror will appreciate the way Barnes blends science fiction and horror with unnerving realism.

A chilling, atmospheric space horror that keeps you on edge from start to finish. Cold Eternity is a must-read for fans of Dead Silence and anyone who loves eerie, slow-burn sci-fi horror with a strong psychological component. S.A. Barnes delivers another unforgettable, nerve-wracking experience. Highly recommended!

Cat is on the run following a huge political scandal. Not just because she's embarrassed, but because she's in danger. She takes a black market job on a defunct space mega yacht that houses the cryogenically frozen remains of rich and powerful people a century after the technology has been abandoned. Once a museum to the hopes of man kind and the historical people on board. It now hosts a sinister secret, and an oddly advanced AI.

i have loved Barnes previous sci-fi horrors. They are the perfect blend of space and scare. This one though is the first horror in a LONG TIME to truly spook me. It was atmospheric, it was gut wrenching, it had me triple checking locks on my door. One thing that I've noticed is Barnes loves a main character with a secret who grew up in limelight. Here, Cat is the daughter of political aficionados who excel at spinning a story. She wanted to make a difference in the world, she wanted to help the people. The inspiration by her childhood crush- long dead son of a tech billionaire Alec- probably solidified that, creepy parting message of "they're all going to die" aside.

When Cat arrived to the derelict ship, it's a literal ghost town. She's running on a severe lack of sleep, she's never seen the only other awake person in person, and the AI versions of the children of the tech billionaire who founded the ship are acting very weird and very awake. Barnes does such a good job of introducing tech that you may be cautiously familiar with, and being able to wave away why it doesn't work or has been abandoned. The cryogenics, the AI, it all makes sense. It's all things I've seen people talking about. Even down to the scar on her hand where her ID chip used to be. She is such a mastermind at world building that even with just Cat and sleeping bodies I have a fundamental understanding of the world.

I loved the supernatural elements when they appeared, I loved the bitter sweet romance that developed. I loved the descriptors and characters, and how even though she never says a word I feel like I understand Ianthe so well (for example). What was weaker in previous books Barnes has gone through and made stronger here. It feels like this could really be the future. Even down to the extremist politician and his voter base voting against their interests (hello poignant much?)

One caveat: There's a line listing Musk among "great geniuses" and considering everything that man is doing in the united states, I would recommend removing his name. The author explained that Karl's thinking would obviously see Musk as a great man, and I understand that. But my problem is more that his inclusion in the list isn't questioned, while the inclusion of the novel's evil billionaire IS. The main character saying that the fictional man shouldn't be included in a list full of men who did great things for humanity or something like that. It just really doesn't sit well with me to keep Musk's name in that list with the current climate.

🌌"No one gets out alive."🌌

🛰Finished this awesome book last week and it comes out next week so i wanted to share it with you guys!

📘Cold Eternity
👩🏼@authorstaceykade
🗣@tornightfire
📅April 8th, 2025

☄️SYNOPSIS☄️
Cold Eternity, the newest space horror novel from the author of Dead Silence and Ghost Station, blends the dystopian dread of Severance with the catastrophic approach to AI from M3gan.

Halley is on the run from an interplanetary political scandal that has put a huge target on her back. She heads for what seems like the perfect place to lay low: a gigantic space barge housing the cryogenically frozen bodies of Earth’s most wealthy citizens. The ship and its cryo program are long defunct, but Halley starts to think she sees figures crawling in the hallways, and there’s a constant scraping, slithering, and rattling echoing in the vents. It’s not long before Halley realizes she may have gotten herself trapped in an even more dangerous situation than the one she was running from….

🧠My Thoughts🧠

One word. AT-MOS-PHER-IC.

Thanks to the authors previous books, I now know what to expect when going into her stories, and this book was no different. The best way I can describe her books would be politically heavy, space horror based around what horrific things humans can/will do to each other.

Having read all of the authors books, I can safely say I have no idea which one is my favorite. I love aspects of all of them and dislike aspects, as well. If I had to say one thing about this specific book, it would be that it was too quiet. And I don't mean that in a bad way. This story wanted the reader to feel trapped, alone, and isolated, and that's exactly what it did. I even started questioning whether Carl, the man who hires our main character, was actually real. I created a bigger sense of horror in my head, and that definitely helped make me feel more wholly submerged in the story.

🧡Thank you @netgalley and @tornightfire for the e-ARC and ALC! All thoughts are my own.

💬ⓆⓄⓉⒹ: Would you ever want to be frozen and awoken in the future?

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