You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
netanella 's review for:
Dead Silence
by S.A. Barnes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
July 2025 Reread:
Reread as part of the SFFBC's book of the month, for a team competition. My thoughts toward the book have not necessarily changed - I enjoyed the story, but found the characters, particularly Claire, to be a bit unlikeable.
May 2022:
I wanted to like this science fiction-horror novel more than I actually did, which is why I'm giving it slightly above a 'meh' rating. Claire Kovalik and her small crew are out on the fringes of known space, fixing communications stations, when they hear a distant distress signal and head out to investigate. They discover the Aurora, a luxury space liner that had disappeared twenty years ago. Eager for salvage claims, they investigate the ghost ship and discover that all of the crew and passengers had died nasty, violent deaths, either self-inflicted or murder. The initial discovery and investigation of the ghost ship was probably the highlight of the book for me. Other areas were problematic.
Claire is a twit as a character. She's a lone survivor of a colony disaster during her childhood, which has scarred her for life. She has self-worth issues and problems connecting with other people. And she's a Team Leader of her crew of five? Unfortunately we the readers had to live inside of her head, as the narrative is told in first person. I became increasingly annoyed at Claire's decisions as the book progressed. I was also annoyed at the side romance she was having with one of her crew members. Why add this plot element to the story? To illustrate Claire's lack of judgment? Her immaturity? Or is the author pandering to an audience younger than me? Regardless, it didn't seem to gel for me, so again, it went to the annoyance column.
I enjoyed the ending to the story, all in all. The explanation for the ghosts and the mass paranoia was well done, and played out well also. So, 3 solid stars, and recommended for the genre.
Reread as part of the SFFBC's book of the month, for a team competition. My thoughts toward the book have not necessarily changed - I enjoyed the story, but found the characters, particularly Claire, to be a bit unlikeable.
May 2022:
I wanted to like this science fiction-horror novel more than I actually did, which is why I'm giving it slightly above a 'meh' rating. Claire Kovalik and her small crew are out on the fringes of known space, fixing communications stations, when they hear a distant distress signal and head out to investigate. They discover the Aurora, a luxury space liner that had disappeared twenty years ago. Eager for salvage claims, they investigate the ghost ship and discover that all of the crew and passengers had died nasty, violent deaths, either self-inflicted or murder. The initial discovery and investigation of the ghost ship was probably the highlight of the book for me. Other areas were problematic.
Claire is a twit as a character. She's a lone survivor of a colony disaster during her childhood, which has scarred her for life. She has self-worth issues and problems connecting with other people. And she's a Team Leader of her crew of five? Unfortunately we the readers had to live inside of her head, as the narrative is told in first person. I became increasingly annoyed at Claire's decisions as the book progressed. I was also annoyed at the side romance she was having with one of her crew members. Why add this plot element to the story? To illustrate Claire's lack of judgment? Her immaturity? Or is the author pandering to an audience younger than me? Regardless, it didn't seem to gel for me, so again, it went to the annoyance column.
I enjoyed the ending to the story, all in all. The explanation for the ghosts and the mass paranoia was well done, and played out well also. So, 3 solid stars, and recommended for the genre.