Ghost Station
S.A. Barnes
Publisher: Tor Nightfire
Release Date: April 9, 2024
Publisher’s Summary: A crew must try to survive on an ancient, abandoned planet in the latest space horror novel from S.A. Barnes, acclaimed author of Dead Silence.
An abandoned plant. A hidden past. A deadly danger.
Psychologist Dr. Ophelia Bray has dedicated her life to the study and prevention of Eckhart-Reiser syndrome (ERS)—the most famous case of which resulted in the brutal murders of twenty-nine people. It’s personal to her, and when she’s assigned to a small exploration crew who recently suffered the tragic death of a colleague, she wants to help. But as they begin to establish residency on an abandoned planet, it becomes clear that the crew is hiding something.
Ophelia’s crewmates are far more interested in investigating the eerie, ancient planet and unraveling the mystery behind the previous colonizers’ hasty departure than opening up to her.
That is, until their pilot is discovered gruesomely murdered. Is this Ophelia’s worst nightmare starting—a wave of violence and mental deterioration from ERS? Or is it something even more sinister?
Terrified that history will repeat itself, Ophelia and the crew must work together to figure out what’s happening. But trust is hard to come by…and the crew isn’t the only one keeping secrets.
Ghost Station, the latest offering from author S.A. Barnes, is another creepy, claustrophobic space horror that will get under your skin (metaphorically speaking, of course), and linger in your mind long after you turn the last page. Dr. Ophelia Bray, a psychologist with hidden trauma, is assigned to a small exploration crew on what should be a routine research mission. She is responsible for their psychological wellbeing, and even if they’re hostile to her being on the team, Ophelia still believes that her presence will help them. But the crew have secrets of their own, as does the planet they find themselves investigating, and even Ophelia’s keen intelligence might not be enough to help keep everyone alive…
Barnes is a master of presenting the reader with a deceptively simple scenario, and she slowly peels back layer by horrifying layer of the narrative until all the hidden truths lurking in the story are exposed. The novel has elements of science-fiction, horror, mystery, and psychological thriller, and manages to strike an excellent balance between them. Unlike Dead Silence, which was set on an abandoned luxury vessel in space, Ghost Station takes place mostly on a planet formerly inhabited by a mammalian species that went extinct thousands of years before. Barnes has a talent for developing creepy settings, and this novel is no exception. Lyria 393-C, the planet the crew is conducting research on is chillingly hostile, with strange architecture, freezing temperatures, and violent storms that keep the crew confined to the research station for much of their stay on the planet. The novel is permeated with a palpable sense of dread that lingers with the reader from the moment the characters first land on the planet and take up residence in the station. The setting is ripe for increasing the tensions between the already tense crew to levels that are nearly unbearable.
Characterization is a major strength of this novel, and one of the reasons that the horror aspects of the story feel so intense. It’s hard to care about what happens to unsympathetic characters, but Barnes excels at making this research team feel like a tight-knit group that has suffered a tragedy and are wary of outsiders. Stoic captain Severin is the glue that holds the team together, although it’s clear that the incident with their deceased crewmate has shaken their faith in him. The rest of the team is rounded out by tough and capable mechanic Kate, vain prankster Suresh, gruff and imposing Birch, and empathetic and kind-hearted Liana. Even Ava Olberman, who is deceased before the novel begins, is a lingering presence amongst the crew.
Ophelia is an engaging protagonist, and the novel rests on her shoulders. Her history is slowly revealed over the course of the story, as are some hidden ties with other characters. Much of the early tension in the story is a result of Ophelia’s attempts to gain the respect of the crew, figure out what they’re hiding from her regarding their colleague’s death, and whether she can trust them when things begin to go wrong in the station. One of the subtlest of the novel’s developments is Ophelia’s inner journey. She begins the story as a character that is running from her past, from her family, and her privilege, and her personal journey of acceptance is hard-won. She is a traumatized but naïve young woman who doesn’t quite understand the full reason for the crew’s hostility towards her, and gradually comes to understand them. Not only do they see her as a privileged outsider, she is also company psychologist, and a report from her could be enough to render them permanently unemployable. Ophelia’s determination to survive, earn the respect of the team, and rescue as many of them as she can is a direct result of the the ways in which she is forced to confront her past, make peace with her trauma, and forge herself into the person she wants to be. Ophelia elevates this horror novel into a survival story that has a tough-as-nails protagonist at its heart.
This novel is more of a slow-burn when compared with Dead Silence. Much of the novel’s early focus is on setting up the character histories, relationships, and rivalries, and this allows the unravelling psychological state of the crew to happen at a slower and more claustrophobic pace. By the time the first murder is discovered, paranoia has set in, and the story ramps up as more and more secrets are revealed. Overall, Ghost Station is an excellent slow-burn horror novel that delivers what it promises; a creepy mystery with a smart, tough protagonist whose willingness to face her own trauma make for an intense and compelling story. Highly recommended.
