Synopsis
The ISF Althaemenes was the first of its kind. A spacecraft capable of travelling the vast distances to other stars. But on its maiden voyage to Proxima Centauri, all contact was lost and its crew never returned.
Four years later, the United Earth Confederacy received the ship’s distress signal.
Captain Helene Cross and the crew of the ISF Apemosyne are sent to determine what happened, and if possible, rescue the wayward explorers. However, there is no response from the crew and the mystery deepens when scans show that the supposedly stranded vessel is in full working order, leaving Helene and her team no other choice but to board and investigate. Soon, a maddening presence begins to stalk their minds, influencing their actions, threatening their very survival.
The crew of the Apemosyne must discover the source of the madness and put an end to it if they are to have any hope of escape.
Review
I picked this up because I wasn’t really enjoying my other read. Aside from the book being connected to a series I’d already started and that it was a horror novella, I knew nothing about it. The fact that I’d enjoyed past books from the author was reason enough to buy and read it.
And it did not disappoint. Horror has been a mixed experience for me so far, but I really enjoyed how the first half of this book made me feel connected to the characters, gave me a good feeling for the setting, and had that creeping discomfort I’ve come to expect from space scifi stories that lean towards the dark side. I was hooked!
I won’t go into too much detail for the rest of the book because I don’t want to spoil anything, but I liked the sinister feeling of it and the [bleep] ending (choosing an adjective here would probably be spoilery too; suffice it to say, I liked it). I hope we get to see a connection to this in the rest of the series eventually!
If this is your first experience with this universe, definitely make sure to check out the main series! If you come with previous knowledge, make sure not to miss out on this one because it’s a great addition to the existing world building!
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