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Dark Galaxy #2
The Dark Within
What darkness can frighten the void?
Captain Morgan Starling is a survivor, and the last remnant of her crew. Morgan fights for every scrap of air, stranded in the bowels of her derelict ship.
When she is picked up by an alien starship, Morgan finds herself a prisoner of war, forced to excavate an ancient ruin. She was not alone, and the nightmare that killed her crew is getting ready to begin its massacre again.
As something awakes from within the earth, ancient enemies threaten to tear the world apart. Morgan and her fellow prisoners must try and escape amongst this maelstrom of horror.
Morgan must fight to escape from the warring nightmares, to warn the galaxy of the terror that lurks out beyond the stars.
Captain Morgan Starling is a survivor, and the last remnant of her crew. Morgan fights for every scrap of air, stranded in the bowels of her derelict ship.
When she is picked up by an alien starship, Morgan finds herself a prisoner of war, forced to excavate an ancient ruin. She was not alone, and the nightmare that killed her crew is getting ready to begin its massacre again.
As something awakes from within the earth, ancient enemies threaten to tear the world apart. Morgan and her fellow prisoners must try and escape amongst this maelstrom of horror.
Morgan must fight to escape from the warring nightmares, to warn the galaxy of the terror that lurks out beyond the stars.
- GenresHorrorScience Fiction
212 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 1, 2020
31 people are currently reading
39 people want to read
About the author
P.W. Hillard
18 books22 followersCurrently living in South Wales with his beautiful wife and two cats, P.W Hillard is a writer of horror and dark urban fantasy. His major influences are Stephen King, Clive Barker and especially the works of John Carpenter. As well as horror, he reads fantasy and science fiction, and is a voracious consumer of novels.
Outside of fiction, his other obsessions are tiny toy soldiers and giant monster movies. He also spends far too much time playing video games when he should be writing books.
Outside of fiction, his other obsessions are tiny toy soldiers and giant monster movies. He also spends far too much time playing video games when he should be writing books.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
December 14, 2020
Although this isn't my preferred genre, I liked this book. I found it easier to follow and liked the story better than A Silent Legion and liked the continuation of the story The Void Beyond by P.W. Hillard. This was definitely a battle of humans vs aliens vs monstrous aliens. Every time you think they have managed to escape the morphing monster aliens, something seems to always happen. They definitely struggled to escape and try to kill the monster aliens before being killed.
I received this free ARC Audiobook from Story Origin.
I received this free ARC Audiobook from Story Origin.
December 2, 2020
Entertaining, thrilling and with a great plot I really enjoyed this unabashed, exhilarating adventure.
I liked Morgan, and I truly engaged with her fight. Alien horror at its best :D
And Matt Jenkins' narration was superb.
I liked Morgan, and I truly engaged with her fight. Alien horror at its best :D
And Matt Jenkins' narration was superb.
April 28, 2020
This sequel to The Void Beyond begins shortly after the first novel ends, with Morgan, alone, adrift on a severely damaged Newport, and running out of oxygen fast. Rescued by a Ventuva ship - with whom humanity is at war, Morgan is taken to a planet where she must labour on an excavation, along with other human prisoners. That's when her real problems begin anew.
The Dark Within is a worthy sequel to The Void Beyond. The pacing is excellent, with a good balance of description and action.
The character development, again, stands out. Morgan is a particularly strong character (as she was in the first novel). Her ingenuity and leadership skills, as well as her compassion, are in evidence here. Unfortunately, there just wasn't enough interaction with other human characters to really make them memorable for me. (Of course, Morgan doesn't have the opportunity to build the interesting relationships that grow over time through shared experiences).
As with the first installment, it's in the Ventuva characters and culture that world- and character building are most strongly displayed. This second novel provides additional understanding of the Ventuva - a distinct set of spiritual beliefs, insight into social structure, and so on. This is greatly assisted by the author delving into characters from various strata of society: from an executive all the way to labourers. (My particular area of interest was in the spiritual element - it was so foreign to me, and yet, it made perfect sense!)
In addition to the Ventuva, the author has added, seemingly, two additional alien species to the universe, one of whom has unclear motivations. I was very intrigued by this last group, and am very eager to learn more of them!
The edition I read had a number of small errors (hanger/hangar, possessive confusion, some punctuation that could have been tidied up), but these didn't detract overly from the story.
If I had to choose, I think The Void Beyond remains my favourite among the two, but The Dark Within is a strong sequel, it definitely added to my understanding of the universe, and it has laid the groundwork for the next installment nicely.
This series has gone in a very interesting direction and I'm really looking forward to where it will go next!
I received an ARC via the author.
The Dark Within is a worthy sequel to The Void Beyond. The pacing is excellent, with a good balance of description and action.
The character development, again, stands out. Morgan is a particularly strong character (as she was in the first novel). Her ingenuity and leadership skills, as well as her compassion, are in evidence here. Unfortunately, there just wasn't enough interaction with other human characters to really make them memorable for me. (Of course, Morgan doesn't have the opportunity to build the interesting relationships that grow over time through shared experiences).
As with the first installment, it's in the Ventuva characters and culture that world- and character building are most strongly displayed. This second novel provides additional understanding of the Ventuva - a distinct set of spiritual beliefs, insight into social structure, and so on. This is greatly assisted by the author delving into characters from various strata of society: from an executive all the way to labourers. (My particular area of interest was in the spiritual element - it was so foreign to me, and yet, it made perfect sense!)
In addition to the Ventuva, the author has added, seemingly, two additional alien species to the universe, one of whom has unclear motivations. I was very intrigued by this last group, and am very eager to learn more of them!
The edition I read had a number of small errors (hanger/hangar, possessive confusion, some punctuation that could have been tidied up), but these didn't detract overly from the story.
If I had to choose, I think The Void Beyond remains my favourite among the two, but The Dark Within is a strong sequel, it definitely added to my understanding of the universe, and it has laid the groundwork for the next installment nicely.
This series has gone in a very interesting direction and I'm really looking forward to where it will go next!
I received an ARC via the author.
May 1, 2020
What darkness can frighten the void?
Captain Morgan Starling is a survivor, and the last remnant of her crew. Morgan fights for every scrap of air, stranded in the bowels of her derelict ship.
When she is picked up by an alien starship, Morgan finds herself a prisoner of war, forced to excavate an ancient ruin. She was not alone, and the nightmare that killed her crew is getting ready to begin its massacre again.
As something awakes from within the earth, ancient enemies threaten to tear the world apart. Morgan and her fellow prisoners must try and escape amongst this maelstrom of horror.
Morgan must fight to escape from the warring nightmares, to warn the galaxy of the terror that lurks out beyond the stars.
This is a brilliant read.
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believeable.
Great suspense and action with wonderful world building.
Can't wait to read what the author brings out next.
Recommend reading.
Captain Morgan Starling is a survivor, and the last remnant of her crew. Morgan fights for every scrap of air, stranded in the bowels of her derelict ship.
When she is picked up by an alien starship, Morgan finds herself a prisoner of war, forced to excavate an ancient ruin. She was not alone, and the nightmare that killed her crew is getting ready to begin its massacre again.
As something awakes from within the earth, ancient enemies threaten to tear the world apart. Morgan and her fellow prisoners must try and escape amongst this maelstrom of horror.
Morgan must fight to escape from the warring nightmares, to warn the galaxy of the terror that lurks out beyond the stars.
This is a brilliant read.
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believeable.
Great suspense and action with wonderful world building.
Can't wait to read what the author brings out next.
Recommend reading.
May 1, 2020
In this sequel to "The Void Beyond," Captain Morgan Starling is alone in the dying hulk of her ship, the Newport. As she is collecting up the last canisters of oxygen, her ship is boarded by the Ventuvans, an alien race with a very capitalistic bent. Morgan is sent to be a slave mining up a huge artifact on a nearby planet. She meets her fellow captives, pirates who have also been captured. The supervisor assigned to the planet is consumed by avarice, and requires the excavation of the artifact. However, strange and dark things are happening, and Morgan begins to suspect an alien horror is about to be unleashed. This book was so fascinating that I could hardly put it down. I would recommend it to Science Fiction lovers everywhere.
December 10, 2020
A very enjoyable listen. Very well written with lots of exciting action, a high casualty rate, real horror and intelligent Sci-Fi. Great really interesting storyline and strong characters that I really connected with. It is part 2 can be read as a standalone but reading part one would help with the backstory,
I received a complimentary copy of the audiobook from Storyorigin and am leaving a voluntary honest review.
I received a complimentary copy of the audiobook from Storyorigin and am leaving a voluntary honest review.
January 3, 2025
Not as scary as book 1, however there are definitely more nightmare inducing aliens. Definitely have to read book one so you’re not lost AF in this one. There is more POV from the alien species the humans are working with, which is a nice change of pace.
“The easier you make something sound, the less daunting it actually is”
“The easier you make something sound, the less daunting it actually is”
August 30, 2020
Very well done
Honestly I thought tours would be the same old sci fi creature feature book but it wasn’t.
This book had some humor and sadness and the characters had depth to them.
I recommend this!
Honestly I thought tours would be the same old sci fi creature feature book but it wasn’t.
This book had some humor and sadness and the characters had depth to them.
I recommend this!
January 5, 2022
For Space Is Dark And Full Of Horrors…
This second book of the series cranks up the action and horror x10. Questions are answered, new mystery’s emerge, and everyone wishes they had just stuck to their own solar system…
This second book of the series cranks up the action and horror x10. Questions are answered, new mystery’s emerge, and everyone wishes they had just stuck to their own solar system…
May 22, 2024
Dang
Morgan is sure having an adventure. Becoming a prisoner. Meeting more humans. Landing on a planet with a big evil. Former big evil showing up. Big battle of big evils. Helping aliens. Lots of action and excitement.
Morgan is sure having an adventure. Becoming a prisoner. Meeting more humans. Landing on a planet with a big evil. Former big evil showing up. Big battle of big evils. Helping aliens. Lots of action and excitement.
August 30, 2025
Loving it
I love how the story is going all the twists and turns. The characters are well written, and I can't wait to start the next book, I'm looking forward to seeing how the story ends. Great job
I love how the story is going all the twists and turns. The characters are well written, and I can't wait to start the next book, I'm looking forward to seeing how the story ends. Great job
September 2, 2022
I loved this book with Morgan and her continuing adventures. The characters were amazing and the narrator was perfect.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews