What do you think?
Rate this book
Vessel
An astronaut returns to Earth after losing her entire crew to an inexplicable disaster, but is her version of what happened in space the truth? Or is there more to the story…. A tense, psychological thriller perfect for fans of Dark Matter and The Martian.
After Catherine Wells’s ship experiences a deadly incident in deep space and loses contact with NASA, the entire world believes her dead. Miraculously—and mysteriously—she survived, but with little memory of what happened. Her reentry after a decade away is a turbulent one: her husband has moved on with another woman and the young daughter she left behind has grown into a teenager she barely recognizes. Catherine, too, is different. The long years alone changed her, and as she readjusts to being home, sometimes she feels disconnected and even, at times, deep rage toward her family and colleagues. There are periods of time she can’t account for, too, and she begins waking up in increasingly strange and worrisome locations, like restricted areas of NASA. Suddenly she’s questioning everything that happened up in space: how her crewmates died, how she survived, and now, what’s happening to her back on Earth.
Smart, gripping, and compelling, this page-turning sci-fi thriller will leave you breathless.
After Catherine Wells’s ship experiences a deadly incident in deep space and loses contact with NASA, the entire world believes her dead. Miraculously—and mysteriously—she survived, but with little memory of what happened. Her reentry after a decade away is a turbulent one: her husband has moved on with another woman and the young daughter she left behind has grown into a teenager she barely recognizes. Catherine, too, is different. The long years alone changed her, and as she readjusts to being home, sometimes she feels disconnected and even, at times, deep rage toward her family and colleagues. There are periods of time she can’t account for, too, and she begins waking up in increasingly strange and worrisome locations, like restricted areas of NASA. Suddenly she’s questioning everything that happened up in space: how her crewmates died, how she survived, and now, what’s happening to her back on Earth.
Smart, gripping, and compelling, this page-turning sci-fi thriller will leave you breathless.
Audible Audio
First published May 21, 2019
78 people are currently reading
2314 people want to read
About the author
Lisa A. Nichols
6 books113 followersLisa A. Nichols has been a storyteller her entire life. The very first movie she fell in love with was Star Wars, and the very first books she read were the Little House books, so perhaps it’s inevitable that she’d wind up writing science fiction with a domestic twist. She lives in Michigan with a tiny ridiculous dog, too many cats, and a crush on Luke Skywalker that she should’ve outgrown thirty years ago.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 375 reviews
December 21, 2018
I’m a sucker for space novels and The Vessel certainly delivered-a solid 4.5 stars. The astronauts on the Sagittarius are presumed dead, that is until NASA astronaut Catherine Wells shows back up after being in space for over a decade. She is the lone survivor of the crew and NASA is desperate for answers-especially with the impending launch of the Sagittarius II.
Catherine’s readjustment back to Earth has been a difficult one, though hailed as a hero upon her return-her daughter is now a teenager that she barely knows and her husband has moved on to another relationship. To make matters even worse for Catherine, she is unable to provide NASA answers because she can’t remember large blocks of time while she was in space and she is suffering a disconnection from her current life.
Though hailed as a hero, a few believe Catherine is hiding something-what exactly happened to the crew aboard the Sagittarius and does she really suffer from memory loss?
The Vessel was an enjoyable book and highly recommended to fans of fiction, science fiction and psychological thrillers. Thank you NetGalley for providing me a copy for review.
Catherine’s readjustment back to Earth has been a difficult one, though hailed as a hero upon her return-her daughter is now a teenager that she barely knows and her husband has moved on to another relationship. To make matters even worse for Catherine, she is unable to provide NASA answers because she can’t remember large blocks of time while she was in space and she is suffering a disconnection from her current life.
Though hailed as a hero, a few believe Catherine is hiding something-what exactly happened to the crew aboard the Sagittarius and does she really suffer from memory loss?
The Vessel was an enjoyable book and highly recommended to fans of fiction, science fiction and psychological thrillers. Thank you NetGalley for providing me a copy for review.
July 13, 2019
Confession: I took a few vacation hours and drove to a coffee place in the next town so I could finish listening to this book. I enjoyed this story about a woman who returns home from a multi-year space journey, without her crew and without any memories of what happened. I like how the audiobook has two narrators. This story is just as much about the relationships and situation back home as it is about what happened in space, so if you're not interested in the people side of space exploration, this might not be the book for you. But it was the book for me.
May 21, 2019
3.0 Stars
Video Review: https://youtu.be/rp3DUwteBeg
This is the kind of science fiction novel that I would recommend to readers that do not normally read the genre. Despite the marketing, this reads more like a contemporary with light science fiction elements. Even though the story involves astronauts and interstellar travel, there is very little technology, science or futuristic world building in this novel. Instead, this is very much a character focused book that just happens to be set in a near future.
At the heart of the story, the author explores the strain that long term separation has on relationships when the female main character chooses to prioritize her career over of her family. I really like seeing this topic addressed in fiction, but I have seen it explored in a more nuanced ways in other books.
Vessel is also marketed as a thriller, yet the narrative does not really evoke a feeling of suspense. Granted, the end of the novel has some of those thrilling elements, but the majority of this story reads like a slow family drama. Furthermore, the comparisons to popular science fiction thriller media are simply not accurate and will only setup readers with unfair expectations for Vessel.
While this novel did not match my personal reading tastes, I think it could still have an audience with general fiction readers who looking for a bit of science fiction twist in their next story.
I received an ARC of this book from Simon & Schuster Canada.
Video Review: https://youtu.be/rp3DUwteBeg
This is the kind of science fiction novel that I would recommend to readers that do not normally read the genre. Despite the marketing, this reads more like a contemporary with light science fiction elements. Even though the story involves astronauts and interstellar travel, there is very little technology, science or futuristic world building in this novel. Instead, this is very much a character focused book that just happens to be set in a near future.
At the heart of the story, the author explores the strain that long term separation has on relationships when the female main character chooses to prioritize her career over of her family. I really like seeing this topic addressed in fiction, but I have seen it explored in a more nuanced ways in other books.
Vessel is also marketed as a thriller, yet the narrative does not really evoke a feeling of suspense. Granted, the end of the novel has some of those thrilling elements, but the majority of this story reads like a slow family drama. Furthermore, the comparisons to popular science fiction thriller media are simply not accurate and will only setup readers with unfair expectations for Vessel.
While this novel did not match my personal reading tastes, I think it could still have an audience with general fiction readers who looking for a bit of science fiction twist in their next story.
I received an ARC of this book from Simon & Schuster Canada.
September 6, 2019
This is The Martian for readers who don’t want all the science and technical jargon. Largely character driven; and fairly predictable if you’ve read a good chunk of sci-fi books (which I have); and yet I really loved how fast, suspenseful and well written it is. The average science fiction reader will likely dislike this; but anyone who likes a bestselling thriller and likes an astronaut being the lead character is probably going to love this.
Audience
For a debut novel Lisa A. Nichols has done a wonderful job writing a gripping, page turning story. I read this in no time flat and didn’t want to put it down. But, besides there being some space travel and astronauts; nothing about Vessel feels like science fiction. It lacks the core explanations that would satisfy someone who wants to know the ‘real’ science behind the idea. There is no science here beyond what the average person is likely to already know (lighter gravity effects, space travel needing fuel, etc). Very simple basic concepts.
Does the Audience Matter?
If I had gone into Vessel expecting a gritty sci-fi book (like The Martian or anything by Arthur C. Clarke or Blake Crouch) I would likely have been very disappointed. As I didn’t go in with really any expectations I didn’t mind that this was more of a character driven thriller with space, astronauts and habitable planets.
If marketed to say, readers who love Dan Brown books, it would be a smashing success. Does that mean it’s not a good book? Of course not. It just means that getting the right demographic of reader is important (and difficult for a book whose entire plot revolves around an astronaut and space travel).
Story Chronology
There is also the narrative order/format to consider here. Both timelines we read from are from the POV of our leading lady, a highly regarded astronaut who left behind a husband and child to go on a 6 year mission. The main timeline starts upon her sudden (and unexpected) return to Earth after her mission had been out of contact. With years of no comma it was assumed the ship and crew were lost and dead. The second timeline we get is the good ol’ (ugh) flashback. Thankfully the snippets of what happened on the ship and planet, that our leading gal can’t remember, are also told from her POV and are not her narrating the events to anyone. This worked for me as while we are experiencing the amnesia frustration in our main story, the flashbacks are giving us the beginning nuggets to what might have happened during the mission. And yes, eventually all is revealed. Most will be able to predict the large “reveal” to some degree. It’s actually so obvious I can’t even say there’s a twist here. But because the book is more about the people, their emotions and reactions to extreme situations it didn’t matter to me that I knew what was the likely outcome. There was enough suspense and excitement to placate me and enjoy the ride. Vessel was more about the characters and their fate for me, than my need to reveal the plot points of the core story.
So Is It Good?
This is a fun, quick read. For me it would make a great beach read as it keeps the pages turning and isn’t too emotional or elaborate. The ending being what it is may be frustrating for those that like things all tied-up. I had a moment of being annoyed at the end; and then realized that it actually made perfect sense given the flow of the writing and story, right up to the last sentence.
So for me I think it’s a very good read, for what it is. It’s exciting, suspenseful (even if a bit obvious at times), characters that felt genuine and a frustrating non-ending ending (lol). All the characters are flawed in realistic ways and even the way the plot plays out is a very realistic outcome given the situation. These are all really good things and so I have rated Vessel based on its merit as a book meant for general entertainment and not as a typical science fiction novel. And let’s face it, 2001: A Space Odyssey is boring in places largely because of the hard science (brilliant book, but not fast-paced). In contrast, I found nothing dull about Vessel. Even when it was a seemingly boring travelling scene, where two characters share silly life stories (and where we see their emotional bond maturing), the narrative was funny enough to be amusing.
Overall
This is a fun, quick read. For me it’s a great beach read as it keeps the pages turning and isn’t too emotional or elaborate. The ending being what it is May be frustrating for those that like things all tied-up. I had a moment of being annoyed at the end; and then realized that it actually made perfect sense given the flow of the writing and story, right up to the last sentence.
I will definitely look to read Nichols next book regardless of the topic or genre as her writing and characters kept me entertained. Like The Martian the characters cope with extreme circumstances via sarcasm and humour that is clever enough. One of my favourite lines of the book is an astronaut letting off steam after being annoyed that machinery is not working as tested and says they want to write a letter to NASA:
"Dear Sirs; why were you not able to replicate working conditions precisely in a location no human had ever seen before?"
How can you not chuckle at the obvious irony that Earth conditions couldn’t replicate a planet no one from Earth has ever been to?
Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.
Audience
For a debut novel Lisa A. Nichols has done a wonderful job writing a gripping, page turning story. I read this in no time flat and didn’t want to put it down. But, besides there being some space travel and astronauts; nothing about Vessel feels like science fiction. It lacks the core explanations that would satisfy someone who wants to know the ‘real’ science behind the idea. There is no science here beyond what the average person is likely to already know (lighter gravity effects, space travel needing fuel, etc). Very simple basic concepts.
Does the Audience Matter?
If I had gone into Vessel expecting a gritty sci-fi book (like The Martian or anything by Arthur C. Clarke or Blake Crouch) I would likely have been very disappointed. As I didn’t go in with really any expectations I didn’t mind that this was more of a character driven thriller with space, astronauts and habitable planets.
If marketed to say, readers who love Dan Brown books, it would be a smashing success. Does that mean it’s not a good book? Of course not. It just means that getting the right demographic of reader is important (and difficult for a book whose entire plot revolves around an astronaut and space travel).
Story Chronology
There is also the narrative order/format to consider here. Both timelines we read from are from the POV of our leading lady, a highly regarded astronaut who left behind a husband and child to go on a 6 year mission. The main timeline starts upon her sudden (and unexpected) return to Earth after her mission had been out of contact. With years of no comma it was assumed the ship and crew were lost and dead. The second timeline we get is the good ol’ (ugh) flashback. Thankfully the snippets of what happened on the ship and planet, that our leading gal can’t remember, are also told from her POV and are not her narrating the events to anyone. This worked for me as while we are experiencing the amnesia frustration in our main story, the flashbacks are giving us the beginning nuggets to what might have happened during the mission. And yes, eventually all is revealed. Most will be able to predict the large “reveal” to some degree. It’s actually so obvious I can’t even say there’s a twist here. But because the book is more about the people, their emotions and reactions to extreme situations it didn’t matter to me that I knew what was the likely outcome. There was enough suspense and excitement to placate me and enjoy the ride. Vessel was more about the characters and their fate for me, than my need to reveal the plot points of the core story.
So Is It Good?
This is a fun, quick read. For me it would make a great beach read as it keeps the pages turning and isn’t too emotional or elaborate. The ending being what it is may be frustrating for those that like things all tied-up. I had a moment of being annoyed at the end; and then realized that it actually made perfect sense given the flow of the writing and story, right up to the last sentence.
So for me I think it’s a very good read, for what it is. It’s exciting, suspenseful (even if a bit obvious at times), characters that felt genuine and a frustrating non-ending ending (lol). All the characters are flawed in realistic ways and even the way the plot plays out is a very realistic outcome given the situation. These are all really good things and so I have rated Vessel based on its merit as a book meant for general entertainment and not as a typical science fiction novel. And let’s face it, 2001: A Space Odyssey is boring in places largely because of the hard science (brilliant book, but not fast-paced). In contrast, I found nothing dull about Vessel. Even when it was a seemingly boring travelling scene, where two characters share silly life stories (and where we see their emotional bond maturing), the narrative was funny enough to be amusing.
Overall
This is a fun, quick read. For me it’s a great beach read as it keeps the pages turning and isn’t too emotional or elaborate. The ending being what it is May be frustrating for those that like things all tied-up. I had a moment of being annoyed at the end; and then realized that it actually made perfect sense given the flow of the writing and story, right up to the last sentence.
I will definitely look to read Nichols next book regardless of the topic or genre as her writing and characters kept me entertained. Like The Martian the characters cope with extreme circumstances via sarcasm and humour that is clever enough. One of my favourite lines of the book is an astronaut letting off steam after being annoyed that machinery is not working as tested and says they want to write a letter to NASA:
"Dear Sirs; why were you not able to replicate working conditions precisely in a location no human had ever seen before?"
How can you not chuckle at the obvious irony that Earth conditions couldn’t replicate a planet no one from Earth has ever been to?
Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.
January 11, 2019
I think, this book could make a VERY good science fiction movie, because even if the idea not totally new, it is still fascinating in many ways, at least for me.
A spaceship that started 9 years ago to some far-away planet disappeared from all radars 6 years ago, the Earth just lost all contacts to the crew and declared all six crew members dead. And suddenly, after all this long time period, NASA gets a signal from the lost spaceship. The only alive person on board is Catherine Wells, she is in a good physical condition, but unfortunately she can't remember what happened within the period of time of over 300 days (presumably the time when the spaceship was supposed to reach the planet and when her team disappeared), she doesn't even remember if they landed on this planet, she doesn't know what happened to the other crew members, she can't explain their disappearance and - what is even more weird - all logs for this time period were mysteriously deleted.
Meanwhile NASA is busy with a new mission with a same target. But is it safe to send a new team without knowing what happened to the previous one? Is Catherine a victim or did she do something to her colleges? Does she tell the truth about not remembering anything? Can she be trusted?
Well, this book could have made a very thrilling science fiction book too, unfortunately it failed on many parts to convince me.
I am also the one, who don't read a lot of science-fiction per year, because I personally find that there are many technical description in these books, and I'm very quickly bored with all technical terms and jargon. It is why I DNFed The Martian. But in this book is just too..few of science fiction, even for my taste. It is more about DRAMA behind the science fictional backdrop, illogical behavior of many characters and - what is even worse - NASA itself (I don't want to go in details, there were just too many to ignore) and disappointing stereotyped approaching of some subjects.
Catherine Wells, the main character, did nothing to change my opinion to the more stars.
All in all, I managed to finish it, though the last half of the book was a real struggle for me.
***ARC provided kindly by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.***
A spaceship that started 9 years ago to some far-away planet disappeared from all radars 6 years ago, the Earth just lost all contacts to the crew and declared all six crew members dead. And suddenly, after all this long time period, NASA gets a signal from the lost spaceship. The only alive person on board is Catherine Wells, she is in a good physical condition, but unfortunately she can't remember what happened within the period of time of over 300 days (presumably the time when the spaceship was supposed to reach the planet and when her team disappeared), she doesn't even remember if they landed on this planet, she doesn't know what happened to the other crew members, she can't explain their disappearance and - what is even more weird - all logs for this time period were mysteriously deleted.
Meanwhile NASA is busy with a new mission with a same target. But is it safe to send a new team without knowing what happened to the previous one? Is Catherine a victim or did she do something to her colleges? Does she tell the truth about not remembering anything? Can she be trusted?
Well, this book could have made a very thrilling science fiction book too, unfortunately it failed on many parts to convince me.
I am also the one, who don't read a lot of science-fiction per year, because I personally find that there are many technical description in these books, and I'm very quickly bored with all technical terms and jargon. It is why I DNFed The Martian. But in this book is just too..few of science fiction, even for my taste. It is more about DRAMA behind the science fictional backdrop, illogical behavior of many characters and - what is even worse - NASA itself (I don't want to go in details, there were just too many to ignore) and disappointing stereotyped approaching of some subjects.
Catherine Wells, the main character, did nothing to change my opinion to the more stars.
All in all, I managed to finish it, though the last half of the book was a real struggle for me.
***ARC provided kindly by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.***
February 17, 2025
4.5 Stars for Vessel (audiobook) by Lisa A. Nichols read by Lisa Flanagan and George Newbern.
Catherine Wells wakes up and realizes that she is alone on her spaceship. She is almost back to Earth and she can’t remember what happened on the mission to deep space. But she realizes that she must have left her small crew behind on the planet. What is NASA and her husband going to think, she’s years late getting back. How could the mission go so wrong?
Catherine Wells wakes up and realizes that she is alone on her spaceship. She is almost back to Earth and she can’t remember what happened on the mission to deep space. But she realizes that she must have left her small crew behind on the planet. What is NASA and her husband going to think, she’s years late getting back. How could the mission go so wrong?
June 24, 2019
Very predictable and read like YA.
December 28, 2018
I was so in the mood for science fiction and this one, auspiciously and, as it turns out, incorrectly hailed as the next great thing and inevitably compared to the last great thing in the genre be it Martian or something similar. Actually, I’m pretty sure it was also The Arrival and some other really terrific movies. All of those are far superior to Vessel. To be fair there’s a very good chance Vessel might make a good movie, but as a book it left a lot to be desired. In fact the entire thing kind of came across as a let down. The premise is great, space travel was warp speeds, new potentially habitable planet to study, a mystery of the lone survivor of a six person mission remembering nothing. That’s how the book draws you in, Catherine Wells all alone on a spaceship hallucinating her daughter for company, no recollection of how she got to be all alone. But she’s alive and she comes back to Earth, having been declared dead along with her entire mission years ago. NASA has their poster woman and spokesperson, in fact the new mission to the very same planet is on the way, but alas Cath’s reentry into the world she left behind for so long proves to be too easy at first (unbelievably so, actually, her family magically completely on board with having to readjust after all nine years) and then entirely too challenging (blackouts, voices, violent thoughts, etc.). So now it’s up to Cath and a NASA ally to figure out what’s going on and what took place on her original mission (for us readers this is told via flashbacks) and what might be in store for the current mission. So ok, that all sounds very exciting, it really does, and here’s why it wasn’t. First off, Cath doesn’t really come across as a likeable character and she has to carry the entire book, so this is kind of huge. She’s very single minded about her goal of being an astronaut, which is admirable, but in the process she does leave her only child (and a very young one at that) and her spouse behind for 6 years. Without seemingly a second thought. So when she comes back after 9 years, they have, understandably moved on, and yet put all that aside to welcome her back like she just went to for a brief trip. None of that seems realistic and frankly doesn’t really present Cath in the best light, she seems consistently throughout the book like a very selfish person, so the entire subplot of her family life doesn’t really engage. And her convenient new love interest is just too…convenient. But that’s all drama, what about the science fiction. That’s more interesting, but honestly not especially original, in fact strongly reminiscent of many similar stories. It’s still a fun concept, but it’s dragged out too long and then finally presented in a very anticlimactic grand reveal. Yey, aliens. Yey, a moral, because yes, mankind has always approached land conquests with a certain brutal singlemindedness or pure self interest and profit. But no wow. And the very ending is just, well not to say stupid, but very frustrating. In fact it brought down my opinion of the entire book, which until than was steadily hovering at average, because I absolutely hated what Cath and her boytoy decided to do, it strains credulity. It just doesn’t seem like a logical solution from two presumably very logical scientific minds and unless it’s meant to imply a sequel, it was a very unsatisfying ending. Other than that, the writing was very bland and flat, at least until you get used to it, somewhere around third of the way in or so. So yeah. A very decent idea completely tanked by lackluster execution. Quick, at least. But disappointing. Maybe wait for the movie version if one ever occurs. Thanks Netgalley.
June 28, 2019
This book was Sword and Laser's July pick. Catherine Wells comes home from a presumed-lost space mission to planet TRAPPIST-1F with no memory of her time there or why her former crewmates are no longer with her. Hmmm. If you're at all familiar with SF tropes, the central mystery isn't hard to figure out. I guessed it within the first couple chapters. . Soon she's losing time, and NASA wunderkind Cal Morganson will stop at nothing to figure out what she's hiding. This is definitely a character-driven novel. Unfortunately, I didn't find the characters all that compelling, and it got old waiting for them to reach the fairly obvious conclusion. I also took issue with the characterization of some of the NASA folks. These are supposed to be some of the smartest, most resourceful people in the nation (world?), and yet they make a lot of bad judgement calls and dumb mistakes. . I would not recommend this book. If you're looking for something similar but better, try Six Wakes or The Calculating Stars.
July 22, 2019
Executive Summary: I thought this book started slow and ended fast. The middle was good, but overall it made for a so-so book.
Full Review
I'm not sure if this is a book I would have picked up myself. I hadn't heard of it before it was chosen as the July pick for Sword & Laser, and the blurb didn't really excite me much.
I'm not a hard sci-fi person by any means, but I do like for the science to be explained in a way I can follow and doesn't distract me. That is probably harder in a near-future book like this, where it's easier to see how we could get from here to there.
This book focuses more on the human aspect of being an astronaut than the technology side, but the sci-fi aspect plays an important role with how it ends. I felt like a lot of that was rushed and not at all earned by what came before it.
I think the middle of the book is where it shines best when you're focused on the aftermath of such a long time spent in space, and this mystery hanging over the main characters head.
I think it took too long to start revealing the details of that mystery though which lead me to feel like the reveal was rushed and unearned.
Overall I'm glad I read this book, but I wasn't blown away by it. Things set up for a possible sequel, but I'm happy to leave things off where they are.
Full Review
I'm not sure if this is a book I would have picked up myself. I hadn't heard of it before it was chosen as the July pick for Sword & Laser, and the blurb didn't really excite me much.
I'm not a hard sci-fi person by any means, but I do like for the science to be explained in a way I can follow and doesn't distract me. That is probably harder in a near-future book like this, where it's easier to see how we could get from here to there.
This book focuses more on the human aspect of being an astronaut than the technology side, but the sci-fi aspect plays an important role with how it ends. I felt like a lot of that was rushed and not at all earned by what came before it.
I think the middle of the book is where it shines best when you're focused on the aftermath of such a long time spent in space, and this mystery hanging over the main characters head.
I think it took too long to start revealing the details of that mystery though which lead me to feel like the reveal was rushed and unearned.
Overall I'm glad I read this book, but I wasn't blown away by it. Things set up for a possible sequel, but I'm happy to leave things off where they are.
June 18, 2019
If you were an astronaut and went on a nine year mission where you were the only survivor and you didn't remember the middle part where the rest of the crew died (or became unicorns, you don't know what happens on alien planets, man) and you made it back to Earth and started having memory gaps that involved waking up in parts of NASA HQ that you have no reason to be in, wouldn't you, you know, TELL SOMEBODY?
Also, six astronauts go to another planet, the journey is years long and when they get to the planet they apparently offload all the supplies they'd need to make the return journey. As if the need to leave an alien planet NOW and not after you spend two days reloading supplies never occurred to them.
And if you believed somebody was infected with an alien parasite (telepathic spores), would you sleep with them? And if you believed you have an alien parasite in your body would you continue to just run the fuck around in public?
And I really, really have to believe NASA has a better quarantine protocol then what is depicted in this book. And would be waaaaay more interested in the memory lapses of two astronauts who survived going through a wormhole.
And the ending. So much nope. So stupid and unbelievable, I cannot even.
Also, six astronauts go to another planet, the journey is years long and when they get to the planet they apparently offload all the supplies they'd need to make the return journey. As if the need to leave an alien planet NOW and not after you spend two days reloading supplies never occurred to them.
And if you believed somebody was infected with an alien parasite (telepathic spores), would you sleep with them? And if you believed you have an alien parasite in your body would you continue to just run the fuck around in public?
And I really, really have to believe NASA has a better quarantine protocol then what is depicted in this book. And would be waaaaay more interested in the memory lapses of two astronauts who survived going through a wormhole.
And the ending. So much nope. So stupid and unbelievable, I cannot even.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 9, 2019
My predictions during the first few chapters all came true. What I didn’t predict was that this book wouldn’t have an ending. It just stops.
Some people have criticized the tech in this book, and that’s fair. It presents as hard-nosed Science Fiction, but really it’s just Space Fantasy along the lines of Star Trek. Instant communications across vast distances of space, invisible aliens, psychic powers... yeah, this isn’t Hard SF in the slightest.
I don’t know why this has a slight alternate history angle to it. The story is small and not at all concerned with things outside the scope of astronaut Catherine Wells’ experience. Head-scratcher, that. Oh well.
I found this to be a bit of a slog, honestly, but I can’t muster up the energy to throw any vitriol its way. The best I can summon is a breathy “meh, next.”
Some people have criticized the tech in this book, and that’s fair. It presents as hard-nosed Science Fiction, but really it’s just Space Fantasy along the lines of Star Trek. Instant communications across vast distances of space, invisible aliens, psychic powers... yeah, this isn’t Hard SF in the slightest.
I don’t know why this has a slight alternate history angle to it. The story is small and not at all concerned with things outside the scope of astronaut Catherine Wells’ experience. Head-scratcher, that. Oh well.
I found this to be a bit of a slog, honestly, but I can’t muster up the energy to throw any vitriol its way. The best I can summon is a breathy “meh, next.”
June 4, 2019
4.5 stars - Incredible. I really loved it.
The perfect amount of science to make it fascinating without having to trudge through an“info-dump” or so technical that you cross into eyes glazed over territory. An incredibly thoughtful and suspenseful novel that begs to be discussed with others.
-------------------------------------------
Favorite Quote: Sometimes the only way Cal could see the line was when he looked behind him to see if he’d crossed it.
First Sentence: Houston, this is Acting Commander Catherine Wells of Sagittarius.
The perfect amount of science to make it fascinating without having to trudge through an“info-dump” or so technical that you cross into eyes glazed over territory. An incredibly thoughtful and suspenseful novel that begs to be discussed with others.
-------------------------------------------
Favorite Quote: Sometimes the only way Cal could see the line was when he looked behind him to see if he’d crossed it.
First Sentence: Houston, this is Acting Commander Catherine Wells of Sagittarius.
June 26, 2019
Well that’s not what I expected.
When I was a teenager and young adult I strictly read hard sci fi only. I’ve branched out since then, but still can’t resist any book that has an astronaut on the cover. I’m reading it.
This is a science fiction thriller with a domestic twist. I think it will be hard to find a market for this book because die hard sci fi fans will probably be put off by some of the “fluffy stuff”. And the “domestic twist” the author refers to is simply the drama that would be expected from a presumed dead spouse returning after almost a decade. So fans of domestic dramas will probably be bored by the science fiction premise.
But! If you’re like me, and love BOTH, then you have yourself a good little story that’s a quick read to enjoy by the pool (or fire for my Southern Hemisphere friends).
Other than some obvious mistakes (the sci fi nerd in me couldn’t get past a sunrise on a tidally locked planet), I still recommend this to people that don’t require their science fiction hard, or that don’t normally read it and want to dip their toe in the genre.
3.5 rounded up rating
When I was a teenager and young adult I strictly read hard sci fi only. I’ve branched out since then, but still can’t resist any book that has an astronaut on the cover. I’m reading it.
This is a science fiction thriller with a domestic twist. I think it will be hard to find a market for this book because die hard sci fi fans will probably be put off by some of the “fluffy stuff”. And the “domestic twist” the author refers to is simply the drama that would be expected from a presumed dead spouse returning after almost a decade. So fans of domestic dramas will probably be bored by the science fiction premise.
But! If you’re like me, and love BOTH, then you have yourself a good little story that’s a quick read to enjoy by the pool (or fire for my Southern Hemisphere friends).
Other than some obvious mistakes (the sci fi nerd in me couldn’t get past a sunrise on a tidally locked planet), I still recommend this to people that don’t require their science fiction hard, or that don’t normally read it and want to dip their toe in the genre.
3.5 rounded up rating
January 23, 2025
The book had a really strong start, but suffered in the middle and end by adding unnecessary drama due to smart people making uncharacteristically stupid decisions. If all of that had been cut out and the plot followed the natural course that had already been set up and it should have taken, this would have been a lot better story. One of my biggest pet peeves is stupidity as a plot device, especially when it comes from someone who is only stupid when the plot requires.
August 1, 2019
This is a SF novel about a person returned from a mission to another planet with amnesia.
Catherine Wells was on a second mission sent via a wormhole near Mars, which led to another Solar system. She with her team were presumed dead when a communication halted a decade earlier. Now she returns without any memory about what happened to the rest of the team. She is questioned by NASA while the third mission is planning to visit the same planet and a single man supposes that she lies about her amnesia and follows her. Her husband found another love and her daughter is finishing collage and there is a lot of soap opera… we also know from early one the sometimes she doesn’t remember how she appears in some places, so is she under some alien control?
It is a nice simple story but as a SF it is very weak, the SF is more the background to a family reunion and mystery, with quite weak answers at the end what was it all about.
Catherine Wells was on a second mission sent via a wormhole near Mars, which led to another Solar system. She with her team were presumed dead when a communication halted a decade earlier. Now she returns without any memory about what happened to the rest of the team. She is questioned by NASA while the third mission is planning to visit the same planet and a single man supposes that she lies about her amnesia and follows her. Her husband found another love and her daughter is finishing collage and there is a lot of soap opera… we also know from early one the sometimes she doesn’t remember how she appears in some places, so is she under some alien control?
It is a nice simple story but as a SF it is very weak, the SF is more the background to a family reunion and mystery, with quite weak answers at the end what was it all about.
June 6, 2019
Once again, we have a science fiction book where the execution completely fails the concept. The concept isn't a new one (I'm not going to say what it is, because that doesn't come out until the end of the book), but it doesn't do very well to explore it in a new way. Hell, it doesn't even do a very good job at exploring it in a barely adequate way. Everything that was important was glossed over, and it irked me.
But what bothered me the most was just the sheer stupidity of both the PoV character, and all the supporting characters who worked for NASA. And if there's one thing I can't stand, it's stupid people doing stupid things. It's even worse when it's a smart person doing stupid things.
But what bothered me the most was just the sheer stupidity of both the PoV character, and all the supporting characters who worked for NASA. And if there's one thing I can't stand, it's stupid people doing stupid things. It's even worse when it's a smart person doing stupid things.
June 2, 2019
I loved Vessel. I am definitely going to read Book 2 when it is released.
February 29, 2020
While I liked the plot of this book and I think the book did a decent job presenting it and laying enough crumbs for the readers to get there, the main character of the book was unlikable and how the people around her reacted to them was unbelievable, so that dynamic didn’t work for me . I can’t say more because I would ruin the plot but how did we get to that last page ...there is no enough plot development to get there and the dreaded “insta love” killed it for me.
July 22, 2019
Wow. This was bad. The main character was ridiculously emotionally immature, especially for someone who was apparently a test-flight pilot and an astronaut who must have passed the psych screening to go on a multi-year mission. I was flabergasted with her reactions to things throughout the book. Also, the stakes in this book could *not* have been lower. There was absolutely no payoff at the end, which was pretty ridiculous anyway. Would not recommend at all to anyone.
August 1, 2019
To set the record straight, I think this book should be marketed more as thriller than a Sci-fi book. I found the marketing of the book highly misleading in a way that does it a disservice. There is no science trivia and resourcefulness like in Andy Weir's The Martian, nor the high octane action of Blake Crouch's Dark Matter. The bulk of the story is psychological tension with character riven drama, over the family ties and work relationships and how they intersect.
Catherine an astronaut is a sole survivor of a mission long presumed dead who is loaded as a hero solely for surviving She however struggles with survivors guilt which is compounded by her inability to remember what happened and where it all went wrong. She has a husband and a teenage daughter who've moved on with their lives and must now try and resume a family life together after growing apart. As time progresses Catherine seems to experience strange time lapses and she comes to her senses in places she is not supposed to be in. The Sci-fi part of the story is self evident from the title and the summary, and a lot of the emotional beats of the story were also rather predictable. But strangely I enjoyed reading the story, to find out the how and the why. I have a few gripes about the resolution which was weak on science and logic, so I gave it eventually three stars, but there was a potential for more.
Catherine an astronaut is a sole survivor of a mission long presumed dead who is loaded as a hero solely for surviving She however struggles with survivors guilt which is compounded by her inability to remember what happened and where it all went wrong. She has a husband and a teenage daughter who've moved on with their lives and must now try and resume a family life together after growing apart. As time progresses Catherine seems to experience strange time lapses and she comes to her senses in places she is not supposed to be in. The Sci-fi part of the story is self evident from the title and the summary, and a lot of the emotional beats of the story were also rather predictable. But strangely I enjoyed reading the story, to find out the how and the why. I have a few gripes about the resolution which was weak on science and logic, so I gave it eventually three stars, but there was a potential for more.
nope-dnf
September 19, 202418% DNF. It's not exactly what I had hoped for. Deals more with domestic issues than life threatening "lost in space" issues (i.e. my daughters all grown up, this other woman took my place, i cant sleep with my husband anymore). It's all the boring aspects of life instead of the most interesting stuff where shes on that doomed mission. Also characters cheating on eachother bothers me so much and this is another subplot.
June 6, 2019
Not a popular opinion - but this dragged a lot for me. I wasn't particularly fond of the main character either. I guessed pretty quickly what was going on, but it seemed to take it's time getting there. Honestly it was kind of depressing the way Catherine handles her problems by self-medicating and talking to no one. Seems like an astronaut ought to have been way smarter than that. Plus if she had talked to her husband things might have gone differently. I didn't have a good emotional response to this story mainly because so much of it was unhappy. The suspense was light and didn't really push the story. Overall this just wasn't for me.
Lisa Flanagan and George Newbern were fantastic narrators, though. I think that's what kept me going with this story.
Lisa Flanagan and George Newbern were fantastic narrators, though. I think that's what kept me going with this story.
June 25, 2019
I got an hour into this, but this feels too lightweight on both the scifi and the literary scale. A lost astronaut unexpectedly returns to earth, no one knows what happened to her. Not even her, but she's got a secret she's not sharing, which is annoying because we are experiencing the story from her perspective. Also she just called her NASA investigative operative "cute", so I will stop this now.
December 2, 2020
I'm pretty picky about sci-fi, but when astronauts are involved I need it! VESSEL gave me goosebumps and I didn't want it to end, plus it reads like a thriller so I was sold from the start. Please tell me there is more Catherine Wells in my future?
I received an advanced copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I received an advanced copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
July 27, 2019
Meh. I didn't have high hopes for the book when I read the description. The hopes continued to dwindle in the first chapter. It gets 5/5 stars for the relationships. 1/5 stars for everything else. As soon as the "antagonist" was introduced, I guessed where the story was going. I was not wrong. Eminently forgettable. And skippable.
July 29, 2019
Utter tripe, how this got published is beyond me.
July 14, 2019
This was okay, nothing groundbreaking. A very familiar main plot that you could see what is going to befall the main characters a mile away. Some of the sub-plots were also nice but reminded me of the old Afternoon Specials targeted toward teenagers. There was only one time when I thought "If this happened it would have added a another star."
March 8, 2022
Fun, action-packed sci fi story, enjoyable to read/listen to.
January 24, 2019
Vessel is a chilling thriller suspense story. Imagine returning to Earth ten years after you were declared dead. For the protagonist, that's exactly what happens. She returns a decade after an accident killed her entire crew with no memory of what happened or why she survived. Her child has grown up. Her husband has moved on with one of her friends. It's a shocking introduction back to reality. What about NASA's involvement? What really happened out there? It's a story of suspicion and questions. I enjoyed the story line for its unique feel and suspense. I felt sympathy for the protagonist. She got a bad deal, but she showed strength and intelligence. If you like space drama and some mystery, you should enjoy this one. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 375 reviews