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The Hyperspace Trap
Christopher G. Nuttall’s novel of human fear and survival, set in the thrilling world of his Angel in the Whirlwind series.
A year after the Commonwealth won the war with the Theocracy, the interstellar cruise liner Supreme is on its maiden voyage, carrying a host of aristocrats thrilled to be sharing in a wondrous adventure among the stars. The passengers include the owner and his daughters, Angela and Nancy. Growing up with all the luxuries in the world, neither sister has ever known true struggle, but that all changes when a collision with a pirate ship leaves the cruiser powerless and becalmed in hyperspace. And they’re not alone.
Now, the mysterious force that’s living on this floating graveyard is coming for Supreme’s crew and passengers. As madness starts to tear at their minds, they must fight to survive in a strange alien realm.
And there’s no way out…
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First published February 27, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
May 16, 2019
This might be a new series being launched from the Whirlwind Series. In this story we have a luxury Space Liner on its maiden voyage. A hyperspace trap is sprung by aliens and the story begins.
The book is well written. The basic idea of the story is ageless. I don’t think the story is up to the usual Nuttall standard. The owner of the ship and his two daughters are aboard the vessel and they are the key people in the story. Later in the book, the action is good. There was more foul language in this book than I can remember in all Nuttall’s other books. Ove all it is an interesting story.
I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. The book is thirteen hours and fifty-nine minutes. Jennifer Jelsema does a good job narrating the book. Jelsema is a new narrator for me. Jelsema is an actress, voice actor and audiobook narrator.
The book is well written. The basic idea of the story is ageless. I don’t think the story is up to the usual Nuttall standard. The owner of the ship and his two daughters are aboard the vessel and they are the key people in the story. Later in the book, the action is good. There was more foul language in this book than I can remember in all Nuttall’s other books. Ove all it is an interesting story.
I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. The book is thirteen hours and fifty-nine minutes. Jennifer Jelsema does a good job narrating the book. Jelsema is a new narrator for me. Jelsema is an actress, voice actor and audiobook narrator.
January 12, 2024
A Netgalley backlist title. The prologue did not inspire excitement — a tentacled being crawling through a spaceship. Why no excitement? Because the octopuslike alien sounded like Bob from next door. All the main actors in this story were humans. Humans defined by conservative, old-fashioned gender stereotypes.
A weird aristocratic setup. A destroyed Earth and hierarchical society after religious wars. A cruise ship that sounds like the Titanic. Rich people and the poor peple serving them. Very unlikable characters. One-dimensional clichees. Not that an aristocratic setting can‘t work. It‘s been done well by others, just not here.
Very simple writing style without depth. Very slow pace. Half of the book was set-up with nothing much happening. Based on the book blurb, I had expected horror in space along the lines of S.A. Barnes. Unfortunately, there was nothing of the sort. No suspense, just setup and society blabla.
The characters don‘t communicate like real people and not talking with each other like grown-ups is used as a vehicle to cause drama to further the plot. I really dislike this in romance novels and I didn‘t like it any better here.
Not recommend for anybody who reads Science-Fiction regularly. This is like a bad version of a Star Trek ripoff meeting Titanic or Downton Abbey, with antiquated gender roles written from a very cis-male white perspective, without humour, good plotting or decent suspense.
I skimmed A LOT. Normally I would have DNFd this, but I wanted to know what happens. As a horror novel this fell just as flat. Don‘t waste your time with this.
I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher or author through NetGalley. All opinions are my own and I was not required to give a positive review.
A weird aristocratic setup. A destroyed Earth and hierarchical society after religious wars. A cruise ship that sounds like the Titanic. Rich people and the poor peple serving them. Very unlikable characters. One-dimensional clichees. Not that an aristocratic setting can‘t work. It‘s been done well by others, just not here.
Very simple writing style without depth. Very slow pace. Half of the book was set-up with nothing much happening. Based on the book blurb, I had expected horror in space along the lines of S.A. Barnes. Unfortunately, there was nothing of the sort. No suspense, just setup and society blabla.
The characters don‘t communicate like real people and not talking with each other like grown-ups is used as a vehicle to cause drama to further the plot. I really dislike this in romance novels and I didn‘t like it any better here.
Not recommend for anybody who reads Science-Fiction regularly. This is like a bad version of a Star Trek ripoff meeting Titanic or Downton Abbey, with antiquated gender roles written from a very cis-male white perspective, without humour, good plotting or decent suspense.
I skimmed A LOT. Normally I would have DNFd this, but I wanted to know what happens. As a horror novel this fell just as flat. Don‘t waste your time with this.
I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher or author through NetGalley. All opinions are my own and I was not required to give a positive review.
June 8, 2018
Aliens and dark imaginings!
OK! I do not want to see this book as a visual production--just too scarey in parts for me.
This new series is set in the same universe as the Angel in the Whirlwind series, after the Commonwealth has won the war against the Theocracy.
Basically we have your poor little, spoilt, rich girl (Angela) traveling on the equivalent of the Titanic's maiden voyage (the interstellar liner, The Supreme) along with her dysfunctional owner parents, her strange little sister (Nancy), her rather fierce governess, the rich and famous who can afford this voyage, and a host of sycophants, when the ship is forced by pirates into a hyperdrive vortex, that comes complete with a veritable graveyard of hundreds of dead alien spacecraft.
It seems a thing or somethings want to drain the energy and life force of people and ship.
Of course the alien whatever's take over human bodies in a brain/emotion overcoming vampire type move and suddenly there's willing acolytes ready to do the supreme type beings will.
How to get out of the situation is the question? The commander of The Supreme, an ex naval commander, has his hands full as he and his officers struggle to find a way out, even as his crew is tainted by the alien madness.
Things become interesting with Nancy as she confronts the consequences of her indolent lifestyle until now, and her sister Angela, born in hyperspace, who seems to be some sort of reluctant channel to the alien mindset. The inclusion of two ordinary crew members adds to the human face and interclass dynamics of the story.
A NetGalley ARC
(I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review)
OK! I do not want to see this book as a visual production--just too scarey in parts for me.
This new series is set in the same universe as the Angel in the Whirlwind series, after the Commonwealth has won the war against the Theocracy.
Basically we have your poor little, spoilt, rich girl (Angela) traveling on the equivalent of the Titanic's maiden voyage (the interstellar liner, The Supreme) along with her dysfunctional owner parents, her strange little sister (Nancy), her rather fierce governess, the rich and famous who can afford this voyage, and a host of sycophants, when the ship is forced by pirates into a hyperdrive vortex, that comes complete with a veritable graveyard of hundreds of dead alien spacecraft.
It seems a thing or somethings want to drain the energy and life force of people and ship.
Of course the alien whatever's take over human bodies in a brain/emotion overcoming vampire type move and suddenly there's willing acolytes ready to do the supreme type beings will.
How to get out of the situation is the question? The commander of The Supreme, an ex naval commander, has his hands full as he and his officers struggle to find a way out, even as his crew is tainted by the alien madness.
Things become interesting with Nancy as she confronts the consequences of her indolent lifestyle until now, and her sister Angela, born in hyperspace, who seems to be some sort of reluctant channel to the alien mindset. The inclusion of two ordinary crew members adds to the human face and interclass dynamics of the story.
A NetGalley ARC
(I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review)
February 10, 2018
Thank you to the publisher and author, Christopher Nuttall, for allowing me to read an advanced copy of The Hyperspace Trap. I received my copy through NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own and do not represent the publisher or author.
The Hyperspace Trap sounded like a perfect sci-fi read, but unfortunately it missed the mark for me. It reminded me a little bit of a space version of Titanic and sadly I did not finish this book, I read until about 50% before stopping. Unfortunately I found myself a little bored and had trouble with motivation to follow the story line. I found myself reading more so for the romance. I might pick the book back up in the future and try again, but at this time I would not recommend it to friends or family.
Side note: the cover art is AWESOME.
Blog
The Hyperspace Trap sounded like a perfect sci-fi read, but unfortunately it missed the mark for me. It reminded me a little bit of a space version of Titanic and sadly I did not finish this book, I read until about 50% before stopping. Unfortunately I found myself a little bored and had trouble with motivation to follow the story line. I found myself reading more so for the romance. I might pick the book back up in the future and try again, but at this time I would not recommend it to friends or family.
Side note: the cover art is AWESOME.
Blog
April 6, 2018
I received an e-ARC of The Hyperspace Trap by Christopher G. Nuttall from NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an honest review.
The Hyperspace Trap is set on an interstellar luxury star ship as it attempts to survive in the wake of catastrophe. It is actually quite a lot like Titanic, except set in space. I actually enjoyed the book quite a lot more than I expected to. I liked how multiple points of views from different social classes such as a Steward, The Captain and the daughter of a wealthy businessman were shown, as they tried to survive against incredible odds. The characters were pleasant and likeable enough, but mostly just unremarkable.
However, I did find it really hard to get interested in the story in the beginning. The first few pages were pretty technical and contained a lot of random name-dropping that had me totally confused. Once the actual story begin though, the book became a lot more interesting!
Overall, The Hyperspace Trap gets 4 stars from me.
The Hyperspace Trap is set on an interstellar luxury star ship as it attempts to survive in the wake of catastrophe. It is actually quite a lot like Titanic, except set in space. I actually enjoyed the book quite a lot more than I expected to. I liked how multiple points of views from different social classes such as a Steward, The Captain and the daughter of a wealthy businessman were shown, as they tried to survive against incredible odds. The characters were pleasant and likeable enough, but mostly just unremarkable.
However, I did find it really hard to get interested in the story in the beginning. The first few pages were pretty technical and contained a lot of random name-dropping that had me totally confused. Once the actual story begin though, the book became a lot more interesting!
Overall, The Hyperspace Trap gets 4 stars from me.
February 14, 2018
The luxury liner Supreme is off on its maiden voyage when the unthinkable happens. They are trapped in hyperspace and are not the first ones. With a passenger list that includes the very rich and the not so wealthy some lines are drawn with who can socialize with whom. Crew is there to serve, not socialize with passengers. Everything changes when the ship is trapped in a graveyard of ships many not even human. There are a lot of firsts here. First voyage, first time to see aliens ships, and first time a child born in hyperspace returns. There are voices, people going mad and crew working around the clock to get them out and safe. An tension filled story with an interesting ending. This is a stand alone but is in the same universe as several of Nuttall's previous books.
I received a free copy of the book in return for an honest review.
I received a free copy of the book in return for an honest review.
March 1, 2018
After the war described in the Angel in the Whirlwind trilogy, With the intrersteller economy on the rebound, the interstellar cruise liner Supreme is launched with it’s owner and family on board. The Supreme boasts the height of luxury for it’s first class passengers and enough firepower to maybe fight off one pirate. Her captain is ex-military an Her crew well trained. Unfortunately in trying to avoid three pirates, they fall into The Hyperspace Trap (paper from 47North ) that has captured human and alien craft for centuries. Christopher G. Nuttall tells an exciting tale of people rising to the occasion, and dealing with madness, not only outside the vessel, but also inside. The ending promises a sequel and I can’t wait for it. Review printed by Philadelphia Free Press
March 3, 2018
I really enjoyed this one, but if you are looking for foot-to-the-floor action from the first page, then this one isn’t for you. This is very much a gradual buildup where we get to know several members of the crew, including the captain, as well as the other main character, Angela, who is the owner’s eldest daughter. She is an interesting character as she isn’t particularly likeable, being rather spoiled and self-entitled which is in stark contrast to the two stewards we get to know who are working flatout to get the ship ready for the rich, demanding passengers. That said, I don’t particularly envy Angela either, despite her wealth, as it comes with major strings that she only begins to realise during the voyage.
Despite the slow build, I wasn’t remotely tempted to pull away as I found all the everyday details and worldbuilding around the rhythms of the ship fascinating. I particularly liked the long-suffering captain who is more used to serving with the military and is finding working with the civilian crew pandering to the needs of wealthy passengers a very steep learning curve.
When it all hits the fan and chaos ensues, I felt the long lead-up paid dividends as I was completely invested in a number of characters and genuinely cared about their fate. There were one or two characters who I would have liked to see more of – particularly young Nancy, although I am very much hoping this is going to be the start of a new series. In which case, perhaps she will feature in another book. Once the action kicks off, the nasty surprises just keep on coming as the hapless crew and passengers are assailed on all sides by a truly terrifying force. The climax is every bit as exciting and unexpected as you would want, with an intriguing twist that allows for this book to be the start of a new, enjoyable series.
This one is recommended for space opera fans who enjoy spaceship-centred stories. While I obtained an arc of The Hyperspace Trap from Netgalley, the opinions I have expressed are unbiased and my own.
9/10
Despite the slow build, I wasn’t remotely tempted to pull away as I found all the everyday details and worldbuilding around the rhythms of the ship fascinating. I particularly liked the long-suffering captain who is more used to serving with the military and is finding working with the civilian crew pandering to the needs of wealthy passengers a very steep learning curve.
When it all hits the fan and chaos ensues, I felt the long lead-up paid dividends as I was completely invested in a number of characters and genuinely cared about their fate. There were one or two characters who I would have liked to see more of – particularly young Nancy, although I am very much hoping this is going to be the start of a new series. In which case, perhaps she will feature in another book. Once the action kicks off, the nasty surprises just keep on coming as the hapless crew and passengers are assailed on all sides by a truly terrifying force. The climax is every bit as exciting and unexpected as you would want, with an intriguing twist that allows for this book to be the start of a new, enjoyable series.
This one is recommended for space opera fans who enjoy spaceship-centred stories. While I obtained an arc of The Hyperspace Trap from Netgalley, the opinions I have expressed are unbiased and my own.
9/10
April 28, 2018
I enjoy this author's SciFi and Space Opera, especially his works set in the Angel in the Whirlwind world. When I heard that this book was set in the same setting as the Kat Falcone books, I grabbed it. I had a little bit of a hard time starting this book as it started rather slowly with some boring politics, apathetic aristocratic wrangling, and stuffing a cruise liner. About half-way through this book, the action takes off and it gets very good - like impossible to quite reading good; making me stay up way past my bedtime.
As always Nuttall creates engaging characters whom the reader can invest in and that you care about. While the main female character Angela might have started out poorly (from a personality view - not materialistic) I still cared about what happened to Angela and did not want to see her die in a slow painful manner unlike some of the other characters.
I hope that Nuttall might write more stories about what brought the command crew, such as the captain to the merchant navy. I would also like to read more stories about Carla and her experiences prior to joining the Supreme's crew. I also hope that Nuttall might grace us with some short stories set after the marooned survivors live on their new world for a few years.
Being nitpicky, I think that the author should have chosen a different last name for the Falcon character (too close to Falcone) and for the main character, Angela. Unless the author was attempting to allude to the angel aspect of the story.
About my only complaint about Nuttall's writing is that his political views can be a little preachy and he goes overboard with his political dogma - even if I happen to agree with him. Very little preaching (at least from the author) in this book - thankfully.
As always Nuttall creates engaging characters whom the reader can invest in and that you care about. While the main female character Angela might have started out poorly (from a personality view - not materialistic) I still cared about what happened to Angela and did not want to see her die in a slow painful manner unlike some of the other characters.
I hope that Nuttall might write more stories about what brought the command crew, such as the captain to the merchant navy. I would also like to read more stories about Carla and her experiences prior to joining the Supreme's crew. I also hope that Nuttall might grace us with some short stories set after the marooned survivors live on their new world for a few years.
Being nitpicky, I think that the author should have chosen a different last name for the Falcon character (too close to Falcone) and for the main character, Angela. Unless the author was attempting to allude to the angel aspect of the story.
About my only complaint about Nuttall's writing is that his political views can be a little preachy and he goes overboard with his political dogma - even if I happen to agree with him. Very little preaching (at least from the author) in this book - thankfully.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 27, 2018
A copy of this review can be found at Book Ink Reviews.
Thank you to NetGalley, Christopher G. Nuttall, and 47North for providing this free ARC in exchange for an honest review.
While the blurb and cover sell this book as a fast-paced, traditional, action-packed science fiction, The Hypespace Trap is actually anything but. And once you get past that and accepted it, you realize the brilliance of Nuttall when it comes to the human condition.
The start of the book is slow, deliberate, and world building. We get to see the ship from three different but consistent viewpoints and even though it can seem repetitive because we get the same scenario from different POVs, I actually found it interesting to watch the subtle differences people perceived small and insignificant things like a party.
While the action didn't start until about 65% of the way through, the suspense was there. I had no doubts about the ending, and Nuttall didn't do anything fancy to hide it. He didn't shy away from realistic deaths as the spaceship started sinking in space, either. And though nothing was a surprise, again that wasn't the point. The point was that no matter how advanced humans become, it still takes very little time for us to become angry, aggressive, and primitive when hope seems lost and modern conveniences are stripped down to survival modes.
I liked it, I almost didn't finish it. But it is worth it if you want a book primarily focused on the human aspect in a space surrounding.
Thank you to NetGalley, Christopher G. Nuttall, and 47North for providing this free ARC in exchange for an honest review.
While the blurb and cover sell this book as a fast-paced, traditional, action-packed science fiction, The Hypespace Trap is actually anything but. And once you get past that and accepted it, you realize the brilliance of Nuttall when it comes to the human condition.
The start of the book is slow, deliberate, and world building. We get to see the ship from three different but consistent viewpoints and even though it can seem repetitive because we get the same scenario from different POVs, I actually found it interesting to watch the subtle differences people perceived small and insignificant things like a party.
While the action didn't start until about 65% of the way through, the suspense was there. I had no doubts about the ending, and Nuttall didn't do anything fancy to hide it. He didn't shy away from realistic deaths as the spaceship started sinking in space, either. And though nothing was a surprise, again that wasn't the point. The point was that no matter how advanced humans become, it still takes very little time for us to become angry, aggressive, and primitive when hope seems lost and modern conveniences are stripped down to survival modes.
I liked it, I almost didn't finish it. But it is worth it if you want a book primarily focused on the human aspect in a space surrounding.
January 10, 2019
I like the idea fueling this novel. Variations of it have been used a lot of times (on Star Trek and Dr. Who, for example, not to mention C.J. Cherryh’s Port Eternity) but it works. A galactic cruise ship filled with important people is stranded with a strange alien creature in hyperspace and we have to see if they’re going to be able to escape. Unfortunately, I almost didn’t get to this novel’s hook because the first quarter of the novel was overstuffed with story-establishing world and character building and not enough actual story. In fact, it was not until chapter ten that the novel caught my attention and I started to become genuinely interested in one of the storylines. Over the next fifty pages or so I began to become fully engaged with the characters and by midway through the book when the promised plot finally opened the story improved dramatically and I was hooked. If I been the editor, I would have suggested starting with chapter ten. Most of the information in the first nine chapters could have been dropped completely without any harm at all to the overall storyline. In disaster books where lots of people are going to die, you want to establish enough characters that it matters when bad things start to happen to them, but in this case, the vast majority of those people didn’t matter to me—or at least they didn’t matter by chapter ten.
So that’s the bad, but there is a lot of good here too. Once the hyperspace trap is sprung, the novel leaps forward with ever increasing excitement. Every character becomes valuable and it’s not clear who, if anyone is going to survive. Madness starts to take over the ship fueled by religious fanatics who think the trap houses the gods Perversely, this is the place where the author begins racing his plot forward when I wished he would have slowed down to explore the situation more fully.
So my final recommendation is this—hurry though the first nine chapters. Skip the middle ones if you must. But get to chapter ten however you can and start reading. Because the rest of this book is a ship load of fun and the stage is set for a promising sequel if Nuttal wants to write it.
So that’s the bad, but there is a lot of good here too. Once the hyperspace trap is sprung, the novel leaps forward with ever increasing excitement. Every character becomes valuable and it’s not clear who, if anyone is going to survive. Madness starts to take over the ship fueled by religious fanatics who think the trap houses the gods Perversely, this is the place where the author begins racing his plot forward when I wished he would have slowed down to explore the situation more fully.
So my final recommendation is this—hurry though the first nine chapters. Skip the middle ones if you must. But get to chapter ten however you can and start reading. Because the rest of this book is a ship load of fun and the stage is set for a promising sequel if Nuttal wants to write it.
April 26, 2018
I received a copy from Net galley in exchange for an honest review.
2 stars for Hyperspace Trap
Thoughts and Plot
Think Titanic in space and you pretty much have the plot line for Hyperspace Trap. One year ago the Commonwealth won the war against the Theocracy. Interstellar cruise ship Supreme embarks on her maiden voyage among the stars, carrying a whole bunch of rich people. (See, Titanic).
The owner and his daughters, Nancy and Angela are on the ship. When the cruise liner is hit by a pirate ship and left powerless within space the two girls experience what might be thought of as hardship for the first time. A mysterious entity feeds off of stranded ships crews and passengers. Insanity begins to leech into their minds.
It sounds awesome, right? Well it’s 397 pages long and the first bit is a whole lot of nothing…kinda like the first ¾ of the first VHS of Titanic (yes, I remember when it was on VHS). Titanic picked up as soon as it really started to sink and that guy hit the prop on the way down. No one hit the prop in this book.
The viewpoints were pretty consistent for the first ½ of the book and then we started seeing viewpoints from people who weren’t viewpoint worthy in the first half. As a result, I was a little thrown off and I felt like they were rushing to the conclusion. The world building was…okay. There were some redundant scenes that could have been edited out for a faster read. The middle slumped (in my opinion) and because there wasn’t much going on in the beginning, almost ¾ of the book felt slow.
In conclusion
As someone who primarily reads teen fiction and YA because of how fast paced they usually are, this book was…almost painful. Had I known it was going to be a space version of Titanic, I would have stayed away. I’m a probably a terrible person for saying this, but I don’t like the movie Titanic.
2 stars for Hyperspace Trap
Thoughts and Plot
Think Titanic in space and you pretty much have the plot line for Hyperspace Trap. One year ago the Commonwealth won the war against the Theocracy. Interstellar cruise ship Supreme embarks on her maiden voyage among the stars, carrying a whole bunch of rich people. (See, Titanic).
The owner and his daughters, Nancy and Angela are on the ship. When the cruise liner is hit by a pirate ship and left powerless within space the two girls experience what might be thought of as hardship for the first time. A mysterious entity feeds off of stranded ships crews and passengers. Insanity begins to leech into their minds.
It sounds awesome, right? Well it’s 397 pages long and the first bit is a whole lot of nothing…kinda like the first ¾ of the first VHS of Titanic (yes, I remember when it was on VHS). Titanic picked up as soon as it really started to sink and that guy hit the prop on the way down. No one hit the prop in this book.
The viewpoints were pretty consistent for the first ½ of the book and then we started seeing viewpoints from people who weren’t viewpoint worthy in the first half. As a result, I was a little thrown off and I felt like they were rushing to the conclusion. The world building was…okay. There were some redundant scenes that could have been edited out for a faster read. The middle slumped (in my opinion) and because there wasn’t much going on in the beginning, almost ¾ of the book felt slow.
In conclusion
As someone who primarily reads teen fiction and YA because of how fast paced they usually are, this book was…almost painful. Had I known it was going to be a space version of Titanic, I would have stayed away. I’m a probably a terrible person for saying this, but I don’t like the movie Titanic.
October 10, 2025
Set in the universe of the Angel in the Whirlwind series, this is either the first book in a series or a standalone. Since it was published 7 years ago, it's probably best to assume that there will be no other books here.
This is a first-contact/horror/romance story with a young, female protagonist. (It's a Nuttall book; nearly all of them have young, female protagonists.) At the start, a gajillionaire (it's fantasy money; let's use a fantasy term) is taking his super-dreadnaught-sized yacht on an interstellar trip with his family and hundreds of his closest hangers on. Then things get more complicated.
The plot is paced fairly well, though it takes a bit long to really get started. Once the main plot starts, it is suspenseful, and the challenges are interesting.
The characters are a bit caricatured: the uncaring rich father, the crusty old captain, the nanny with unsuspected depths, the spoiled rich girl, and the plucky servant. Several of those do get significant character development, and they're at least moderately sympathetic.
The conclusion to the story is unexpected and could reasonably be considered a cliffhanger.
Finally, I'll note that the audiobook narrator isn't particularly good. Her readings tend toward the stilted, and her idiolect apparently doesn't include pronouncing the second 'd' in "didn't", "couldn't", or "wouldn't". This was more of an irritation than a real problem, but I felt it worth noting.
Nuttall's writing shines at series length; many of his first books are a bit weak. From the way this was structured, I suspect that was his intent here as well. And this suffers from that first-book weakness. It was entertaining enough, and if this were the first book in a series, I might considered continuing. As a standalone, I can't recommend it.
This is a first-contact/horror/romance story with a young, female protagonist. (It's a Nuttall book; nearly all of them have young, female protagonists.) At the start, a gajillionaire (it's fantasy money; let's use a fantasy term) is taking his super-dreadnaught-sized yacht on an interstellar trip with his family and hundreds of his closest hangers on. Then things get more complicated.
The plot is paced fairly well, though it takes a bit long to really get started. Once the main plot starts, it is suspenseful, and the challenges are interesting.
The characters are a bit caricatured: the uncaring rich father, the crusty old captain, the nanny with unsuspected depths, the spoiled rich girl, and the plucky servant. Several of those do get significant character development, and they're at least moderately sympathetic.
The conclusion to the story is unexpected and could reasonably be considered a cliffhanger.
Finally, I'll note that the audiobook narrator isn't particularly good. Her readings tend toward the stilted, and her idiolect apparently doesn't include pronouncing the second 'd' in "didn't", "couldn't", or "wouldn't". This was more of an irritation than a real problem, but I felt it worth noting.
Nuttall's writing shines at series length; many of his first books are a bit weak. From the way this was structured, I suspect that was his intent here as well. And this suffers from that first-book weakness. It was entertaining enough, and if this were the first book in a series, I might considered continuing. As a standalone, I can't recommend it.
March 21, 2021
3.5 Stars rounded down
The luxury space cruiser Supreme is off on its maiden voyage. Along the way they'll be making numerous stops before arriving at their final destination. On the ship is the wealthy Cavendish family (Angela and Nancy Cavendish sisters), two stewards named Matt and Carla and the Captain, Paul. The trip is running smoothly until they are nearing their final destination. Chaos and anarchy rein free as Supreme becomes trapped in an unknown anomaly.
The pacing in this novel made it feel like the novel should be divided into two sections. The first 60% of the novel was slow as characters and the ship were introduced. There was very little action, but there was some suspense built up regarding Angela and her future. The rest of the novel followed Supreme and its battle to escape the anomaly. There was lost of action, battles, suspense and bloodshed.
The characters were one-dimensional and overall bland and generally unlikable. Nancy is a spoiled brat who thinks far too highly of herself. The author tries to make the audience sympathize with her by her forced marriage but it didn't work. Matt is obsessed with Nancy to an almost stalkerish level. I also have no idea why Matt likes Nancy either, they barely interact so their "love" is based on physical attraction alone.
In conclusion, this is an okay science fiction novel. The characters were bland and the pacing was off but they space anomaly was amazing. The author also did a great job of tying all the lose ends together for a satisfying conclusion.
Thanks to Netgalley and 47North for this ARC.
The luxury space cruiser Supreme is off on its maiden voyage. Along the way they'll be making numerous stops before arriving at their final destination. On the ship is the wealthy Cavendish family (Angela and Nancy Cavendish sisters), two stewards named Matt and Carla and the Captain, Paul. The trip is running smoothly until they are nearing their final destination. Chaos and anarchy rein free as Supreme becomes trapped in an unknown anomaly.
The pacing in this novel made it feel like the novel should be divided into two sections. The first 60% of the novel was slow as characters and the ship were introduced. There was very little action, but there was some suspense built up regarding Angela and her future. The rest of the novel followed Supreme and its battle to escape the anomaly. There was lost of action, battles, suspense and bloodshed.
The characters were one-dimensional and overall bland and generally unlikable. Nancy is a spoiled brat who thinks far too highly of herself. The author tries to make the audience sympathize with her by her forced marriage but it didn't work. Matt is obsessed with Nancy to an almost stalkerish level. I also have no idea why Matt likes Nancy either, they barely interact so their "love" is based on physical attraction alone.
In conclusion, this is an okay science fiction novel. The characters were bland and the pacing was off but they space anomaly was amazing. The author also did a great job of tying all the lose ends together for a satisfying conclusion.
Thanks to Netgalley and 47North for this ARC.
April 13, 2018
"The Hyperspace Trap" eBook was published in 2018 and was written by Christopher Nuttall (http://www.chrishanger.net). Mr. Nuttall has published 34 novels.
I received an ARC of this novel through https://www.netgalley.com in return for a fair and honest review. I categorize this novel as ‘R’ because it contains scenes of Violence, Mature Situations and Mature Language. The story is set in the far future. The Commonwealth has won the war with the Theocracy (the topic of earlier novels set in this universe).
A large cruise liner is on her maiden voyage. On board are many important and wealthy people. While attempting to flee from what are perceived as pirates, the ship is trapped in Hyperspace. As they try to recover, they come under siege by heretofore unknown creatures that live in Hyperspace. Power is being drained from the ship. The crew and passengers are beginning to suffer from the mental onslaught by the strange creatures.
Not only must the crew deal with the physical damage to the ship, but they must also contend with those that have lost their minds to the aliens.
I thoroughly enjoyed the 9 hours I spent reading this science fiction thriller. I liked this very different plot. No space battles, but a tale of survival with unknown forces. I have read a few other novels set in this universe and have liked them all. I liked the cover art. I give this novel a 5 out of 5.
Further book reviews I have written can be accessed at https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/.
I received an ARC of this novel through https://www.netgalley.com in return for a fair and honest review. I categorize this novel as ‘R’ because it contains scenes of Violence, Mature Situations and Mature Language. The story is set in the far future. The Commonwealth has won the war with the Theocracy (the topic of earlier novels set in this universe).
A large cruise liner is on her maiden voyage. On board are many important and wealthy people. While attempting to flee from what are perceived as pirates, the ship is trapped in Hyperspace. As they try to recover, they come under siege by heretofore unknown creatures that live in Hyperspace. Power is being drained from the ship. The crew and passengers are beginning to suffer from the mental onslaught by the strange creatures.
Not only must the crew deal with the physical damage to the ship, but they must also contend with those that have lost their minds to the aliens.
I thoroughly enjoyed the 9 hours I spent reading this science fiction thriller. I liked this very different plot. No space battles, but a tale of survival with unknown forces. I have read a few other novels set in this universe and have liked them all. I liked the cover art. I give this novel a 5 out of 5.
Further book reviews I have written can be accessed at https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/.
June 22, 2024
I was not that happy with how long it took to get to the action. But if you like a lot of character development, you'll love it.
The story: A load of aristocrats are taking a cruise in a space passenger liner. The selfishness of the aristocrats is apparent. They take sexual advantage of the staff, but one aristocrat young lady actually falls in love with a staff member, much to the consternation of her fiancée. Then they hit the "Hyperspace Trap" and spend the rest of the novel trying to figure out how to get out.
Any problems? The author seemed to think so. I recall the author mentioning THREE TIMES that the plot was like bad science fiction. One mention would have been considered a self-deprecating joke. Three mentions felt more like embarrassment.
The story reminded me of some Star Trek episode or two. That might be why the author was a little uncomfortable.
In any case, once the action started, I was happy. The ending was entirely predictable. (Again...it reminded me of a Star Trek The Second Generation movie.)
I doubt I will read this book again, but I enjoyed it.
The story: A load of aristocrats are taking a cruise in a space passenger liner. The selfishness of the aristocrats is apparent. They take sexual advantage of the staff, but one aristocrat young lady actually falls in love with a staff member, much to the consternation of her fiancée. Then they hit the "Hyperspace Trap" and spend the rest of the novel trying to figure out how to get out.
Any problems? The author seemed to think so. I recall the author mentioning THREE TIMES that the plot was like bad science fiction. One mention would have been considered a self-deprecating joke. Three mentions felt more like embarrassment.
The story reminded me of some Star Trek episode or two. That might be why the author was a little uncomfortable.
In any case, once the action started, I was happy. The ending was entirely predictable. (Again...it reminded me of a Star Trek The Second Generation movie.)
I doubt I will read this book again, but I enjoyed it.
November 10, 2019
Poseidon adventure
I'm hearing the refrain from "There has to be a morning after". I'm also reminded of the first Zane Grey book I read. Insignificant boy meets elite girl. Falls in love with girl. Loses girl. Wins her back, etc. There's also jarring inconsistencies like bodies floating around that were supposed to be in space suits. Everyone is aboard a cruise ship filled with royalty, with staff that act like exaggerated popinjays. Oh, and don't forget the boogeymen that want to take over your mind and eat your soul. The ship doesn't turn over, but it gets lost in hyperspace, and as everything goes from bad to worse we get these little vignettes as some catastrophe has to be resolved. The whole story is too ridiculous to swallow, but if this is your kind of fiction, have at it.
I'm hearing the refrain from "There has to be a morning after". I'm also reminded of the first Zane Grey book I read. Insignificant boy meets elite girl. Falls in love with girl. Loses girl. Wins her back, etc. There's also jarring inconsistencies like bodies floating around that were supposed to be in space suits. Everyone is aboard a cruise ship filled with royalty, with staff that act like exaggerated popinjays. Oh, and don't forget the boogeymen that want to take over your mind and eat your soul. The ship doesn't turn over, but it gets lost in hyperspace, and as everything goes from bad to worse we get these little vignettes as some catastrophe has to be resolved. The whole story is too ridiculous to swallow, but if this is your kind of fiction, have at it.
July 16, 2018
I received this free from NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review.
Set in the Angel in the Whirlwind universe this is very different from that series. Supreme, a luxury space liner, is on its maiden voyage and things do not go smoothly. Admittedly it starts slow, but it never bogs down into too much detail. The characters are well-fleshed out and you really start to care for some of them. There have been comparisons to Titanic and I suppose there are a few similarities, but they didn't really jump out at me. This is not strictly a sci-fi book, too me it is much more horror and there are definitely hints of zombieness, but it is a compelling read and I can't wait to find out what happens next.
Set in the Angel in the Whirlwind universe this is very different from that series. Supreme, a luxury space liner, is on its maiden voyage and things do not go smoothly. Admittedly it starts slow, but it never bogs down into too much detail. The characters are well-fleshed out and you really start to care for some of them. There have been comparisons to Titanic and I suppose there are a few similarities, but they didn't really jump out at me. This is not strictly a sci-fi book, too me it is much more horror and there are definitely hints of zombieness, but it is a compelling read and I can't wait to find out what happens next.
March 27, 2018
I have not read any of the books set in this world before and it states at the beginning that you didn't need too. I felt like I was missing something through the read, maybe the series the world is set in would make the book make more sense. It starts off very slow, lots of world building which I am interested in but it slowed the book down too much. The characters were forgettable. The world building shifted at the end of the book that was already dragging. The conflict was easy to see in and out, without much to go on. I wanted to like the book, the description sounded on the back.
March 6, 2018
I actually really enjoyed it. The writing is engaging, the pace is steady and builds slowly to the tense fat-paced climax. The ending left me wanting to know what happens next. This was my first Christopher Nuttall book, but I'll certainly consider reading more. Don't expect life changing - just good entertainment.
April 30, 2023
reviews
This is a fantastic novel ! l read some of previous novels Kats novels but this one was completely and wonderfully different. I thought that this novel could use a sequel but I realized that the novel shouldn't really have one. It is completely done. My thanks to the author. I quite enjoyed this novel.
This is a fantastic novel ! l read some of previous novels Kats novels but this one was completely and wonderfully different. I thought that this novel could use a sequel but I realized that the novel shouldn't really have one. It is completely done. My thanks to the author. I quite enjoyed this novel.
July 21, 2025
A solid three stars. The First Half was a long set up for the "thrilling" second half. I can give the book that much, I liked the second half a lot but the time it took to get there bored me.
There are some Adult themes in here but they are so small and ingsignificant that it really felt there was no need for them in the first place.
There are some Adult themes in here but they are so small and ingsignificant that it really felt there was no need for them in the first place.
July 6, 2018
I received a free copy via Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.
This was a real disappointment after having read several other of the authors books.
The characters were one dimensional / wooden and the story was boring.
I really struggled to finish this.
This was a real disappointment after having read several other of the authors books.
The characters were one dimensional / wooden and the story was boring.
I really struggled to finish this.
March 9, 2019
I am so over attempted rape as drama, particularly when it's used to make a naive girl grow up. Like, that's a narrative cliche that should die, particularly in the current culture. Might start dropping books for it to be quite honest.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 22, 2019
Having read and enjoyed the Angel in the Whirlwind series, it was nice to see a slightly different perspective in the same universe. I'd like to have read more about the events that are set up at the end of this book, so hopefully that will be covered in another installment.
April 7, 2019
Good action, but slow start
The book starts very slow. Nothing interesting is happening for literally first half of the book. The action starts once you get past 51%. Then it becomes interesting.
Good read, but could have been cut in half without any loss.
The book starts very slow. Nothing interesting is happening for literally first half of the book. The action starts once you get past 51%. Then it becomes interesting.
Good read, but could have been cut in half without any loss.
June 1, 2019
Believable characters are what make this a great read
I really enjoyed this book. It's a good old fashioned sci-fi adventure with memorable characters, family politics and an unseen, creepy enemy. Well worth a read.
I really enjoyed this book. It's a good old fashioned sci-fi adventure with memorable characters, family politics and an unseen, creepy enemy. Well worth a read.
June 18, 2019
Captured my attention all the way through
Not bad, not great but interesting and good enough to keep my interest all the way to the end. No hard sci-fi at all and a Titanic love story with a little bit of "Pitch Black" tossed in.
Not bad, not great but interesting and good enough to keep my interest all the way to the end. No hard sci-fi at all and a Titanic love story with a little bit of "Pitch Black" tossed in.
February 19, 2022
Good story well written characters
Enjoyed the story, painted a coherent picture of a universe in which humanity is exploring ever further. The characters followed their own arc of discovery both for good or bad.
Enjoyed the story, painted a coherent picture of a universe in which humanity is exploring ever further. The characters followed their own arc of discovery both for good or bad.
July 5, 2022
Slow start but eventually a gripping story.
This started badly with an unneeded prologue followed by a drawn out beginning. Once the ship was stranded it began to improve and eventually became unstoppable.
This started badly with an unneeded prologue followed by a drawn out beginning. Once the ship was stranded it began to improve and eventually became unstoppable.
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