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Jack Tripper

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The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch by Philip K. Dick

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Jack is Currently Reading

Jack Tripper is currently reading

A Life on Paper: Selected Stories

by Georges-Olivier Châteaureynaud

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Nov 04, 2026 02:08PM

Jack Tripper is currently reading

Ship of Fools

by Richard Paul Russo

bookshelves: science-fiction, space-opera, horror, currently-reading, reread

Reading for the 2nd time

read in June 2017

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Jack Tripper said: " I see a lot of mixed reviews here, but to me, Ship of Fools was an extremely eerie and intense hybrid of horror and space opera*. Though considering Alien is probably my all-time favorite horror film, and a top two or three science-fiction film (Blad I see a lot of mixed reviews here, but to me, Ship of Fools was an extremely eerie and intense hybrid of horror and space opera*. Though considering Alien is probably my all-time favorite horror film, and a top two or three science-fiction film (Blade Runner will always be tops in my book), I may be slightly biased, as this does have a pretty similar feel, in that a seemingly-abandoned alien spaceship is discovered by the crew of a human-occupied ship. The horrors here are much more psychological than the "slasher in space" feel of the movie, however.

It's told in the first person by Bartolomeo, resident of the upper levels of the generation starship Argonos, which is where the more privileged citizens of the ship reside (government officials, ship crew, etc.), while the bottom levels are reserved for the lower classes. It's pretty much a city in space. The ship has been traveling through the galaxy for so long in search of a habitable planet that no one really knows the ship's origin. Some, like the ship's bishop, believe it has always existed.

The early sections of the novel deal a lot with ship politics, and it's actually pretty interesting due to all the shady plots of insurrection going on behind the captain's back. But things get really interesting once the ship comes across the gigantic derelict craft, which gives off such an ominous, evil vibe that many feel they should just leave it behind, even though it's a monumental discovery (no signs of alien life have ever been discovered before as far as they know). But Bartolomeo is eventually chosen to lead a hand-picked crew to explore the awesome and awe-ful ship. Terror ensues.

I've left a LOT out of my description, due to the fact that I'd rather not give away too much of what makes this novel so compelling. Suffice to say, it's creepy as hell, and the first-person narration by Bartolomeo is very engaging, so much so that I read all 370 pages in two sittings. And I'm not really a fast reader. There's an ever-present sense of wrongness throughout the latter sections, which I loved, and the alien ship is truly just that. Alien. And unknowable.

I'm not sure what others were expecting, but I was expecting a good space-based horror novel, and instead I got a great one, with memorable characters and a fast-paced narrative that's constantly moving forward. I'll certainly be reading more Russo sooner rather than later. But for now I'm off to search for more space horror (and I wish there was more out there).

4.5 Stars.

*Though not really space opera in the sense of interplanetary adventure, but more "new space opera," a sub-genre which emphasizes character development more so than the old-school definition, and is darker and more "literary." It's usually more science-based as well. At least that's how I understand it. ...more "

progress:

(page 109 of 370)
"Really freaking good so far. I wish there were more space opera/horror hybrids out there. Peter F. Hamilton strays towards horror occasionally, as does the Expanse series (what little I've read). But I'd like to see an actual horror writer try one. I suppose it's "easier" for a sf writer to dabble in horror than vice versa, since they already know about and are into astrophysics, orbital mechanics, and such. Still." — Jun 21, 2017 12:14AM

Aug 25, 2023 02:41PM · see review

Jack Tripper is currently reading

The Big Enchilada (Sam Hunter #1)

by L.A. Morse

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Nov 01, 2026 07:31PM

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Jack’s Quotes

“The story so far:
In the beginning the Universe was created.
This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move.”
― Douglas Adams, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe

tags: fantasy, humor, scifi

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