This book promised the world to me as a sci-fi reader and didn't deliver anything.
All the characters are one-dimensional and underdeveloped. Nysus, for instance is a geeky guy. He sits all day in his room and "browses the forum threads" and that's all you'll ever learn about him.
The main character is the worst of them all. She is constantly on the verge of mental breakdown, suffering from an uncountable number of mental illnesses, stuck in her past, taking every opportunity to self loath over everything that can even remotely make her feel guilty. She is a Team-Lead (like captain, but lamer, I guess), who doesn't know anything about space flight. Every time she looks at some screen, she complains about not being able to "decipher abbreviations". Lady, how did you get your license?
I don't like the present tense narrating style. I get that it's supposed to immerse us into the story and feel like the things are happening right now, but it's not working for me when the author is describing the events that clearly have taken place in the past.
Another comment about the writing style (or maybe it's audio narrating's fault, or both) is that she tries to scare you by describing how the main character feels after seeing something scary. It's 2 sentences about the actual event that occurs (She saw a ghost in front of her. The ghost had blood all over it) followed by 3 pages of panicking and self-loathing from Claire.
The author seems to not care at all about describing the world or technologies they are using. To be honest, if you changed the setting from space to sea, nothing much would change about the book.
The romance element was so unnecessary and uncalled for. There is zero chemistry between the heroine and Caine (big guy that stands up for Claire every time someone hurts her feelings and she drifts off to some unrelated flashback from her messed-up childhood).
Verux corporation is just evil. That's the only thing that defines them. No description of any complex motives, nothing.
In general, I would say read it only if you are a big fan of the YA sci-fi genre and need something to quickly skim through without burdening your head..

P.S.
Take a drink every time:
1. Claire thinks she is incompetent/guilty/failed everyone
2. Someone "demands"
3. Someone "crosses their hands across their chest"
4. Something weird happens to Claire's heart, pulse, or skin.
5. Clair collapses to the ground because she sees something "in the corner of her eye"
6. "Something something something, or something something anyway" ( )

I haven't read a Sci/Fi novel in a long, long time so thought this one sounded like something I would like. I wasn't entirely wrong. It opens with a crew of workers who are finishing a maintenance project in deep space when they suddenly pick up a distress signal from the luxury liner, Aurora. This usually wouldn’t be too unusual except that luxury liner went missing twenty years ago, lost to the mysteries of space…that is...until now. Claire Kovalik, the head of the team makes the decision to investigate...and she and her crew enter the ghost ship. They find that after more than two decades of drifting in deep space, the Aurora’s life support systems are all offline, and its interior is littered with hundreds of bodies. They also discover that most of the cruise liner’s passengers appear to have died under very mysterious circumstances. Something strange and unimaginable happened here. Darkness and paranoia begin to close in. I have to say up until that point, this story was exactly what I had expected and had hoped it would be. As Claire and her crew explored the haunted ship filled with the dead, I thought it was very much like "Event Horizon"...creepy, atmospheric, with over-the-top tension. It was unfolding beautifully into an awe-inspiring experience that felt very much like watching a movie. Then, the second half changed. The story from here split into two separated timelines...the past and the present. The story lost a lot of the momentum. The pace came to an abrupt halt during, and it was simply impossible to see things quite the same and I started to lose interest as more of the intrigue was removed, and the plot began to feel a tad too "crowded" with the addition of corporate politics, pandemic themes, conspiracies, and even a touch of romance which seemed almost to have been an afterthought. The action and the thrills toward the end were okay, but they were having much less of an impact at this point. I didn't in anyway dislike the book, I just wish the author could have continued the vibe that it started out with. I couldn't quiet go with the 5-star rating that I started out with, but 4.5 is honest. If you enjoy sci-fi horror, then chances are you are going to love Dead Silence. ( )

“Dead Silence” by S.A. Barnes took me on a chilling journey through the depths of space aboard the eerie remains of the luxury space-liner, the Aurora. With elements reminiscent of both Titanic and The Shining, Barnes weaves a tale of suspense, horror, and psychological thriller that grips the reader from start to finish.

The story follows Claire Kovalik, the leader of a beacon repair crew, who stumbles upon a distress signal leading them to the long-lost Aurora. What begins as a potentially lucrative salvage operation quickly spirals into a nightmare as Claire and her crew encounter inexplicable horrors lurking within the ship's dark corridors.

Barnes expertly crafted an atmosphere of claustrophobia and dread that made me feel as though I was trapped alongside the characters in the vast emptiness of space. The tension steadily mounts as whispers in the darkness and unsettling phenomena plague the crew, keeping both the characters and me on edge.

One of the novel's strengths lies in its characters, particularly Claire, whose troubled past and unreliable narration add layers of complexity to the story. As Claire grapples with her own inner demons while facing external threats, I was drawn deeper into the mystery surrounding the Aurora and its gruesome fate.

The blend of science fiction and horror elements is executed seamlessly, creating a truly immersive experience that left me breathless. From its spine-tingling premise to its heart-pounding conclusion, “Dead Silence” is a gripping rollercoaster ride of suspense and terror that will linger in my mind long after the final page.

While some may find the pacing sluggish in parts, particularly during the middle section of the novel, the payoff is well worth the wait as the story builds to a crescendo of blood-curdling action and revelation.

Overall, Dead Silence is a must-read for fans of science fiction horror, offering a compelling narrative, memorable characters, and plenty of thrills along the way. ( )

(2021) Good Sci-Fi I learned about in a online review. A salvage vessel picks up a distress call from a 20 year-old derelict space luxury liner. All souls on board appear to be dead and when the crew starts to investigate, the ghosts of those who died haunt all including the Team Leader, Claire. GrimdarkMAGAZINE: It's been twenty years since six hundred and fifty people vanished on the very first and only luxury space cruiser, the Aurora. In one of the biggest space disasters in human history, an enormous spaceship and all its passengers seemingly disappeared from existence. Until Claire Kovalik and her crew find it. Once onboard, they realize a nightmare has awoken. A horror that once plagued the Aurora's maiden voyage is now repeating itself. Disturbing and chaotic, Dead Silence by S. A Barnes proves space is not so empty after all.Team Leader Claire Kovalik and her crew are meant to be the last human beacon-repair team upon completion of their current tour. Horrified at the idea of never returning to space, Claire is secretly thrilled when they pick up a distress signal far away from their rendezvous point. Her hopes are further elated upon discovering the abandoned Aurora. Claiming this lost vessel and its riches inside would allow her to buy her own transport company, if they can survive the horror awaiting them.S.A. Barnes created the perfect setting with the unspeakable tragedy within the Aurora while appreciating the vastness of space. The magnificence of the ship Aurora now turned graveyard creates a chilling ambience even before Claire ventures inside. As they search the ship, they realize something is warping reality and poisoning their perspective. Claire's team reports strange sightings and whispers. Claire is even more under its influence. Something is hell-bent on claiming them, but not alive. The setting is so powerful, Aurora becomes a character itself.Dead Silence is split between Claire narrating what happened once her and her team boarded the Aurora and present time in Verux Peace and Rehabilitation Tower. With missing gaps in her memory, she is incapable of distinguishing between real events and what she hallucinated. Her case file is already well documented with known psychosis and personality faults making her credibility further questionable. Since Claire is our unreliable narrator, we must make our own judgement of what truly happened on the Aurora.It is difficult to trust Claire Kovalik, which makes reading Dead Silence more unsettling. She is brash and sometimes immature. Her past traumatic experiences have made her somewhat reckless. Her overwhelming guilt as a survivor and near blatant disregard for her own life had deemed her unfit to lead. Her fears of being responsible for endangering her team feels genuine. Dead Silence is truly frightening because of Claire's perspective.Having the same feel as The Haunting of Hill House, this novel's strength relies on more than jump scares. Can we trust Claire Kovalik or did she lead her team to their demise? Dead Silence is psychological horror and hallucinogenic madness.

This creepy space titanic story was a very fun read. It was evenly paced, had interesting flashbacks, yet didn’t become confusing or have complicated timelines. I enjoyed it quite a bit ( )