What do you think?
Rate this book
Ten Little Astronauts
The U.N. Owen is adrift in interstellar space. With no lights, no life support, no help for ten trillion miles, it seems as though things can't get any worse. Then, they find a body.
Ten astronauts are woken from suspended animation to deal with a crisis on board their ship.
Selected from a crew of thousands, none of them knows any of the others: all they know is that one of their number is a murderer.
And until they work out who it is, none of them can go back to sleep.
A modern adaptation of Agatha Christie's classic "Ten Little Indians."
Ten astronauts are woken from suspended animation to deal with a crisis on board their ship.
Selected from a crew of thousands, none of them knows any of the others: all they know is that one of their number is a murderer.
And until they work out who it is, none of them can go back to sleep.
A modern adaptation of Agatha Christie's classic "Ten Little Indians."
112 pages, Paperback
First published December 13, 2018
12 people are currently reading
136 people want to read
About the author
Damon L. Wakes
28 books31 followersDamon L. Wakes was born in 1991 and began to write a few years later. He holds an MA in Creative and Critical Writing from the University of Winchester, and a BA in English Literature from the University of Reading.
Every year since 2012, Damon has produced one work of flash fiction each and every day during the month of July. He usually writes humour and horror, occasionally at the same time. Tackling so many stories with such a short word count has given him a knack for well structured narratives formed of tight prose.
When he isn't writing, Damon enjoys weaving chainmail. He began making chainmail armour ten years or so ago, but quickly discovered that there was no longer much of a market for it and so switched to jewellery instead. He produces items made of modern metals such as aluminium, niobium and titanium, but constructed using thousand year-old techniques.
Damon's other interests are diverse. He has at various times taken up archery, fencing and kayaking, ostensibly as research for books but mostly because it's something to do.
Every year since 2012, Damon has produced one work of flash fiction each and every day during the month of July. He usually writes humour and horror, occasionally at the same time. Tackling so many stories with such a short word count has given him a knack for well structured narratives formed of tight prose.
When he isn't writing, Damon enjoys weaving chainmail. He began making chainmail armour ten years or so ago, but quickly discovered that there was no longer much of a market for it and so switched to jewellery instead. He produces items made of modern metals such as aluminium, niobium and titanium, but constructed using thousand year-old techniques.
Damon's other interests are diverse. He has at various times taken up archery, fencing and kayaking, ostensibly as research for books but mostly because it's something to do.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
October 30, 2018
That was a very quick read, in part because of its length, but mostly for the incredibly high suspense throughout. The science was very interesting without becoming pedantic, and it did maintain a very Christie feel despite the setting.
Very nicely done, Damon. That ending, though... I'm mad at you.
Very nicely done, Damon. That ending, though... I'm mad at you.
October 24, 2018
“Ten Little Astronauts” by Damon Wakes is a reboot of the classic “Then There Were None” by Agatha Christie.
The place is space, outer space that is. Crewmembers aboard a ship in deep space awake to an alarm, knowing that something is wrong, terribly wrong. In the case of an “emergency,” ten were to be defrosted to correct any unexpected situations, but now there are eleven awake. Why? Who does not belong? In reality, there are not eleven, because someone is dead.
Everything is dangerous on board as the crew struggles with the urgent situation that is complicated because much of the equipment does not work on the first try or even at all. It was made by the lowest contract bidder, after all. Equipment and supplies just randomly float here and there, as do the little droplets of blood from the increasing number of dead people.
Behind all that protective gear, it is almost impossible to identify people accurately. Never the less, suspects are gathered and zip tied to keep them under control. Does this really matter? In deep space, escape is not really a viable option.
Scenes are technologically focused to give readers a sense of the isolation. The setting is a character in its own right. The chapters count down ominously, documenting the number of the crewmembers left.
“Ten Little Astronauts” is a worthy adaptation of the original. The tension increases the body count rises. There are secrets along the way and surprises at each turn. It is a quick read, which is good, because it is tough to put down.
December 7, 2018
That was quite a ride~! Read the rest of this novella in one sitting, because I couldn't stop. Everybody was suspect. And in some ways, everybody did have a hand in the slaughter, whether they were aware of it or not. The reason behind the real culprit's actions was shocking, but also really sad. It makes me hope that the last one standing will make a better decision and choose to continue than to abort this mission. Because continuing means that there will be bigger challenges ahead, and I will definitely still be onboard to read that story.
I also really liked where the story is set. And the conscientious details put into each turn to make the entire experience feel more real for the senses, instead of overwhelming for the mind.
Thanks, Damon for sharing this story with us, and to The Pigeonhole for letting us experience it. Wishing you both all the best on your next projects. :)
I also really liked where the story is set. And the conscientious details put into each turn to make the entire experience feel more real for the senses, instead of overwhelming for the mind.
Thanks, Damon for sharing this story with us, and to The Pigeonhole for letting us experience it. Wishing you both all the best on your next projects. :)
October 17, 2018
I enjoyed this novella. I haven't read the Agatha Christie novel it's based upon (but I intend to), so I missed many of the parallels that Damon used in his version. But his explanations and the insight into his research was fascinating.
Being a novella, there was not much in the way of character development, although there is, ultimately, some social commentary, which I found to be valid; maybe because it echoes my own sentiments.
The futuristic setting for the novella was realistic and the plot unfolded easily, although the solving of the murder really was more a process of elimination. However, the tension created by Damon kept me gripped to the story, and I'm sure I would have read it in one sitting had I not been given the opportunity to read it by the Pigeonhole, which releases its books in daily instalments.
Being a novella, there was not much in the way of character development, although there is, ultimately, some social commentary, which I found to be valid; maybe because it echoes my own sentiments.
The futuristic setting for the novella was realistic and the plot unfolded easily, although the solving of the murder really was more a process of elimination. However, the tension created by Damon kept me gripped to the story, and I'm sure I would have read it in one sitting had I not been given the opportunity to read it by the Pigeonhole, which releases its books in daily instalments.
October 18, 2018
Murder mystery in space isn’t something you’d normally believe would work, but somehow the author manages it! Great description keeps the tension going throughout, twists and turns galore. For me there was a lot of characters to keep track of where they were and what they were doing. The author did a good job at endearing you to a couple of characters, but the novella length meant you didn’t know them well enough to be shocked at their death, so as you had no investment in the characters you didn’t care if they died. It’s definitely one for a 2nd read through, and there’s plenty of grisly deaths to keep you hooked!
October 18, 2018
You’re trapped on a crippled spaceship as fellow emergency team members are picked off one by one. You’re running out of time to discover the murderer and repair the ship. This novella, which takes its general theme from Agatha Christie’s ‘And Then There Were None’, is mystery, action, and (for me) horror wrapped in a sci fi package. While the murderer is revealed through a process of elimination, there is a twist and a choice to be made at the end. My thanks to Pigeonhole for the opportunity to enjoy this short read. Recommended!
December 15, 2018
I read this book through The Pigeonhole. If you don’t want anything heavy to read and would like a novel that engages your curiosity as to ‘who done it’, this is the book for you.
May 3, 2019
A novella retelling of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, set aboard a spaceship headed for a distant planet.
Blair, an engineer, is one of 4000 people cryogenically frozen on a ship hurtling through space. He along with nine other people are awoken when the ship detects something that needs their attention. When they find a person who has clearly been murdered, they all soon realize that one of them must have done it.
It's bad enough that the ship is partially crippled, but now these crew members have to figure out who the murderer is among them. The story is quite short and moves at a fast pace, so there wasn't a ton of time for any character development or even build-up of the mystery. It was really more process of elimination as more people are killed, so that was a little disappointing. I wish the story had been more fleshed out, but I did enjoy the straightforward writing and the space setting, and the reasoning behind the murders was pretty unexpected.
Blair, an engineer, is one of 4000 people cryogenically frozen on a ship hurtling through space. He along with nine other people are awoken when the ship detects something that needs their attention. When they find a person who has clearly been murdered, they all soon realize that one of them must have done it.
It's bad enough that the ship is partially crippled, but now these crew members have to figure out who the murderer is among them. The story is quite short and moves at a fast pace, so there wasn't a ton of time for any character development or even build-up of the mystery. It was really more process of elimination as more people are killed, so that was a little disappointing. I wish the story had been more fleshed out, but I did enjoy the straightforward writing and the space setting, and the reasoning behind the murders was pretty unexpected.
November 9, 2019
Book 78/55: Ten Little Astronauts by Damon L. Wakes. Reading the foreword, I realized this was a book published and accomplished through Unbound, a website I've recently found to support another fellow author to get her own book published! The whole premise of the book intrigued me when I first bought it and I had to give it a go on this Friday night. A vibe similar to Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None (a personal absolute favorite!) and A Space Odyssey (HAL!), a creepy sci-fi mystery to go with my glass of wine is a perfect way to start a weekend. U. N. Owen, being the name of the ship, also a nice nod to the Christie work, the letter at the beginning of that novel being from who you realize to be named U.N.Own, a play on words. The author even brings it up that it was widely inspired by her work and I love it. This particular e-book also had a separate story at the end, also enjoyable and a mystery in itself called Six Years Stolen.
March 15, 2019
A nice, tight little mystery inspired by Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None (with the title offering a nod to Christie’s original title...), Ten Little Astronauts while short, is a taut, well paced read that will grip you from the very start. Researched to within an inch of actual space engineering, the whole tale is a very cinematic adventure that in a short space of time engages you with its characters, making their ends mean more than your average kill-a-thon.
With this, Damon L Wakes sets himself up as a storyteller of great talent, and one can only hope he dabbled in something longer form to wield his intelligent crafting of mystery narrative in future.
With this, Damon L Wakes sets himself up as a storyteller of great talent, and one can only hope he dabbled in something longer form to wield his intelligent crafting of mystery narrative in future.
March 27, 2019
(Disclaimer: I have internet-known Damon L. Wakes for years, since well before he even wrote this book. Also I supported it while it was crowdfunding, which makes for another potential layer of bias.)
There are two ways to read this book: on its own, or in comparison with Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None (which I read only after reading Ten Little Astronauts). There are some things it does better than And Then There Were None; there are some it does worse. Notably, while it's billed as a murder mystery, the pacing is so fast and the environment so immersive that there's really not a lot of time to think about whodunnit or come to one's own conclusions. A thoroughly gripping read, which leads you straight to the answer and isn't much good as an intellectual exercise.
On a similar note, the book is told in limited third person perspective. Blair's suspicions are not always correct - far from it - but there's little room to form an opinion other than his. On the whole: more of a murder-focused action-adventure than an actual mystery.
Depending on what you're looking for, that fast pace could be a bonus. A major point in its favour (in my opinion) is that, while it starts off with a whole lot of characters with names and jobs and suspect-potential and whatever else, there's no need to keep track of them all because they die off too quickly to matter, and the cast soon shrinks to a manageable size. It is a gripping read, the setting is thoroughly researched and imagined, there is tension, there are twists and turns aplenty. A semi-ambiguous ending adds a subtle hint of chooseable-path flair. Also there's a lot of blood and death and murder and stuff.
"Six Years Stolen", the bonus story, was also enjoyable though less to my taste. A pun wrapped in a Matrix reference, the story itself intrigued me less than the dystopia of its setting and conclusion.
Selling points: action-adventure IN SPACE; immersive; globules of blood floating around in zero-G.
Warning points: not actually much of a murder mystery.
There are two ways to read this book: on its own, or in comparison with Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None (which I read only after reading Ten Little Astronauts). There are some things it does better than And Then There Were None; there are some it does worse. Notably, while it's billed as a murder mystery, the pacing is so fast and the environment so immersive that there's really not a lot of time to think about whodunnit or come to one's own conclusions. A thoroughly gripping read, which leads you straight to the answer and isn't much good as an intellectual exercise.
On a similar note, the book is told in limited third person perspective. Blair's suspicions are not always correct - far from it - but there's little room to form an opinion other than his. On the whole: more of a murder-focused action-adventure than an actual mystery.
Depending on what you're looking for, that fast pace could be a bonus. A major point in its favour (in my opinion) is that, while it starts off with a whole lot of characters with names and jobs and suspect-potential and whatever else, there's no need to keep track of them all because they die off too quickly to matter, and the cast soon shrinks to a manageable size. It is a gripping read, the setting is thoroughly researched and imagined, there is tension, there are twists and turns aplenty. A semi-ambiguous ending adds a subtle hint of chooseable-path flair. Also there's a lot of blood and death and murder and stuff.
"Six Years Stolen", the bonus story, was also enjoyable though less to my taste. A pun wrapped in a Matrix reference, the story itself intrigued me less than the dystopia of its setting and conclusion.
Selling points: action-adventure IN SPACE; immersive; globules of blood floating around in zero-G.
Warning points: not actually much of a murder mystery.
April 18, 2022
This is actually two novellas in one - TWO stories! I was pleasantly surprised.
The first title story is a great space whodunit. I don't know that the Agatha Christie parallels work in its favor, since what the original And Then There Were None impressed on me was the twist and the characters, not the setup, and a novella doesn't quite have the space for either. (There were good twists in Ten Little Astronauts too, but if you've read the Christie novel, you know what I'm talking about. No spoilers.)
It might get a bit technical at times, but I'm a glutton for spaceships and murder, so really I enjoyed all of it.
But I actually enjoyed the second story more. It's a good sci-fi story with something to say. Also I've had insomnia and sleep trouble before, so I loved the idea of sleep as a foreign concept in the future.
The first title story is a great space whodunit. I don't know that the Agatha Christie parallels work in its favor, since what the original And Then There Were None impressed on me was the twist and the characters, not the setup, and a novella doesn't quite have the space for either. (There were good twists in Ten Little Astronauts too, but if you've read the Christie novel, you know what I'm talking about. No spoilers.)
It might get a bit technical at times, but I'm a glutton for spaceships and murder, so really I enjoyed all of it.
But I actually enjoyed the second story more. It's a good sci-fi story with something to say. Also I've had insomnia and sleep trouble before, so I loved the idea of sleep as a foreign concept in the future.
May 8, 2019
A space travel take on Agatha Christie's 'Ten Little Indians'. It was well done but the ending annoyed me.
Within this e book are also two short stories which are very good but are both bit weird but enjoyable.
Within this e book are also two short stories which are very good but are both bit weird but enjoyable.
December 27, 2018
Like a cross between 2001: A Space Oddysey and a game of Werewolf.
Unfortunately I'm not much of a fan of Werewolf, but the story here moves along at a decent clip with a generous serving of suspense and mystery.
Unfortunately I'm not much of a fan of Werewolf, but the story here moves along at a decent clip with a generous serving of suspense and mystery.
November 15, 2018
Interesting little who-done-it in the style of "and then there was one"
Set in space, it was an odd one for me. Not my usual choice of book although the genre is about right.
Even though only a short novella it took me a little while to get into and invest in but this may have just been circumstances rather than the book itself.
Still, the storyline was interesting and kept you guessing right until the end.
A bit more suspense than outright spooky but still a good little read.
Set in space, it was an odd one for me. Not my usual choice of book although the genre is about right.
Even though only a short novella it took me a little while to get into and invest in but this may have just been circumstances rather than the book itself.
Still, the storyline was interesting and kept you guessing right until the end.
A bit more suspense than outright spooky but still a good little read.
November 5, 2018
Read this novella courtesy of The Pigeonhole, it was a quick space romp via Agatha Christie's 'And then there were none'. It was clever, sharp and with cheeky nods to the original, I would definitely recommend reading this!
October 15, 2018
Much better written than expected. Read on The Pigeonhole app.
October 15, 2018
Different. and quirky
October 15, 2018
This is a quite short and quirky tale that is very much in the style of Agatha Christie but of the future.
February 3, 2019
Single Song Soundtrack for Ten Little Astronauts: “Maxwell's Silver Hammer” by The Beatles
This is another book that I received from Unbound. The author, Damon Wakes, pitched the novel as an Agatha Christie-style murder mystery set on a spacecraft a trillion miles from Earth. I was immediately hooked and supported the project without hesitation.
Ten Little Astronauts is set on the Owen, a large space-faring craft whose purpose is to ferry thousands of people to a colony world light years away from the planet we, currently, call home. The colonists and the crew are kept in suspended animation pods while the ships AI system pilots the Owen to its destination. If all goes according to plan, the vessel arrives at its destination, everyone wakes up and their new lives begin.
Except things rarely go according to plan.
The action kicks-off when an engineer, Blair, is roused from his suspension tank, an event which is quickly followed by the relentless klaxon of the ship's alarm system. In the weightlessness of space, Blair pulls himself to a control room and stumbles upon a grisly scene. A scorched computer console, fire extinguisher foam drifting about the space like tiny clouds, globules of blood also drifting about and a body with a axe stuck firmly in its back.
In short amount of time, 8 more crew members arrive to find Blair and a dead man. They know that in the case of an emergency, Owen (the ship) will rouse exactly 10 crew members who are best able to deal with the situation. With that in mind, these eight plus Blair know that someone in that room is a killer.
What follows is a fast-paced series of murders as the crew try to bring Owen's systems back online and figure out who is the culprit. The deaths happen in rapid succession and are often rather inventive. The effect of this is to create a lot of tension, which is compounded by the environment. There is no where to run. Escape is not really a possibility. The motives we discover are logical and the ending has a few surprises.
According to the author, Damon Wakes, he wrote this "for much the same reason that Agatha Christie wrote And Then There Were None: it was a challenge." I have to admit that I have not read the reference piece so I cannot judge Ten Little Astronauts against her work. I can only evaluate this novel on its own merit. And overall, I liked it.
It was fun but not without its faults. My primary issue with Ten Little Astronauts is the length. It's short. Around 100 pages short. In general, I have no problems with novellas or short stories. However, in this case, character development suffered. From reading a synopsis of Christie's work, I understand that ambiguity is intentional, but that should still allow for space to create characters we can empathize with, or an opportunity to create our own suspicions as to the identity of the murderer.
The ten astronauts in Ten Little Astronauts become a blur of names and I think that that is a shame. After picking the book up after not reading it for a couple of days, I had to remind myself of who was who. As an author, I don't think you ever want that.
All is not lost, though, Wakes has also included an earlier pieces of his, titled "Six Stolen Years". This story is set in a dystopian future London and follows a police officer who becomes a sleeper agent as he and a partner try to stop a cop killer. It is a world where no one sleeps due to a chemical they all take which allows them to stay awake 24/7. The protagonist is weened off the drug in a program that uses sleep as a way to infuse a fresh perspective on difficult cases. Hence the term sleeper agent...because he actually sleeps.
Six Stolen Years is a delight. It is why I give Ten Little Astronauts a 4 out of 5 rating. The world that Wakes has created feels alive. The characters are complex and well-developed. The story is engaging and very funny at times. It is witty and tense. I wish that Wakes had infused Ten Little Astronauts with the level of writing he demonstrates in Six Stolen Years. I do not doubt his talent as a writer and, on the strength of this work alone, I will be keeping an eye out for his next project. In the meanwhile, if you want a quick read that keeps you guessing until the very end, I do recommend Ten Little Astronauts.
Thanks for reading along and have a wonderful day!
Kev
This is another book that I received from Unbound. The author, Damon Wakes, pitched the novel as an Agatha Christie-style murder mystery set on a spacecraft a trillion miles from Earth. I was immediately hooked and supported the project without hesitation.
Ten Little Astronauts is set on the Owen, a large space-faring craft whose purpose is to ferry thousands of people to a colony world light years away from the planet we, currently, call home. The colonists and the crew are kept in suspended animation pods while the ships AI system pilots the Owen to its destination. If all goes according to plan, the vessel arrives at its destination, everyone wakes up and their new lives begin.
Except things rarely go according to plan.
The action kicks-off when an engineer, Blair, is roused from his suspension tank, an event which is quickly followed by the relentless klaxon of the ship's alarm system. In the weightlessness of space, Blair pulls himself to a control room and stumbles upon a grisly scene. A scorched computer console, fire extinguisher foam drifting about the space like tiny clouds, globules of blood also drifting about and a body with a axe stuck firmly in its back.
In short amount of time, 8 more crew members arrive to find Blair and a dead man. They know that in the case of an emergency, Owen (the ship) will rouse exactly 10 crew members who are best able to deal with the situation. With that in mind, these eight plus Blair know that someone in that room is a killer.
What follows is a fast-paced series of murders as the crew try to bring Owen's systems back online and figure out who is the culprit. The deaths happen in rapid succession and are often rather inventive. The effect of this is to create a lot of tension, which is compounded by the environment. There is no where to run. Escape is not really a possibility. The motives we discover are logical and the ending has a few surprises.
According to the author, Damon Wakes, he wrote this "for much the same reason that Agatha Christie wrote And Then There Were None: it was a challenge." I have to admit that I have not read the reference piece so I cannot judge Ten Little Astronauts against her work. I can only evaluate this novel on its own merit. And overall, I liked it.
It was fun but not without its faults. My primary issue with Ten Little Astronauts is the length. It's short. Around 100 pages short. In general, I have no problems with novellas or short stories. However, in this case, character development suffered. From reading a synopsis of Christie's work, I understand that ambiguity is intentional, but that should still allow for space to create characters we can empathize with, or an opportunity to create our own suspicions as to the identity of the murderer.
The ten astronauts in Ten Little Astronauts become a blur of names and I think that that is a shame. After picking the book up after not reading it for a couple of days, I had to remind myself of who was who. As an author, I don't think you ever want that.
All is not lost, though, Wakes has also included an earlier pieces of his, titled "Six Stolen Years". This story is set in a dystopian future London and follows a police officer who becomes a sleeper agent as he and a partner try to stop a cop killer. It is a world where no one sleeps due to a chemical they all take which allows them to stay awake 24/7. The protagonist is weened off the drug in a program that uses sleep as a way to infuse a fresh perspective on difficult cases. Hence the term sleeper agent...because he actually sleeps.
Six Stolen Years is a delight. It is why I give Ten Little Astronauts a 4 out of 5 rating. The world that Wakes has created feels alive. The characters are complex and well-developed. The story is engaging and very funny at times. It is witty and tense. I wish that Wakes had infused Ten Little Astronauts with the level of writing he demonstrates in Six Stolen Years. I do not doubt his talent as a writer and, on the strength of this work alone, I will be keeping an eye out for his next project. In the meanwhile, if you want a quick read that keeps you guessing until the very end, I do recommend Ten Little Astronauts.
Thanks for reading along and have a wonderful day!
Kev
April 10, 2019
As someone who has never read Agatha Christie's And then there were none, I could only expect that there was a murderer and that there were going to be bodies. And those expectations sure were met!
The book's main story, Ten Little Astronauts, kept me holding my breath as I read, unable to tell who was the murderer out of the group even when it grew smaller and smaller. While I usually am not that much of a fan of intense murder mysteries (it might've been the immersion that made this feel so intense), I enjoyed reading this through. The plot twists were most effective, that I have to say!
The bonus story, Six Years Stolen, was not that much to my liking, but it is a fine story nevertheless. The mere thought of a world was quite unsettling to imagine. I had some moments when I felt like I wasn't able to completely follow what was going on, but it might've been just me not reading carefully enough.
All in all, I enjoyed reading this book. It was completely worth all the money I supported it with when it was in crowdfunding. Plus, I love the cover art!
A word of warning, though: This is not such a good book to read soon before having to go to sleep because letting go of the book before reaching the end of the story is excruciating!
The book's main story, Ten Little Astronauts, kept me holding my breath as I read, unable to tell who was the murderer out of the group even when it grew smaller and smaller. While I usually am not that much of a fan of intense murder mysteries (it might've been the immersion that made this feel so intense), I enjoyed reading this through. The plot twists were most effective, that I have to say!
The bonus story, Six Years Stolen, was not that much to my liking, but it is a fine story nevertheless. The mere thought of a world was quite unsettling to imagine. I had some moments when I felt like I wasn't able to completely follow what was going on, but it might've been just me not reading carefully enough.
All in all, I enjoyed reading this book. It was completely worth all the money I supported it with when it was in crowdfunding. Plus, I love the cover art!
A word of warning, though: This is not such a good book to read soon before having to go to sleep because letting go of the book before reaching the end of the story is excruciating!
April 4, 2020
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Full of tension. When I read it I had never read Agatha Christie's book - And Then There Were None ( aka Ten Little N****r Boys, or Ten Little Indians) that this is a space futuristic parody of without being a direct copy. After I finished Ten Little Astronauts I went and read the Agatha Christie book, and I was gobsmacked. Daman's book is so well done !! Loved it, and so cleverly written.
June 27, 2019
Top marks for the inventive way this is published- crowd sourcing the ideas to be written. But the Agatha Christie rewrite misses the fundamental guilt that underlies the original and thus this is really a completely different story. But unfortunately not such a good one. The included short story is worthy of the genre, but thin character development holds it back.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 30, 2019
A lot shorter than I expected, but a fun sci-fi mystery inspired by Agatha Christie! Personally I could have done with getting to know the characters a little more, I like to be worried about whether or not characters are going to make it when they're in life-threatening situations, but it was an entertaining, quick read and I'm looking forward to seeing what else Damon brings out in future.
December 13, 2019
With a setting reminiscent of Agatha Christie, Ten Little Astronauts gives us a cast of characters isolated on a spaceship getting picked off by a murderer. It keeps up the pace from the beginning and I flew through it. It's a good time, and as an aside, I thought the chapters counting backwards was a nice touch.
January 9, 2026
A reboot of Agatha Christie's work 'And Then There Were None' set on a spaceship. It was a little underwhelming and because of how short it was (about 68 pages) it wasn't detailed enough nor was the build-up as good. There's another short scifi story in the book called 'Six Years Stolen' and I enjoyed it a lot more while that was even shorter.
May 13, 2019
Excellent short read; this and the companion bonus novella reminded me of the short stories of the golden age of SF. The author's writing style reminded me of fond memories of reading Ace double novels.
March 7, 2019
Interesting update of a classic, followed up with an intriguing and fun story that is - frankly - based on a pun.
March 26, 2019
The bonus short story was better then the titular one, but both were enjoyable.
April 2, 2019
Review to follow...
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews