THE SCOURGE BETWEEN STARS | Ness Brown
04.04.2023 | Tor Nightfire
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
As acting captain of the starship Calypso, Jacklyn Albright is responsible for keeping the last of humanity alive as they limp back to Earth from their forebears’ failed colony on a distant planet.
Faced with constant threats of starvation and destruction in the treacherous minefield of interstellar space, Jacklyn’s crew has reached their breaking point. As unrest begins to spread throughout the ship’s Wards, a new threat emerges, picking off crew members in grim, bloody fashion.
Jacklyn and her team must hunt down the ship’s unknown intruder if they have any hope of making it back to their solar system alive.
The Scourge Between Stars is an excellent example of what makes space horror so great! From the start, this novella is claustrophobic and radiating feelings of unease. There is clearly something wrong, but what that wrong is turns out to be much more than I could ever imagine. Space is all about the great unknown and Brown captures that perfectly with their story featuring an intruder that kept me on the edge of my seat in suspense. Propelled forward at a lightning fast pace, you can’t help flipping the pages as fast as possible to know what will happen next.
Our main character, Jacklyn Albright, guides us through the chaos onboard the Calypso in a way that feels entirely realistic. There is panic, doubt, anger, and all the human reactions you would expect given the situation at hand. While the novella is short, Brown manages to add in a few secondary characters that are fully realized enough to add depth to the story.
If you’re a fan of movies like Alien, are fascinated by space, or just want to check out some space horror for the first time, this novella is for you!
This is a brilliant debut and I can’t wait to see what’s next for Ness Brown!
A huge thank you to Tor Nightfire for my gifted copy!
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