Echoes of Silence: A Frontlines Novella

Frontlines

by Marko Kloos, Robin Kloos

When special operations Major Andrew Grayson and NACS Washington disappear without a trace during a clandestine mission to the Capella system, his wife, Lieutenant Colonel Halley, is left reeling. With Andrew's whereabouts unknown, she settles in for a long and agonizing wait as their lives together are put on hold.

This is Halley's personal journal, started shortly after Andrew's disappearance. It chronicles the highs and lows of her life without him as the silence of his absence stretches out over months and then years. The journal that begins as a reluctantly obeyed order from her military therapist becomes Halley's sounding board for her joys and fears, a record of all the big and small events that shape her life as she waits for Andrew to come home.

Author's Echoes of Silence is told in epistolary format. This is a collection of Halley's diary entries that cover the timespan of the Frontlines novels Orders of Battle and Centers of Gravity. To understand the references in this novella and to avoid spoilers, it's recommended to have read Orders of Battle (Frontlines #7) and Centers of Gravity (Frontlines #8) first.

Genres: Science Fiction

219 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 14, 2025

Reviews

[Keira F. Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you’re a fan of the Frontlines series’s, this one is a great piece of background, being written from Halley’s perspective as a set of journal entries.

Tough to discuss in any depth without a lot of spoilers as it’s concurrent to the last book in Andrew Grayson’s arc, but suffice to say it works, and some of the experiences of Halley left me in tears.

[Fred Nanson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well written but super boring and repetitive novella.
I was waiting for the story, any story, to eventually start but it’s just the day-to-day diary of a woman waiting for her husband.

[Resource3941 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Emotional journey rather than MilSF

Taking the form of diary entries, this is a holding pattern for the series, in which the protagonist waits and little happens except time.

[Stephen Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel a little mean only giving this novella three stars because I will always enjoy spending more time in the Frontlines world. And while this side entry did feel a bit longer than it needed to be and lighter on substance than I would have liked, it still had emotional moments that really worked for me. Seeing Halley trying to exist in a world without Grayson, while also refusing to accept that he could be gone for good, was genuinely touching, and her developing relationship with Chief and her own father was especially sweet.

The story does become repetitive at times too though, which may be more due to the journal-entry format than anything, but Marko Kloos is a great writer regardless, and I would still absolutely recommend this to any fan of the series.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novella by Marko Kloos is a daily journal written by the wife of the primary protagonist of the Frontlines story line who's lost far from home without any way to return or contact anyone. While he fights for his life along with the crew of the ship his wife writes this journal as her life continues without any news about him.

I found this short novel to be a poignant and heartfelt reflection on the trial of trying to cope with a missing spouse while one's life continues day by day. Having read all of the Frontlines novels the characters back stories and events from the previous novels did enhance the reading of this book for me but are not necessary to enjoy it.

[Pedro Marroquín · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un relato bastante corto a pesar de las 200 páginas ya que muchos capítulos tienen solo un párrafo. Está escrito en forma de entradas en un diario donde la mujer del protagonista escribe a su marido desaparecido en combate durante casi dos años como parte de una terapia para superar la pérdida. Vas viendo todos los cambios emocionales que conlleva esa pérdida, hasta que volvemos a conectar con el libro anterior. Al empezar a leer me pareció que era solo para completistas como yo. Pero poco a poco me metí en la historia (ya conocida) hasta asombrarme como me había llegado a conmover este relato. A

[Gerry Hartman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Sweet and Sentimental Story from the Frontlines Universe

This sweet story fills in the other side of the disappearance of the Washington from the point of view of LtCol Haley, spouse of Grayson, in the form of a journal, which works very well. The storyline is thoughtfully constructed and the collaboration of Robin & Marlo Kloos yields a story of great authenticity, especially from a woman’s perspective. Well worth a read - it was hard to put down! Well done!

A few typo’s here and there but not many.

Looking forward to more from the Frontlines universe!

[M J ROWSON · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think I've read everything that Marko has ever had published; I love his ability to make the fantastical real, tangible and believable. He can elevate futuristic scenarios by conjuring mundane detail.... yes OF COURSE that's what it would be like, how they would behave.

He does the same here, the problem is that in "Echoes of Silence" there's nothing else. It reads like a perfectly plausible journal of someone in Haley's position with all it's sentimentality, heartache and mundane detail. And it's.... really quite dull. People ARE dull a lot of the time, certainly diaries are. Very hard work to get through.

[Jason Linker · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent capstone for an excellent series

It was really nice to hear from these characters again know what Halley was doing during this time. I especially loved her with the Chief and her dad.

If there are any more books in this series, they should be prequels featuring the Chief.

The only reason this failed to get five stars is the desperate need for another editorial pass. I'll happily volunteer for any future writing!

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

not for me

I adore all of Kloos’ writing. This companion novella just didn’t do it for me. If you’ve read volumes 7 and 8 of the Frontlines series you’ll already know what *happens*. That leaves 70% of this book as Halley sharing her feelings of abandonment and loss, which lost its flavor about 15% of the way through. 15% of the remainder is her personal growth, which is mildly interesting. Overall, though, this wasn’t to my taste.

[angela boyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Nailed it.

So real feeling. Captured the waiting, anxiety, monotony, excitement, anticipation and hope I can only imagine military spouses must feel when there loved ones are absent. As a veteran, I can relate to the other side of the count but this really struck me as what my wife and countless others must have experienced. Add the outstanding backdrop of the sci fi world the author has created and this rounds out the story of these awesome characters. Very nice job!

[Matthew Ambrose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting Format

I enjoyed this book, but the format ended up making it my least favorite offering from Kloos. The letters to someone who couldn't receive them became a bit repetitive in both theme and content. This was understandable in the context, but made it a slog at times.

[Chris Kaufman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a perfect novella if you’re interested in filling in some gaps between Orders of Battle and Centers of Gravity, and you want further character development for Halley. I am so glad that this series has a happy ending, it really brought me joy to see characters I’ve known now for over 10 years have an uplifting sendoff.

[Tim Dees · Rating 5 out of 5]

As with the other Frontlines books, Kloos does not disappoint with Echoes of Silence. The novella is short on combat scenes and action, as the book is written in the form of a diary. It still does a great job of exploring the characters and the Frontlines universe, literally and figuratively. I've been hooked on this series from the beginning, and I await the next installment.

[Timothy Haggerty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful tale

Being a Navy veteran I made quite a few deployments to the otherside of the world. Back in the day the only communication you had with loved ones was just a letter you wrote each day. You had to number the letter because sometimes letter 10 would show up before 8 or 9. This story felt very real to me. Thank for writing it.

[William R Webb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charming different viewpoint

I didn’t realize this novella was necessary until I read it. For us dedicated fans it is refreshing to get Halley’s viewpoint and insight to her character. This work is a pleasing addition to the Frontlines collection, and I hope there are more.

[Gina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tear jerking and heart warming

I've bee following Andrew and Hallie for several years now. I couldn't ask for a better book to tie it all up. Andrew made it back. Hurray! Hallie is happy again!Hurray! This is a perfect way to end their story. Thank you Mr. Kloos.

[Gary S. Runyon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Important addition to the Frontlines story

I liked this novella and am glad I read it. It is an interesting perspective. Three quarters of the way through the book, I figured out the ending, but then I wanted to quickly read the rest to see if I was right.

[Rogier · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a huge fan of the format

This book does give some insight into what's happening on earth while Andrew is elsewhere, and I did enjoy that aspect of it. But I'm just not a fan of just reading letters, in a basically one sided conversation. At least, not for an entire book.

[Sean Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

phenomenal insert

This was, as expected from this fantastic author, a great read. This story serves as a great insight into Hallie’s life as Andrew is lost in the black of space. If you love the Frontline Series, do not pass this up.

[Allen McDonnell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Addendum

This novella fills in the missing three years from Centers of Gravity. It was good to see what was happening all that time while the Washington was stranded in the Lanky home system figuring out how to get back home.

[Simon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recent Reads: Echoes Of Silence. A novella companion to the last two main sequence novels in Marko Kloos' milSF space opera series. Written with his wife Robin, this is Andrew Grayson's wife Halley's journal that she kept while his ship was missing. A very different format, but one that works well.

[Tom Bateman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice addition to the series with a view from Halley's point of view after Andrew disappears aboard NACS Washington and is thought to be Missing-in-Action. We see what Halley goes through back home. Again, a nice, different addition to the series. Great read.

[Hiram Knickerbocker · Rating 5 out of 5]

filled in some pieces

I really enjoyed reading from haileys perspective. It felt like it finished her story. The end felt rushed and andrew focused. Now we get a cleaner end for Hailey.

[Brendan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one is a miss. It's an experiment and I feel that it largely fails. Despite the short length much of it was repetitive. And while I appreciate the novelty and some insight into what was happening during the events of the main series, I can't really say it was a great read.

[Liam Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautiful way to get back into this story and share the grief of loss and the joy of a comeback.

[Joe Jungers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed tagging along for Haley's journey while Andrew was galivanting around in book 8.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first I didn’t think this book was needed. It was. I loved Halley’s POV and it brought me back into their world. Their love story is very special.

[Janice Blau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic

This was another incredible read by Marko Kloos! I think I read it in less than a day. Anxiously waiting another!

[michele Shearin · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a joy ride!

What a whirlwind of emotions this story brings. Thanks for sharing this with us. Your books are great and fun to read.