A crew must try to survive on an ancient, abandoned planet in the latest space horror novel from S.A. Barnes, acclaimed author of Dead Silence. Space exploration can be lonely and isolating. Psychologist Dr. Ophelia Bray has dedicated her life to the study and prevention of ERS—a space-based condition most famous for a case that resulted in the brutal murders of twenty-nine people. When she's assigned to a small exploration crew, she's eager to make a difference. But as they begin to establish residency on an abandoned planet, it becomes clear that crew is hiding something. While Ophelia focuses on her new role, her crewmates are far more interested in investigating the eerie, ancient planet and unraveling the mystery behind the previous colonizer's hasty departure than opening up to her. That is, until their pilot is discovered gruesomely murdered. Is this Ophelia’s worst nightmare starting—a wave of violence and mental deterioration from ERS? Or is it something more sinister? Terrified that history will repeat itself, Ophelia and the crew must work together to figure out what’s happening. But trust is hard to come by...and the crew isn’t the only one keeping secrets.
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Combining claustrophobic science fiction settings with psychological horror, space horror stories set aboard isolated stations and derelict vessels have established a distinct presence in modern speculative fiction. Author S.A. Barnes achieved wide recognition in this subgenre with the 2022 publication of Dead Silence, a Goodreads Choice finalist that examines corporate corruption and hallucinogenic madness aboard a doomed luxury cruiser lost in deep space.
Born Stacey Ann Barnes in 1975 in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, she worked as a copywriter before pursuing a career in school librarianship. By day, she works in a high school library recommending reads, talking with students, and removing the occasional forgotten cheese stick used as a bookmark. Prior to adopting the S.A. Barnes pseudonym, she published numerous novels across young adult, romance, and mystery genres under the pen name Stacey Kade, authoring The Ghost and the Goth series and the Project Paper Doll trilogy. Earlier in her career, writing as Stacey Klemstein, she published The Silver Spoon in 2004 and its 2008 sequel Eye of the Beholder. Barnes resides in Illinois with a very patient spouse and more dogs and books than is advisable.
Barnes is recognized for crafting tight, atmospheric narratives that place isolated characters in high-stakes environments. Her science fiction horror works frequently probe corporate greed, psychological trauma, and survival in deep space, blending traditional horror tropes with realistic futuristic settings. Her broader bibliography ranges from young adult paranormal mysteries to dark academia romantasy, maintaining a strong focus on character interiority and suspense across different genre frameworks.
