Review: Cold Eternity by S.A. Barnes

Cold Eternity

by S.A. Barnes

Release Date: April 8, 2025

2025 Tor Nightfire

Ebook ARC; 293 Pages

ISBN: 978-1250884954

ASIN: B0D1PQ139Y

Audiobook: B0D3QRG2JR

Genre: Fiction / Horror / Science-Fiction

Source: Review copy from publisher

 

3 / 5 Stars

 

Summary

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 storing the cryogenically frozen bodies of Earth’s most fortunate citizens from more than a century ago…

The ship feels like a crypt, and the isolation gets to Halley almost immediately. She starts to see 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

Cold Eternity is another space horror novel and after reading the previous two books this author has written, I really wasn't sure what to expect as I had mixed feelings about both those books. And yet again, the same thing has happened with this one as I enjoyed the setting a lot, liked the creepy feeling that was being set up, then felt the let down at the conclusion of the book.  Personally, it just didn't quite deliver the goods.

 

I didn't mind the main character, Halley, who is on the run for something in her political past. We learn quite early that Halley is not her real name and that quite a few people are after her; either they want her dead or they want the information she carries. The desperation she felt as she hunted for a job to protect herself was well-written, and I liked the way she still tried to protect herself from predators despite her qualms. When she arrived at the job, it was eerie as anything, but she managed to keep her cool and do her job. Personally, I think anyone in her position would ignore the clues that were abundant around her because she was so desperate to earn money and get away. When you are desperate, you will do anything, and ignore anything, to get what you need to escape. I didn't actually mind that aspect of her personality as I understood her desperation. And it's not like she didn't see what was in front of her, she just chose to ignore what was there because it helped her to survive and cope.

 

The plot itself was actually quite interesting the first half of the book, and I found it eerie and downright creepy. I couldn't figure out why Halley just accepted meeting the mechanic the way she did, but I guess there are some things you are just supposed to ignore as you read.  *Sarcasm   The ship itself it pretty much a graveyard, with bodies frozen in a cryogenic state aboard. And it was downright creepy. And to be fair, I love eerie ghost ships and stories that revolve around this premise so the creepiness was right up my alley. And you would think the second half of the book would up the creepiness factor, but yet again, the author ruined it by going the paranormal route instead of the horror route.  Up to this point, the horror element was actually quite good and I was thinking the author had upped the game and would bypass the previous books, then bam, the paranormal stuff, which totally ruined the horror element for me.  

Verdict

Cold Eternity was actually quite good until about two-thirds of the way into the book, with good atmospheric horror elements and a creepiness that can only come when aboard an empty ship full of cryogenic people that no one knows what to do with. The character development was fine, and although Halley did some things that made me roll my eyes at times, it was more out of desperation than because her character was silly as she was desperate to get away from people who were hunting her. However, I wasn't keen on the last third of the book as an element was introduced that spoiled the overall creepy effect and left me feeling a bit disappointed in the ending. That being said, it was still an engaging read and worth your while if you like sci-fi horror.

 

Review: The World He Once Knew by Micah Castle

The World He Once Knew

by Micah Castle

Release Date: January 26, 2024

2024 Fedowar Press, LLC

Ebook ARC: 190 Pages

ISBN: 978-1956492484

ASIN: B0CQJ4MKDP

Genre: Fiction / Horror / Sci-fi

Source: Review copy from author

 

4 / 5 Stars

 

Summary

Jay has been uploaded into a new body to investigate why the transporter ship Candlemass went dark fourteen days ago. After the ship's owner gives him the rundown of the assignment, he's quickly ushered on board. In the halls of the derelict vessel, Jay discovers black sludge coating the inner hull, leading him to a container in the Cargo Bay. As Jay digs further, he's thrown into a psychological maelstrom of the ship's and, more importantly, his own history and what led him to be uploaded in the first place.

 

The World He Once Knew is a transcendental, sci-fi horror novel set in the distant future. Here, the deceased's consciousness can be bought and uploaded and forced into labor. They can't quit, even if their new lives make them wish they were dead again.

 

My Thoughts

The World He Once Knew takes place in the far-distant future where Jay, married and a police detective in his old life, is uploaded into a new body and is now a HUSK, someone who was bought and created in this future world for a specific purpose.  On the shorter side at under 200 pages, the story follows Jay as he is sent to the ship Candlemass to discover why it went dark and what happened to the crew. Full of twists and turns, this short story definitely packed a lot into it and left me with a lot of questions, especially in terms of ethical ones and what the future may actually hold for us as humans.

Jay is pretty much the only character in this book that we get to know.  There are a couple of secondary characters, but Jay's interaction with them is so brief we don't really get to know them well or discover much about them.  Jay was downloaded for his skillset as a detective in his old life; combine that with the fact that his current body doesn't need rest, food, or does any of the other bodily functions of a normal human being, he is the perfect person to send into something that could be dangerous.  I loved his inner monologue as he explored the ship and thought the flashbacks to his former life blended seamlessly into the story.  I kept hoping those flashbacks would allow him to regain his humanity and lead a normal life once he got off the ship, but as the story progressed, you learned the true horror behind all of it.  

The world building was my favourite part of this book, and it took me a while to realize how subtle and amazing it actually was. As Jay roamed around the ship, I developed this inner map of what the ship looked like, something I do for any sci-fi book I read, as I need to visualize the setting, especially for something so alien.  However, I realized as the book progressed the ship was sort of...changing, depending on what was happening to Jay. It was so subtle I didn't even realize it was happening until a certain episode happened, and then I was thinking how cool that was, how I was manipulated without even realizing it.  Then I wondered what else I missed because the writing style and the horror are not in your face bloodshed, rather it's a subtle horror that just creeps up on you as you read.  

Verdict

The World He Once Knew is a fantastic title and definitely has a double-meaning behind it now that I have finished this book.  I thought it was creepy in a deceptive kind of way, the horror sort of enveloping you without you realizing what was happening. It's not a campy, bloody type of horror, but a psychological one, one that I loved as I appreciated the subtlety of the writing. The twists and turns were definitely there and as such, I didn't know what to expect, but the same thing happening in the previous book I read by this author as well.  The biggest horror element in this book though, is the thought that this could be our future, our reality, and that scares me the most of all. 

 

Review: Black Tide by KC Jones

Black Tide

by KC Jones

Release Date: May 31, 2022

2022 Nightfire

Kindle Edition; 245 Pages

ISBN: 978-1250792693

ASIN: B09C4FXXXQ

Audiobook: B09NF2PCMF

Genre: Fiction / Horror / Science-Fiction

Source: Review copy from publisher

 

3 / 5 Stars

 

Summary

Mike and Beth didn’t know each other existed before the night of the meteor shower.

After a drunken and desperate one-night-stand, the two strangers awake to discover a surprise astronomical event has left widespread destruction in its wake. But the cosmic lightshow was only a part of something much bigger, and far more terrifying. When a set of lost car keys leaves them stranded on an empty stretch of Oregon coast, when their emergency calls go unanswered and inhuman screams echo from the dunes, when the rising tide reaches for the car and unspeakable horrors close in around them, these two self-destructive souls must find in each other the strength to overcome past pain and the fight to survive a nightmare of apocalyptic scale.

 

My Thoughts

Black Tide definitely had a lot of potential, and there were a lot of moments in the book that I really liked. I did think it would have worked better as a novella as certain scenes tended to drag and I did not see the purpose of adding a kid, Natalie, to the story, except as a way of getting them off the beach which seemed like a weak plot point to me.  I really enjoy seeing authors put a different twist on cosmic horror so it was nice to read about something that is not the usual, typical zombie apocalypse fare.  

 

I thought the characters were actually the weakest part of the book.  Beth did grow on me towards the end, but that isn't saying much as I found her very annoying for the first half of the book; it was difficult to develop empathy for her when you listened to her whining inner monologue. I don't mind it when the main character is a bit of a mess as they can be very interesting to read about and makes room for a lot of character development, but I felt like the author tried too hard to make her seem that way and it came off poorly. I did like Mike and thought his job as a film producer was interesting, but he was sort of lost in the maelstrom of Beth's emotions and thoughts so I never really felt like I got to know his character very well.  Jake, the dog, my favourite character!!

I did think the plot was interesting, and I like the fact that neither Mike nor Beth had any idea about what was happening, therefore the reader had to learn with the characters.  Both Mike and Beth were dealing with personal issues (Mike grieving the loss of his wife, Beth just being Beth), so when they arrived at the beach, they were completely taken unaware and caught unprepared.  I personally loved it that Beth didn't pack very well for a picnic which left the two of them in a difficult situation when they finally realized they were in a dangerous position.  No super hero main character to MacGyver the situation in this book.  I liked the reason for which the world ended and liked learning about the aliens as the characters learned about them. To be honest, I am still not sure I understand anything about them.

That being said, there were definitely some things that I don't think added to the tension. The addition of Natalie, the young girl, felt like the author couldn't think up any more unbelievable ways to get the couple off the beach so this solution was the only viable one.  In a book full of unbelievable events, why does this one matter? I can't explain it other than it made me roll my eyes and just didn't seem to fit into the story.  And the sex scene stuck right in the middle here? Really? You are injured, with little water, stuck on a beach with aliens, and that's what you are thinking about?  Sure, makes sense.  

Verdict

Black Tide had some good moments that were full of tension; having two people trapped on a beach with the rising tide and a bunch of aliens can definitely be tricky.  There were quite a few unbelievable moments, but I went with it because it was interesting. It did seem like the author changed focus partway into the book and decided upon a different course of action and the ending definitely feels like there could be potential for a sequel.  I would definitely be interested in learning more about these aliens and following Mike and Beth on further adventures.