Dead Silence by S.A. Barnes (2022)An interstellar salvage crew comes across the Aurora, a luxury space liner that disappeared during its first voyage, and they soon find out that something terrible happened to the crew and passengers. This was a fun read! Books that take place in space always freak me out a little bit, and this was no exception. The story is told in a now-and-then format, with part taking place as Claire and her crew investigate the ship and part taking place in present day, after Claire is recovered from the "wreckage." It does get a bit gory at times, as Claire describes her findings, but the author definitely paints a very vivid picture of the luxury ship. When we finally discover the reason behind what happened, at first I was a little disappointed, but the more I thought about it, the more I liked it and actually thought it was disturbingly plausible. Claire is a bit of an unreliable narrator, and the many callbacks to her childhood got a bit dull. Overall, though, a creepy, very tense sci-fi story! 4 stars
An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth by Col. Chris Hadfield (2015)
After watching the first lunar landing as a child, Chris Hadfield knew he wanted to be an astronaut. Although he knew it was a near-impossible dream, Col. Hadfield's drive and determination led him to space three times, and in this memoir, he recounts what it took to get there and what he learned along the way. This was a really interesting read! If you have even a passing interest in space and astronauts, you'll probably enjoy this one. Hadfield describes his training and missions in a way that is easily understandable while never being dismissive of the intensity of either. For example, Hadfield would practice for months on Earth to complete one particular task in space. He has a unique perspective on life and lives by certain mantras that may seem counterintuitive to most people - it's important to worry about the small things (be prepared) and don't let your success always be determined by the end product (he wanted to be an astronaut but knowing how slim the chances of actually making it to space are, he wouldn't let it affect his self-worth). 4 stars
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Glad you enjoyed Dead Silence! I agree about all the childhood bits, it felt a little repetitive at times. I think The Chris Hadfield one sounds fascinating, I think I'll have to try to pick that one up! I love learning about space and astronauts and all that–it never really gets old, somehow. I actually recently read his first fiction thriller set in space (which I didn't love, haha) but I have a feeling I'll really like this one.
ReplyDeleteI didn't realize he also wrote fiction!
DeleteDead Silence is giving me Alien vibes. Glad it was a fun one for you
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sam!
DeleteDead Silence was fun, and she has a new book coming out soon I heard.
ReplyDeleteOoh, I'll have to keep an eye out for it!
DeleteThe second book is one I'd like to read. Thanks for posting!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome!
DeleteBoth of these sound intriguing! I'm not usually a fan of tense, creepy stories, but I'm still curious about Dead Silence :)
ReplyDeleteIt was a pretty good horror read!
DeleteI've seen some good reviews for Dead Silence so I'm glad to hear it was a solid read for you as well. The astronaut book definitely appeals to me, both for the descriptions of his training and for the unique perspective he brings to the table.
ReplyDeleteIt's really fun to read about professions that are so different from mine - it's hard to understand sometimes what goes into them!
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