I found the story and world engaging with a smooth pace of reveals with no large info-dumps. This is not a long story but I enjoyed the characters and what seemed to be an opening to a larger universe. Hopefully, Mr. Bennett will revisit this setting. One note is that one more editing pass is required to catch some minor typos. ( )

i liked this book quite a bit, interesting plot, subtle character development and kept my interest

Very difficult to follow because the author's writing style is confusing. The plot made no sense. ( )

I found the world building in this novella to be fascinating. That said, it kept me wanting more. By the end, I felt like there was a lot left unresolved. I enjoyed the journey though.

Requiem for an Astronaut is a sci-fi novella brought to us through UK based indie publishing house NewCon Press. The story is set in a future world where mankind's adaptation of alien warp drive technology has led to unexpected results. Some of those results are assumed. Barely mentioned, they become part of the broken landscape of East City and the surrounds where the book takes place. But one result - the mysterious and ongoing appearances of a lost test astronaut floating down from above - is the book's backbone.

Thirty years ago Joan Kaminsky disappeared while piloting a test flight using warp technology based on the drive found in the White Ship, an alien vessel whose appearance and subsequent landing on Earth seem to have been unexpected and unexplained. Since Joan's disappearance Bart, one of the members of the team that prepared her for flight, has been searching for an understanding of what happened to Joan, and an explanation for her mystical, almost supernatural aerial reappearances.

Bart has become obsessed with finding answers, leading him to abandon his life in East City and to homestead in the lawless and barren countryside that is dominated by members of the Cult. From here he concentrates on his research into Joan while attempting to raise plants in the acidic soil.

One day a young woman appears at Bart's home following an attack on a nearby organ farm. Her appearance kicks off a sequence of escalating events that pull Bart from his seclusion and just may lead to answers to his questions of what happened to Joan.

I really enjoyed this story. Bennett strikes just the right tone with this dystopian sci-fi and noir adventure, and his writing style harkens back to some of the classic sci-fi of the 60s and 70s. An excellent choice for sci-fi fans in need of a quick fix. I give Requiem for an Astronaut Four Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐. ( )