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Cold Eternity
Cold Eternity, the newest space horror novel from the author of Dead Silence and Ghost Station, blends the dystopian dread of Severance with the catastrophic approach to AI from M3gan. Halley is on the run from an interplanetary political scandal that has put a huge target on her back. She heads for what seems like the perfect place to lay low: a gigantic space barge housing the cryogenically frozen bodies of Earth’s most wealthy citizens. The ship and its cryo program are long defunct, but Halley starts to think she sees figures crawling in the hallways, and there’s a constant scraping, slithering, and rattling echoing in the vents. It’s not long before Halley realizes she may have gotten herself trapped in an even more dangerous situation than the one she was running from….Also by S.A. Barnes: Dead Silence, Ghost Station. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
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First published April 8, 2025
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About the author
S.A. Barnes
6 books2,090 followersS.A. BARNES works in a high school library by day, recommending reads, talking with students, and removing the occasional forgotten cheese stick as bookmark. Barnes has published numerous novels across different genres under the pen name Stacey Kade. She lives in Illinois with more dogs and books than is advisable and a very patient husband.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 976 reviews
December 16, 2024
Atmospheric, creepy, eerie, chilling, and horrific! S.A. Barnes is queen of space-fantasy-spaceship books! I can always count on her to bring the thrills, the chills, and to provide the hairs standing up on the back of my neck feeling that I love. This book is oozing with unease and dread. Cold Eternity gave me the heebie jeebies. Can you imagine being on a spaceship, cut off from others, having to hit a button every three hours, and hearing strange small noises? S.A. Barnes brilliantly nailed the eeriness and loneliness of space, coupled with sleep deprivation, tension, and dread.
Halley has accepted a job on the Elysian Fields, a spaceship carrying the cryogenically frozen bodies of Earth's wealthiest and elite citizens. There she will do rounds and push a button every 3 hours in exchange for room and board and a small salary. She is happy to have the job as she is running from a political scandal.
Things take a turn when she thinks she saw something. But she is sleep deprived, and who hasn't seen something out of the corner of their eye to only have it be something else. Karl, the mechanic and man who hired her, says it was nothing, just a computer glitch...
This book played out like a movie in my mind. I loved the atmosphere, the trapped feeling, the unease, and the dread. I also loved the creepiness of Halley being on board a ship full of cryogenically frozen bodies. Creepy! The eerie vibe mixed with the mounting dread and tension had me feeling tense and on the edge of my seat. I had no idea where this book was heading or what was going to happen as Halley walked around making her rounds.
This book is a little bit of a slow burn but I did not mind it one bit as I knew that Barnes was building tension and dread while enabling readers to get to know more about Halley and the Elysian Fields ship. This book becomes more and more terrifying as the book progresses.
If you have not read a book by S.A. Barnes before this is a great book to start with. My favorite book of hers is Dead Silence.
Chilling well thought out, horrific, and atmospheric!
Thank you to Tor Nightfire and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com 📖
Halley has accepted a job on the Elysian Fields, a spaceship carrying the cryogenically frozen bodies of Earth's wealthiest and elite citizens. There she will do rounds and push a button every 3 hours in exchange for room and board and a small salary. She is happy to have the job as she is running from a political scandal.
Things take a turn when she thinks she saw something. But she is sleep deprived, and who hasn't seen something out of the corner of their eye to only have it be something else. Karl, the mechanic and man who hired her, says it was nothing, just a computer glitch...
This book played out like a movie in my mind. I loved the atmosphere, the trapped feeling, the unease, and the dread. I also loved the creepiness of Halley being on board a ship full of cryogenically frozen bodies. Creepy! The eerie vibe mixed with the mounting dread and tension had me feeling tense and on the edge of my seat. I had no idea where this book was heading or what was going to happen as Halley walked around making her rounds.
This book is a little bit of a slow burn but I did not mind it one bit as I knew that Barnes was building tension and dread while enabling readers to get to know more about Halley and the Elysian Fields ship. This book becomes more and more terrifying as the book progresses.
If you have not read a book by S.A. Barnes before this is a great book to start with. My favorite book of hers is Dead Silence.
Chilling well thought out, horrific, and atmospheric!
Thank you to Tor Nightfire and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com 📖
January 30, 2025
3.0 Stars
After reading this author's last two space horror novels, I have become wary of their work. The ending of Dead Silence was frustrating and Ghost Station was overall quite dry. Normally when I strike out with an author, I would give up on an author. However, as someone who is obsessed with the genre sci fi horror, I keep holding our hope for a new favourite.
Perhaps this is a symptom of my power expectations but I was fairly happy with the first half of this novel. I enjoyed a lot of the science fiction elements and found the story itself to be reasonably engrossing. Towards the second half, my warmed feelings cooled.
I find this author struggles to write a compelling climax and ending which feels particularly important in this subgenre. This one had a decent setup but failed to come together in a satisfying way.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher
After reading this author's last two space horror novels, I have become wary of their work. The ending of Dead Silence was frustrating and Ghost Station was overall quite dry. Normally when I strike out with an author, I would give up on an author. However, as someone who is obsessed with the genre sci fi horror, I keep holding our hope for a new favourite.
Perhaps this is a symptom of my power expectations but I was fairly happy with the first half of this novel. I enjoyed a lot of the science fiction elements and found the story itself to be reasonably engrossing. Towards the second half, my warmed feelings cooled.
I find this author struggles to write a compelling climax and ending which feels particularly important in this subgenre. This one had a decent setup but failed to come together in a satisfying way.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher
August 27, 2025
Cold Eternity is the latest release from S.A. Barnes, author of Dead Silence and Ghost Station. I always look forward to Barnes new books and this one did not disappoint.
This is another Space Horror novel and features a compelling protagonist, Halley, who after taking a remote assignment on an abandoned space barge, discovers there's more danger in the job than she could've ever anticipated.
In the very beginning, this was giving me light-Artemis vibes. I think mostly because Halley, the way we meet her and the things she was thinking about at that time, were reminiscent of Jazz, the MC in Artemis.
You can tell that Halley is girl with a complicated past, who is trying her best to stay clear of it. I liked how the author filled that in for us over time, and I truly became attached to Halley and her well-being over the course of the story.
She takes the job on Elysian Fields, a giant space barge housing a now defunct cryo program, thinking the remoteness and isolation will help her to avoid the things she's trying to avoid. Unfortunately, life on the floating crypt isn't as harmless as she thought it would be.
Constant disturbing noises, and mysterious moving figures, haunt Halley's days and nights. She finds it impossible to sleep, impossible to rest her nerve-rattled brain.
Karl, the only other human worker aboard, is just as puzzling as everything else about the Elysian Fields. Halley's thoughts race and ramble as she tries to make sense of her new surroundings. It's during this time that the Reader may begin to question how well they can rely on their narrator.
Learning about the Elysium Fields, its past, Halley's connection to it and its present iteration was so compelling. Barnes does the horrors of future tech so well, and this story is absolutely terrifying if you think about it for too long...
S.A. Barnes has really made a name for herself in the SF-Horror space. She does such an incredible job creating an ominous atmosphere in each one of her stories, as well as well-developed main characters.
I feel like some Readers may avoid, or be intimidated by SciFi stories, as they feel like they may be too science-heavy, or too high-concept, for them to understand, or be pulled in by. And while I can understand that inclination with many SF-books, I would urge you, if this is you, to give S.A. Barnes's work a try.
She makes her stories accessible to all types of Readers, whether you are a big-SF fan or not, I think you'll easily be pulled in by her work and find it enjoyable.
This story, in particular, is well within our range of current understanding as tech rapidly progresses around us every day. I could absolutely picture a world where a situation like this becomes a reality.
Stories of futuristic tech always get under my skin. I just find it genuinely frightening to think about. All the ways such developments could go wildly wrong. Reading about it, in fun works of fiction like this, provide me with a safe place to explore such concepts, and honestly, it does help lessen some anxiety around these topics for me.
That may sound silly, but it is one of the reasons I so enjoy this type of story, and S.A. Barnes is my absolute go-to author for gripping, realistic, futuristic SF-Horror.
This had a lot of unsettling moments, with a great creepy atmosphere throughout. Towards the end it did have some moments where it started to feel a little muddled for me, but overall, it was a great reading experience.
Thank you so much to the publisher, Tor Nightfire and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. I'll be anticipating whatever Barnes releases next!!!
This is another Space Horror novel and features a compelling protagonist, Halley, who after taking a remote assignment on an abandoned space barge, discovers there's more danger in the job than she could've ever anticipated.
In the very beginning, this was giving me light-Artemis vibes. I think mostly because Halley, the way we meet her and the things she was thinking about at that time, were reminiscent of Jazz, the MC in Artemis.
You can tell that Halley is girl with a complicated past, who is trying her best to stay clear of it. I liked how the author filled that in for us over time, and I truly became attached to Halley and her well-being over the course of the story.
She takes the job on Elysian Fields, a giant space barge housing a now defunct cryo program, thinking the remoteness and isolation will help her to avoid the things she's trying to avoid. Unfortunately, life on the floating crypt isn't as harmless as she thought it would be.
Constant disturbing noises, and mysterious moving figures, haunt Halley's days and nights. She finds it impossible to sleep, impossible to rest her nerve-rattled brain.
Karl, the only other human worker aboard, is just as puzzling as everything else about the Elysian Fields. Halley's thoughts race and ramble as she tries to make sense of her new surroundings. It's during this time that the Reader may begin to question how well they can rely on their narrator.
Learning about the Elysium Fields, its past, Halley's connection to it and its present iteration was so compelling. Barnes does the horrors of future tech so well, and this story is absolutely terrifying if you think about it for too long...
S.A. Barnes has really made a name for herself in the SF-Horror space. She does such an incredible job creating an ominous atmosphere in each one of her stories, as well as well-developed main characters.
I feel like some Readers may avoid, or be intimidated by SciFi stories, as they feel like they may be too science-heavy, or too high-concept, for them to understand, or be pulled in by. And while I can understand that inclination with many SF-books, I would urge you, if this is you, to give S.A. Barnes's work a try.
She makes her stories accessible to all types of Readers, whether you are a big-SF fan or not, I think you'll easily be pulled in by her work and find it enjoyable.
This story, in particular, is well within our range of current understanding as tech rapidly progresses around us every day. I could absolutely picture a world where a situation like this becomes a reality.
Stories of futuristic tech always get under my skin. I just find it genuinely frightening to think about. All the ways such developments could go wildly wrong. Reading about it, in fun works of fiction like this, provide me with a safe place to explore such concepts, and honestly, it does help lessen some anxiety around these topics for me.
That may sound silly, but it is one of the reasons I so enjoy this type of story, and S.A. Barnes is my absolute go-to author for gripping, realistic, futuristic SF-Horror.
This had a lot of unsettling moments, with a great creepy atmosphere throughout. Towards the end it did have some moments where it started to feel a little muddled for me, but overall, it was a great reading experience.
Thank you so much to the publisher, Tor Nightfire and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. I'll be anticipating whatever Barnes releases next!!!
October 1, 2025
Note to myself: before you self-diagnose with insomnia maybe try NOT taking a job on a shady ship full of bodies. That being said, spaceships and death?! Sign me in.
Want to read
November 7, 2024There might come a time in my life when I am tired of space horror.
But today is not that day.
But today is not that day.
July 27, 2025
girl I too have fallen in love with hot men from a century ago so I get it babe, I get it
August 10, 2025
Not your typical "haunted spaceship" thriller, S.A. Barnes's latest space horror novel "Cold Eternity" is a weird but fun blend of political intrigue, demonic/alien possession, sentient AI, and a diatribe on the ethics of cryogenics.
Halley used to have a cushy job in politics. Until she uncovered a scandal that would destroy her candidate. When her own team is out to silence her, she goes into hiding... aboard the Elysian Fields, a decommisioned space liner that she remembers visiting on a field trip as a kid.
The ship is now a ghost ship, home to thousands of cryogenically frozen celebrities who will never be resurrected due to the fact that cryogenics doesn't work. It's a dead technology, and the inhabitants aboard the Elysian Fields are all dead. Or are they?
Halley's job is simple. Walk the empty corridors and monitor the ship's basic functions. She's essentially alone on the ship, with only a lone caretaker who monitors the lower decks. His name's Karl, and she's only ever spoken to him via phone. The only other "inhabitant" is an AI named Aleyk. So why does Halley occasionally see shadows walking the corridors? Or feel that someone---or something---is watching her?
Barnes has proven herself as a great builder of suspense and a master of creating creepy goosebump-inducing chills. "Cold Eternity" is her third novel, and it certainly cements her reputation as the current leader in writing fantastic space horror.
Halley used to have a cushy job in politics. Until she uncovered a scandal that would destroy her candidate. When her own team is out to silence her, she goes into hiding... aboard the Elysian Fields, a decommisioned space liner that she remembers visiting on a field trip as a kid.
The ship is now a ghost ship, home to thousands of cryogenically frozen celebrities who will never be resurrected due to the fact that cryogenics doesn't work. It's a dead technology, and the inhabitants aboard the Elysian Fields are all dead. Or are they?
Halley's job is simple. Walk the empty corridors and monitor the ship's basic functions. She's essentially alone on the ship, with only a lone caretaker who monitors the lower decks. His name's Karl, and she's only ever spoken to him via phone. The only other "inhabitant" is an AI named Aleyk. So why does Halley occasionally see shadows walking the corridors? Or feel that someone---or something---is watching her?
Barnes has proven herself as a great builder of suspense and a master of creating creepy goosebump-inducing chills. "Cold Eternity" is her third novel, and it certainly cements her reputation as the current leader in writing fantastic space horror.
April 7, 2025
Womp, there it is.
I had thought GHOST STATION would be the exception but turns out DEAD SILENCE was; as in, it was the exception to what is turning about to be the rule when it comes to me and this author. I think we've broken up.
There was nothing wrong with this premise, and indeed it was what drew me in even after the disappointment of the sophomore release by this author, but I found myself experiencing a story through the eyes of a character I found very lackluster, who also bore similar resemblance (or at least her backstory did) to the last character this author featured, and whereas this at least did run horror instead of mystery it was just.. kind of ridiculous?
Basically, to come straight to the point, this just didn't feel well put together. The elements were all there to make this compelling but the execution just failed.
Sadly I don't think I'll be picking up another Barnes which means I'll be trying to find a new author to fill this space horror sized hole in my life.
** I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. **
---
This review can also be found at A Take From Two Cities.
I had thought GHOST STATION would be the exception but turns out DEAD SILENCE was; as in, it was the exception to what is turning about to be the rule when it comes to me and this author. I think we've broken up.
There was nothing wrong with this premise, and indeed it was what drew me in even after the disappointment of the sophomore release by this author, but I found myself experiencing a story through the eyes of a character I found very lackluster, who also bore similar resemblance (or at least her backstory did) to the last character this author featured, and whereas this at least did run horror instead of mystery it was just.. kind of ridiculous?
Basically, to come straight to the point, this just didn't feel well put together. The elements were all there to make this compelling but the execution just failed.
Sadly I don't think I'll be picking up another Barnes which means I'll be trying to find a new author to fill this space horror sized hole in my life.
** I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. **
---
This review can also be found at A Take From Two Cities.
Want to read
December 4, 2024DID I RECEIVE A COPY OF THIS IN THE MAIL BECAUSE I WON A GIVEAWAY AND DIDN'T KNOW IT???
YES! MERRY EARLY CHRISTMAS PRESENT TO ME!
Another book by S.A. Barnes?? Sign me up!
YES! MERRY EARLY CHRISTMAS PRESENT TO ME!
Another book by S.A. Barnes?? Sign me up!
September 16, 2025
space horror has my entire heart always. this was creepy, atmospheric, and anxiety inducing in the best way. a super fun audiobook to listen to :)
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September 24, 2024
I love reading SA Barnes's books as autumn sets in, because they're INSANELY atmospheric. She writes space-set horror with a heavy touch of the paranormal, and while so far her books haven't broken above the 3-star barrier for me, I keep coming back because the premises are excellent and the writing is eminently readable.
Take this premise, which is brilliant. 26-year-old Halley Zwick - not her real name - is on the run from a political past which has left her with a lot of enemies. She needs a place to lie low, and to that end, she answers an illegal job posting: for a meagre sum, she'll be given food and board aboard the Elysian Fields, what's essentially a floating graveyard.
Centuries ago, the visionary businessman Zale Winfield purchased a former hospital spaceship and turned it into a storage facility for the cryogenically frozen bodies of the rich and famous. Although it's now accepted that such bodies can't be revived as they'd hoped, someone still needs to make the rounds on the ship and ensure everything's in working order. Desperate, Halley takes the job, even knowing that the only other living soul on board is a snarky mechanic named Karl. But, as the blurb makes clear, she soon discovers that she may not be as alone on the lifeless ship as she thinks.
So, the good: like I said, an excellent premise. I'm an absolute sucker for ghost ships and this is basically a ghost spaceship on steroids. Barnes's imagination is excellent and she has the slick, tigh prose skills to go along with it.
Her books often perform very well until the 60-70% mark, at which point an inevitable paranormal element kicks in. The paranormal element was particularly pronounced here and really sapped the horror of its atmospheric feeling, but until then she keeps you on the edge of your seat, breathless to see what Halley will do next. I didn't even mind that Halley doesn't seem to be the sharpest tool in the shed, because her desperation and vulnerability shine through.
A good book to read to break you of a reading slump, and very well-suited to a dreary September day.
September 4, 2025
Rating: 3.5 stars
Hiding out, and "working", on an almost-forgotten, semi-derelict cryogenic space-barge seemed like a good idea at the time. That was before the sleep deprivation and the hallucinations... or what Halley really hoped were hallucinations. This novel was not nearly as creepy or terrifying as the author's previous two horror novels. There was just something missing. The sense of impending doom just wasn't as pervasive this time. Also, the parts with the main character's background were just not that interesting and kept interfering with the chilling atmosphere of the cryogenic space-barge setting. The plot was also a bit predictable - it was either going to be None the less, still an entertaining read.
Hiding out, and "working", on an almost-forgotten, semi-derelict cryogenic space-barge seemed like a good idea at the time. That was before the sleep deprivation and the hallucinations... or what Halley really hoped were hallucinations. This novel was not nearly as creepy or terrifying as the author's previous two horror novels. There was just something missing. The sense of impending doom just wasn't as pervasive this time. Also, the parts with the main character's background were just not that interesting and kept interfering with the chilling atmosphere of the cryogenic space-barge setting. The plot was also a bit predictable - it was either going to be None the less, still an entertaining read.
December 24, 2025
Delightfully creepy! Another hit from S.A. Barnes, although I think her two previous books are still my favorites.
I really enjoyed discovering the spaceship and its backstory in the first half of the book, while increasingly unsettling things happened around the oblivious main character.
Also when the mystery is finally explained, really worked for me.
I thought the ending was over explained and also a bit anticlimactic, but overall I had a good time reading this one.
I really enjoyed discovering the spaceship and its backstory in the first half of the book, while increasingly unsettling things happened around the oblivious main character.
Also when the mystery is finally explained, really worked for me.
I thought the ending was over explained and also a bit anticlimactic, but overall I had a good time reading this one.
November 1, 2025
A creepy, tense and atmospheric space horror.
This was my first time reading S.A Barnes and for the most part i was highly impressed.
The story follows Halley who is on the run from some dramas in her life. She takes a job which lands here on a ship (Elysian Fields) which has a cargo of cryogenically frozen inhabitants. Her duties on the ship are simple, press a button every three hour and also do some rounds of the ship.
From here things start to unravel as she notices some strange occurrences, has odd nightmarish dreams and hearing sounds in the walls. As you would probably guess, things slowly start to escalate from.
I've read a few space based horrors and often they have tended to miss the mark, but S.A Barnes has managed to create such a full bodied work in this novel. There are characters to both love and hate. She creates such a taut atmosphere which is intertwined with some political drama and the main characters personal dilemmas.
This book was like a melting pot of many horror elements, we have demonic and alien forces at play, plus the worst evil of all, humans!
Simply brilliant!! Check this one out!
This was my first time reading S.A Barnes and for the most part i was highly impressed.
The story follows Halley who is on the run from some dramas in her life. She takes a job which lands here on a ship (Elysian Fields) which has a cargo of cryogenically frozen inhabitants. Her duties on the ship are simple, press a button every three hour and also do some rounds of the ship.
From here things start to unravel as she notices some strange occurrences, has odd nightmarish dreams and hearing sounds in the walls. As you would probably guess, things slowly start to escalate from.
I've read a few space based horrors and often they have tended to miss the mark, but S.A Barnes has managed to create such a full bodied work in this novel. There are characters to both love and hate. She creates such a taut atmosphere which is intertwined with some political drama and the main characters personal dilemmas.
This book was like a melting pot of many horror elements, we have demonic and alien forces at play, plus the worst evil of all, humans!
Simply brilliant!! Check this one out!
September 2, 2025
Reviews for this author always seem very mixed; half of the readers love her stories and find them super creepy, and the other half find it disappointing. I'm in the first half, but what about you? I think it probably depends on just want you want out of your space horror.
This is the third book I've read by her, the others being Dead Silence and Ghost Station, and for me they've all been four stars. Creepy abandoned ships or stations, isolation, murder, things that go bump in the night. This time it's an abandoned space liner that was once a kind of crypt-museum; thousands of historic celebrities that chose to go into cryo-sleep in the hopes they would one day have the technology to wake them successfully... which never happened. So instead they were turned into weird, macabre museum exhibits. But the heydey of the Elysian Fields is long over and no one visits anymore, which is makes it the perfect place for Halley to hide out for a while.
If that isn't creepy enough, there's more. The genius who created the cryo program had three children, and their likenesses have been used as AI hologram "hosts" of the museum, and the holograms have begun acting strangely. There are glitches, weird sounds, and although Halley is supposedly alone on the ship, there's definitely something going on.
I thought it was a great piece of horror scifi, and a fast thriller to read. If you're looking for something more scientifically rigorous or you didn't like her other books, it might not be to your taste. But if you just want some creepy space ghosts, I think it's perfect.
This is the third book I've read by her, the others being Dead Silence and Ghost Station, and for me they've all been four stars. Creepy abandoned ships or stations, isolation, murder, things that go bump in the night. This time it's an abandoned space liner that was once a kind of crypt-museum; thousands of historic celebrities that chose to go into cryo-sleep in the hopes they would one day have the technology to wake them successfully... which never happened. So instead they were turned into weird, macabre museum exhibits. But the heydey of the Elysian Fields is long over and no one visits anymore, which is makes it the perfect place for Halley to hide out for a while.
If that isn't creepy enough, there's more. The genius who created the cryo program had three children, and their likenesses have been used as AI hologram "hosts" of the museum, and the holograms have begun acting strangely. There are glitches, weird sounds, and although Halley is supposedly alone on the ship, there's definitely something going on.
I thought it was a great piece of horror scifi, and a fast thriller to read. If you're looking for something more scientifically rigorous or you didn't like her other books, it might not be to your taste. But if you just want some creepy space ghosts, I think it's perfect.
August 24, 2025
"I'm not really the melancholic type, but limitless amounts of my own company, undiluted by anyone or anything else, seem to have that effect."
This was my first dalliance with a 'Space Horror' novel, as it were, and I enjoyed the book, particularly the chilling, isolated atmosphere, and the singular focus of the novel, although I found the backstories and tertiary events a bit lacking.
Cold Eternity is the story of Halley(or is it Katerina?) a neophyte political staffer who quickly found herself in over her head as a staffer for a political candidate who finds himself embroiled in controversy in a convoluted network of bribes, payoffs, and incited protests surrounding a particularly contentious election cycle(modern parallels maybe?). Halley is a convenient scapegoat, and rather than face the music/face the trials, she disappears, slumming it on a lowly space station floor, occupied by drug addicts and ne'er do wells, maybe the space equivalent of the Tenderloin in San Francisco...she finds an intriguing job posting on an illicit job board - a caretaker of sorts, on an antiquated spaceship that provided cryogenic spaces for the rich and famous, taken before their time. All the more convenient, as she needs to escape the public eye until the controversy surrounding her blows over. There is only one other employee on the floating cryogenic lab, which had its heyday a century ago, Karl; who, after a brief holographic interview, hires Halley to come aboard the Elysian Fields.
Much of our book takes place on the Elysian Fields, and there are really only two main characters: Halley, tasked with completing the rounds and confirming the presence of the 'residents' via a button that alerts the mysterious board of the company that owns the ship, and Karl, the mysterious mechanic(of sorts) that hired her. Queue the isolated nature, Halley has nobody to talks to, and finds herself sitting in the ostentatious rooms of the more well-to-do cryogenic residents, conversing with them, and over-analyzing all the creeks and groans on the ship(or is she?). She finds herself talking with the holographic AI performers from back when Elysian Fields was a tourist attraction, decades ago. Karl is mysteriously out of sight, doing Karl things, and we learn more about Halley, the political pratfalls she ran herself into, and her motivations for staying hidden. All the while, she is creeping toward something sinister aboard the ship...
Atmospheric is a great, but probably overused word when describing a modern horror novel, but goddamn, this one was pretty atmospheric. Modern-day mausoleums with cryogenic tombs, crumbling infrastructure aboard an isolated ship, the weird noises from all directions...spooky. Definitely did a great job of painting the picture of isolation, and all the details Halley feels.
I thought that where this book stumbled, for me at least, was the backstories, and middle-of-the-book stuff that precedes the crescendo of conflict(spoiler: it might involve creepy, immortal creatures who eat people). The political realm that Halley found herself in just didn't really do it for me, and considering that we only really have two active characters(not counting AI holograms and cryogenically frozen people), this really prevented me from feeling more invested in the book. Also, Karl was introduced as the mechanic, and I thought he was wasted space, as we don't learn much about him really until the novel has progressed pretty far.
I did appreciate that Halley didn't fall into the trope of being a super-genius military guru who can get herself out of anything, the human element adds to the creepiness in situations like the ones she finds herself in, doing the rounds on an abandoned spaceship full of dead bodies, etc.
Also, minor quib, but the twist, I figured it out pretty much as soon as you could figure it out. Not a huge thing as I don't mind a bit of predictability, but still lol.
Overall, a good read, definitely creepy and atmospheric all by yourself, aboard a derelict spaceship full of dead people. That being said, the lack of a compelling backstory and a few issues I had with the big conflict held things back a bit. 3/5
This was my first dalliance with a 'Space Horror' novel, as it were, and I enjoyed the book, particularly the chilling, isolated atmosphere, and the singular focus of the novel, although I found the backstories and tertiary events a bit lacking.
Cold Eternity is the story of Halley(or is it Katerina?) a neophyte political staffer who quickly found herself in over her head as a staffer for a political candidate who finds himself embroiled in controversy in a convoluted network of bribes, payoffs, and incited protests surrounding a particularly contentious election cycle(modern parallels maybe?). Halley is a convenient scapegoat, and rather than face the music/face the trials, she disappears, slumming it on a lowly space station floor, occupied by drug addicts and ne'er do wells, maybe the space equivalent of the Tenderloin in San Francisco...she finds an intriguing job posting on an illicit job board - a caretaker of sorts, on an antiquated spaceship that provided cryogenic spaces for the rich and famous, taken before their time. All the more convenient, as she needs to escape the public eye until the controversy surrounding her blows over. There is only one other employee on the floating cryogenic lab, which had its heyday a century ago, Karl; who, after a brief holographic interview, hires Halley to come aboard the Elysian Fields.
Much of our book takes place on the Elysian Fields, and there are really only two main characters: Halley, tasked with completing the rounds and confirming the presence of the 'residents' via a button that alerts the mysterious board of the company that owns the ship, and Karl, the mysterious mechanic(of sorts) that hired her. Queue the isolated nature, Halley has nobody to talks to, and finds herself sitting in the ostentatious rooms of the more well-to-do cryogenic residents, conversing with them, and over-analyzing all the creeks and groans on the ship(or is she?). She finds herself talking with the holographic AI performers from back when Elysian Fields was a tourist attraction, decades ago. Karl is mysteriously out of sight, doing Karl things, and we learn more about Halley, the political pratfalls she ran herself into, and her motivations for staying hidden. All the while, she is creeping toward something sinister aboard the ship...
Atmospheric is a great, but probably overused word when describing a modern horror novel, but goddamn, this one was pretty atmospheric. Modern-day mausoleums with cryogenic tombs, crumbling infrastructure aboard an isolated ship, the weird noises from all directions...spooky. Definitely did a great job of painting the picture of isolation, and all the details Halley feels.
I thought that where this book stumbled, for me at least, was the backstories, and middle-of-the-book stuff that precedes the crescendo of conflict(spoiler: it might involve creepy, immortal creatures who eat people). The political realm that Halley found herself in just didn't really do it for me, and considering that we only really have two active characters(not counting AI holograms and cryogenically frozen people), this really prevented me from feeling more invested in the book. Also, Karl was introduced as the mechanic, and I thought he was wasted space, as we don't learn much about him really until the novel has progressed pretty far.
I did appreciate that Halley didn't fall into the trope of being a super-genius military guru who can get herself out of anything, the human element adds to the creepiness in situations like the ones she finds herself in, doing the rounds on an abandoned spaceship full of dead bodies, etc.
Also, minor quib, but the twist, I figured it out pretty much as soon as you could figure it out. Not a huge thing as I don't mind a bit of predictability, but still lol.
Overall, a good read, definitely creepy and atmospheric all by yourself, aboard a derelict spaceship full of dead people. That being said, the lack of a compelling backstory and a few issues I had with the big conflict held things back a bit. 3/5
April 9, 2025
S.A. Barnes has a spectacular way of putting you right into a scene, no matter how terror-inducing it may be. And a creepy spaceship filled with bodies frozen in cryotanks is not a place most of us would volunteer to be. You feel each frisson of terror along with the main character as she grows increasingly paranoid.
Maybe she has a right to be paranoid, though—sometimes things really do go bump in the night.
This is great horror. Don’t read it at night.
My thanks to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.
Maybe she has a right to be paranoid, though—sometimes things really do go bump in the night.
This is great horror. Don’t read it at night.
My thanks to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.
October 2, 2025
’He walks at night’
Cold Eternity is the deeply eerie psychological science-fiction horror set on ‘Elysian Fields’, a long-dormant ship carrying the bodies of the cryogenically frozen elite. Here enters Halley Zwick, a disgraced former-advisor to one of the solar systems lead politicians, desperate to start a new life. The ‘Elysian Fields’ seems like the perfect place to lay low… that is until the noises of the ship start to sound a little too human.
After being very disappointed with Barnes’s first book, Dead Silence, I was hesitant at first with this one. With such an intriguing premise, would it live up to expectations or fall short? I’m more than happy to announce that this was, for me, a raging success!
Cold Eternity is a masterclass in atmosphere. Barnes describes the ‘Elysian’ in such a way that I pictured every inch of the ship. The wonderfully creepy sounds and splutters of the its mechanics and the uncanniness of the many frozen bodies, not to mention the disturbingly advanced, and human-like, AI renditions of the ‘Elysian’s’ designers’ deceased children, all added to an ambience that was next level in detail and presentation. The mystery surrounding the ‘Elysian’s’ designer, Zale Winfield, and the many strange happenings aboard the ship, led to a story that I was engrossed in from start to finish. I love how Barnes wrapped everything up in a satisfying but bittersweet way.
While I wasn’t overly enamoured by protagonist Halley, I appreciate the effort and importance Barnes placed on her backstory and life before entering the ‘Elysian’. Her paranoia and self-deprecating personality were both fitting of her setting and her character overall - a woman used to the political machinations of government and campaign-managing. Her actions were logical, and the way in which she came to conclusions realistic. I loved her relationship with Aleyk, one of the AI’s aboard ship, and with employer Karl. These snippets of conversation and interaction were key in such an isolated setting, and made for a welcome change in the narrative.
While not a book I would describe as scary, I did enjoy the antagonist and the long build-up to their reveal. It made it all the more effective, and all the more disturbing! The slow pacing of this book may not be for everyone, but it definitely worked for me.
Overall, Cold Eternity gets 4/5 stars. A book I would absolutely recommend for fans of slow-burn, atmospheric, sci-fi horror.
thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review! <3
Cold Eternity is the deeply eerie psychological science-fiction horror set on ‘Elysian Fields’, a long-dormant ship carrying the bodies of the cryogenically frozen elite. Here enters Halley Zwick, a disgraced former-advisor to one of the solar systems lead politicians, desperate to start a new life. The ‘Elysian Fields’ seems like the perfect place to lay low… that is until the noises of the ship start to sound a little too human.
After being very disappointed with Barnes’s first book, Dead Silence, I was hesitant at first with this one. With such an intriguing premise, would it live up to expectations or fall short? I’m more than happy to announce that this was, for me, a raging success!
Cold Eternity is a masterclass in atmosphere. Barnes describes the ‘Elysian’ in such a way that I pictured every inch of the ship. The wonderfully creepy sounds and splutters of the its mechanics and the uncanniness of the many frozen bodies, not to mention the disturbingly advanced, and human-like, AI renditions of the ‘Elysian’s’ designers’ deceased children, all added to an ambience that was next level in detail and presentation. The mystery surrounding the ‘Elysian’s’ designer, Zale Winfield, and the many strange happenings aboard the ship, led to a story that I was engrossed in from start to finish. I love how Barnes wrapped everything up in a satisfying but bittersweet way.
While I wasn’t overly enamoured by protagonist Halley, I appreciate the effort and importance Barnes placed on her backstory and life before entering the ‘Elysian’. Her paranoia and self-deprecating personality were both fitting of her setting and her character overall - a woman used to the political machinations of government and campaign-managing. Her actions were logical, and the way in which she came to conclusions realistic. I loved her relationship with Aleyk, one of the AI’s aboard ship, and with employer Karl. These snippets of conversation and interaction were key in such an isolated setting, and made for a welcome change in the narrative.
While not a book I would describe as scary, I did enjoy the antagonist and the long build-up to their reveal. It made it all the more effective, and all the more disturbing! The slow pacing of this book may not be for everyone, but it definitely worked for me.
Overall, Cold Eternity gets 4/5 stars. A book I would absolutely recommend for fans of slow-burn, atmospheric, sci-fi horror.
thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review! <3
April 8, 2025
"Death smells you."
Absolutely phenomenal! No one does creepy, isolated space horror like S.A. Barnes!
Right from the start, the audiobook pulled me in. This main character, Halley, is clearly in hiding and/or on the run. She's hoping for a job - one with no skills needed and a bit under the radar. It's out on a ship full of the bodies of those who were cryogenically frozen - waiting for a point in time when they can be unfrozen and (possibly) live forever. Or, at least, live again. In its current state, this ship is old - and is no longer the tourist destination it once was when it was first out in the space. She's there to hit a button and prove someone is there, protecting those that are frozen, watching over loved ones.
But once Halley arrives for her new job, it's jarring. The ship creeks, thumps and hums. She starts having terrible dreams and then not sleeping much. She keeps seeing things - old holograms, phantom bodies, things crawling. Is it the lighting? The sounds? Is she losing it?
I loved the mystery to it all. I never knew what to believe. I loved that Halley had been here before, in the tourist hay day, and could remember the times the ship was in better shape. Aleyk was an addition I didn't anticipate but absolutely loved. The horrors honestly were so creepy and frightening. The arm out of the mouth, the breathing, the clacking of nails on the floor - all things that added just such an amazing level of detailed horror and kept me freaked out while needing to know more. The conclusion was so satisfying and well-crafted. I absolutely loved this one! Highly recommend the audio - it was nice to have 2 narrators to break out the voices and really help draw the reader in!
A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.
Absolutely phenomenal! No one does creepy, isolated space horror like S.A. Barnes!
Right from the start, the audiobook pulled me in. This main character, Halley, is clearly in hiding and/or on the run. She's hoping for a job - one with no skills needed and a bit under the radar. It's out on a ship full of the bodies of those who were cryogenically frozen - waiting for a point in time when they can be unfrozen and (possibly) live forever. Or, at least, live again. In its current state, this ship is old - and is no longer the tourist destination it once was when it was first out in the space. She's there to hit a button and prove someone is there, protecting those that are frozen, watching over loved ones.
But once Halley arrives for her new job, it's jarring. The ship creeks, thumps and hums. She starts having terrible dreams and then not sleeping much. She keeps seeing things - old holograms, phantom bodies, things crawling. Is it the lighting? The sounds? Is she losing it?
I loved the mystery to it all. I never knew what to believe. I loved that Halley had been here before, in the tourist hay day, and could remember the times the ship was in better shape. Aleyk was an addition I didn't anticipate but absolutely loved. The horrors honestly were so creepy and frightening. The arm out of the mouth, the breathing, the clacking of nails on the floor - all things that added just such an amazing level of detailed horror and kept me freaked out while needing to know more. The conclusion was so satisfying and well-crafted. I absolutely loved this one! Highly recommend the audio - it was nice to have 2 narrators to break out the voices and really help draw the reader in!
A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.
December 20, 2024
Thank you to Tor Nightfire for providing me not only an e-ARC, but a physical ARC as well! You guys rule!
This was just great. Survival horror in space is my fav.
If you've loved S.A. Barnes' books in the past, you're going to love this one. It's got some of my favorite themes: "abandoned" space station, cults(???), creatures/aliens...I eat it up every time.
Wonderful, yet again!
This was just great. Survival horror in space is my fav.
If you've loved S.A. Barnes' books in the past, you're going to love this one. It's got some of my favorite themes: "abandoned" space station, cults(???), creatures/aliens...I eat it up every time.
Wonderful, yet again!
July 19, 2025
HELP YOUR COMMUNITY DONT RELY ON POLITICIANS
The turn of events has my jaw on the floor!!! The last page?? TEARS (I literally did not see this coming)
The turn of events has my jaw on the floor!!! The last page?? TEARS (I literally did not see this coming)
August 26, 2025
Loved, loved, loved the narrator for this story! Truly elevated it to the point I was lost inside the plot and filled with rising unease as it progressed. She was awesome!
Definitely try the audiobook out, I really think it makes all the difference in this case; I had started reading the ebook previously and couldn’t really get into it.
I really liked the main character Halley and her journey: navigating politics, hiding out from bad guys, trying to stay sane on a ship full of frozen bodies…
This is my favourite read from Barnes so far!
Definitely try the audiobook out, I really think it makes all the difference in this case; I had started reading the ebook previously and couldn’t really get into it.
I really liked the main character Halley and her journey: navigating politics, hiding out from bad guys, trying to stay sane on a ship full of frozen bodies…
This is my favourite read from Barnes so far!
May 7, 2025
Overall Rating : B
"They always tell you when you're lost to stop moving so searchers can find you. I'm hoping the opposite holds true as well."
Katerina/Halley is on the run after a huge political scandal breaks, with her in the middle. While trying to find a way to lay low until it blows over, she takes on a job as "button pusher" for the ship Elysian Fields, an old ship created to store cryogenically frozen people from centuries ago that were either sick or dying and wanted a way to stay alive until a cure was found. Now it just wanders through space, with glitchy AI, broken parts, and ominous sounds. Someone still needs to watch it though, so that's what Halley does for the caretaker Karl while he fixes it up. But something "other" is also on the ship, but by the time she figures it out, it might already be too late.
An okay book but it did feel like the plot was lacking something - Katerina's reasons for running away were very weak, and her whole personality just didn't click for me. And since she was practically the only character we interact with, I got pretty bored with her. But the horror part made up for the characters, with a solid story surrounding it with plenty of terrifying moments and with gore scenes that made me cringe and nauseous.
"They always tell you when you're lost to stop moving so searchers can find you. I'm hoping the opposite holds true as well."
Katerina/Halley is on the run after a huge political scandal breaks, with her in the middle. While trying to find a way to lay low until it blows over, she takes on a job as "button pusher" for the ship Elysian Fields, an old ship created to store cryogenically frozen people from centuries ago that were either sick or dying and wanted a way to stay alive until a cure was found. Now it just wanders through space, with glitchy AI, broken parts, and ominous sounds. Someone still needs to watch it though, so that's what Halley does for the caretaker Karl while he fixes it up. But something "other" is also on the ship, but by the time she figures it out, it might already be too late.
An okay book but it did feel like the plot was lacking something - Katerina's reasons for running away were very weak, and her whole personality just didn't click for me. And since she was practically the only character we interact with, I got pretty bored with her. But the horror part made up for the characters, with a solid story surrounding it with plenty of terrifying moments and with gore scenes that made me cringe and nauseous.
March 3, 2025
Middle of the road horror! There were some genuinely scary parts in this, and it scratched the itch I had for space horror. I found S. A. Barnes was ambitious and tried to do a lot in this book, and I'm not sure if it all translated as well as they hoped. After being a bit disappointed in their last book, I probably won't continue to follow their work.
April 26, 2025
My expectations were very low. I considered this to be the author's third chance to finally pull me in, but also third chance would be the last chance.
I can't tell if it was my having set the bar so low, or if it was just a good book. Either way, I liked it, and it was just good enough that I'll hang on a bit longer and see what her fourth brings.
I can't tell if it was my having set the bar so low, or if it was just a good book. Either way, I liked it, and it was just good enough that I'll hang on a bit longer and see what her fourth brings.
April 11, 2025
This could be movie I would watch on a friday night when I can't find anything to watch, so just click on a space/sci-fi horror and would absolutely love it.
May 24, 2025
After a major political scandal, Halley Zwick is on the run, hiding out less successfully than she needs. Low on credits, she accepts what seems to be a simple if low-paying, unimaginative job doing basic security checks on what she thinks is some kind of cargo vessel. But it turns out to be the Elysian Fields, an infamous ship full of cryogenically frozen wealthy and famous people from centuries before. The work of mastermind Zale Winfeld, the process was ultimately a failure, now leaving the ship as a former museum housing the frozen corpses. On board with just one other person, Karl, the man who surreptitiously hired her and who is forever clanking away in the lower decks, seen only on video screens, Halley almost immediately realizes something is up when she's sure she sees a naked body slithering on the floor. And then there's the AI of Winfeld's long-dead offspring who seems to be speaking directly to her. As she hopes the ship is her way to earn enough money to fully escape her pursuers, she soon discovers the ship may have worse things in store for her.
I love space horror, and this was a spectacular entry into the sub-genre. Tense and foreboding right from the start, the narrative never lets up from start to finish. While it begins as having an ominous and mysterious atmosphere, the latter parts ratchet up the heat, turning into a fierce cat-and-mouse action story. While there were one or two "secrets" I vaguely figured out early on, the book definitely went in extremely unexpected and unique directions. I'm not entirely sure how the drastic changes towards the end made me feel, as there were elements that a far cry from where the book seemed to be going. But overall, this was another fantastic read from S.A. Barnes, and I look forward to what she comes up with next. 4.5/5*
I love space horror, and this was a spectacular entry into the sub-genre. Tense and foreboding right from the start, the narrative never lets up from start to finish. While it begins as having an ominous and mysterious atmosphere, the latter parts ratchet up the heat, turning into a fierce cat-and-mouse action story. While there were one or two "secrets" I vaguely figured out early on, the book definitely went in extremely unexpected and unique directions. I'm not entirely sure how the drastic changes towards the end made me feel, as there were elements that a far cry from where the book seemed to be going. But overall, this was another fantastic read from S.A. Barnes, and I look forward to what she comes up with next. 4.5/5*
July 8, 2025
2.5 stars
This was just not for me.
After reading Ghost Station I was excited for this one because it seemed as if Barnes was really levelling up her SF horror skills, but this whole story just fell flat.
Halley was not a strong character. Her underlying motivations and backstory felt weak and were not well drawn, and that was the real downfall here. The idea behind the horror story was alright, but it just unfolded in such a weird and unlikely way and without a strong and believable main character to hold it all together.
I mean, think about something like Alien. A very straightforward story, but what makes it work even decades after it came out is that the characters are so strong, so believable, and the basic underlying circumstances all make sense. None of that is present in Cold Eternity and so the story just ended up feeling insubstantial and ultimately unsatisfying.
This was just not for me.
After reading Ghost Station I was excited for this one because it seemed as if Barnes was really levelling up her SF horror skills, but this whole story just fell flat.
Halley was not a strong character. Her underlying motivations and backstory felt weak and were not well drawn, and that was the real downfall here. The idea behind the horror story was alright, but it just unfolded in such a weird and unlikely way and without a strong and believable main character to hold it all together.
I mean, think about something like Alien. A very straightforward story, but what makes it work even decades after it came out is that the characters are so strong, so believable, and the basic underlying circumstances all make sense. None of that is present in Cold Eternity and so the story just ended up feeling insubstantial and ultimately unsatisfying.
March 17, 2025
SA Barnes writes some of my favorite sci fi books. And I’m not into sci fi at all, so it’s a high compliment that I always highly anticipate her books.
Barnes also does a great job writing approachable sci fi in my opinion. Sometimes I have trouble visualizing sci fi concepts, but this author describes things in such a way that it is easy to follow along.
Anyway, I was drawn into the story right away. Barnes does a fantastic job creating an ambiance that’s eerie at best and downright creepy at worst. The tension just kept mounting as Halley put the pieces together and the atmosphere got creepier and creepier.
Isolated on a spaceship that’s basically falling apart, Halley has to contend with all manner of things that just seem OFF for lack of a better word. This story had major vibes of FNAF (Five Nights at Freddy’s) so if you’re into that game, you’d definitely like this book.
The tension builds and builds and once everything was revealed, I imagine my expression looked something like this:
Or maybe this:
I honestly saw nothing whatsoever coming. I had a guess, but I turned out to be totally wrong. My only real complaint is I would have liked the book to be longer!
I would recommend this to anyone who likes sci fi and SA Barnes has definitely become an auto read author for me. I can’t wait to see what she’ll write next.
_______________________________
I wouldn’t have guessed that a sci fi horror would be my favorite book I’ve read so far this year but here we are.
Review to come.
Barnes also does a great job writing approachable sci fi in my opinion. Sometimes I have trouble visualizing sci fi concepts, but this author describes things in such a way that it is easy to follow along.
Anyway, I was drawn into the story right away. Barnes does a fantastic job creating an ambiance that’s eerie at best and downright creepy at worst. The tension just kept mounting as Halley put the pieces together and the atmosphere got creepier and creepier.
Isolated on a spaceship that’s basically falling apart, Halley has to contend with all manner of things that just seem OFF for lack of a better word. This story had major vibes of FNAF (Five Nights at Freddy’s) so if you’re into that game, you’d definitely like this book.
The tension builds and builds and once everything was revealed, I imagine my expression looked something like this:
Or maybe this:
I honestly saw nothing whatsoever coming. I had a guess, but I turned out to be totally wrong. My only real complaint is I would have liked the book to be longer!
I would recommend this to anyone who likes sci fi and SA Barnes has definitely become an auto read author for me. I can’t wait to see what she’ll write next.
_______________________________
I wouldn’t have guessed that a sci fi horror would be my favorite book I’ve read so far this year but here we are.
Review to come.
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