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  • Dead Silence

  • By: S.A. Barnes
  • Narrated by: Lauren Ezzo
  • Length: 13 hrs and 8 mins
  • 4.0 out of 5 stars (223 ratings)

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Dead Silence

By: S.A. Barnes
Narrated by: Lauren Ezzo
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Summary

"The audiobook read by Lauren Ezzo makes for compulsive, edge-of-seat listening."—Buzzfeed

"Ezzo's dark tone and emotional connection terrify and comfort listeners in equal measure. Not for the faint of heart."—AudioFile Magazine

Titanic meets The Shining in S.A. Barnes’ Dead Silence, a SF horror novel in which a woman and her crew board a decades-lost luxury cruiser and find the wreckage of a nightmare that hasn't yet ended.

Claire Kovalik is days away from being unemployed—made obsolete—when her beacon repair crew picks up a strange distress signal. With nothing to lose and no desire to return to Earth, Claire and her team decide to investigate.

What they find at the other end of the signal is a shock: the Aurora, a famous luxury space-liner that vanished on its maiden tour of the solar system more than twenty years ago. A salvage claim like this could set Claire and her crew up for life. But a quick trip through the Aurora reveals something isn’t right.

Whispers in the dark. Flickers of movement. Words scrawled in blood. Claire must fight to hold onto her sanity and find out what really happened on the Aurora, before she and her crew meet the same ghastly fate.

A Macmillan Audio production from Tor Nightfire

©2022 S.A. Barnes (P)2022 Macmillan Audio
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Critic reviews

"This story slides and slithers from creepy and atmospheric to skin-crawling, edge-of-your-seat terror." —T. Kingfisher, author of The Hollow Places

"Barnes ably conjures the kind of haunting setting and atmosphere required for this Event Horizon-esque novel, providing an effective sense of immediacy to Claire's frequently shifting and at times tenuous grip on reality. Recommended for fans of claustrophobic space horror."—Booklist

Dead Silence mixes horror, mystery and sci-fi into a thrill ride sure to shock you out of your reading rut. ...a claustrophobic race against time as the ship’s horrors begin to affect the crew one by one. Dread slowly builds as small, frightening moments inside the Aurora multiply, showcasing Barnes’ patient plotting and steady pacing. This is one of those time-warp books—the ones where you look away from the clock, then look back and it’s suddenly way past your bedtime.”—BookPage, Starred Review

What listeners say about Dead Silence

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Awesome creepy sci-fi!

Really enjoyed this, had all the elements I loved and reminded me of my all time favourite, Alien. The story was enjoyable and had the creeping uncertainty factor. Narration was beautiful and so well performed, might have to come back to this at some point!

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

It’s a good premise that never quite finds it’s feet

Dead Silence was alright. Our narrator was occasionally in the upper tier of performance but occasionally drifted into the hammy. Specifically when narrating our protagonists internal thoughts. The story was okay. It read more like a typical sci-fi rather than a horror, but the reasons for that a harder to articulate.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

excellent space horror

Slow burn horror, good sci fi and several loving nods to the classics of the genre. I'll be reading more by this author.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Not what I expected - in a good way

Okay, starting out, I was hesitant. I’m not a big sci-fi fan and, frankly, a synopsis of “Titanic meets the Shining” sounds worrying. But, the book was recommended to me by someone’s whose taste in books is usually good so I gave it a go.

And I’m happy I did! The story is engaging, with just enough suspense and surprises to keep it riveting. The narration is excellent, with the narrator clearly mirroring the emotions of the main character, and the ending was not what I expected at all. I would, and have in fact, definitely recommend this (audio)book.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

I was a little bored

i just found it a little boring. I probably should have given up earlier but wanted to wait till the end but it's didn't really pay off

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

After all the buildup...

I pre-ordered this months ago, as soon as it came out for pre-order. I'd read reviews raving about this book, so couldn't wait for it, having seen it compared to "ghost ship," "the shining," and "Titanic." But I have to say, I agree with one of my fellow reviewers. Claire was owned by her past and didn't seem strong enough to move on, yet she was hurt by someone saying she wouldn't be a good captain? I thought her story dominated the horror, which was the part I personally was looking forward to most. At the time of writing this I haven't actually finished the book yet and fully intend to, but I can't see my opinion changing. I don't like Claire much I'm afraid. I find her annoying and frustrating. I much prefer Kyle and Lordess.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Space Titanic abandonment horror

Great story, tremendously creepy at times and the world building of the ship is brill.

Highly recommend.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

This needs to be a movie/tv show

Honestly, probably one of the best books I have listened to the performance was perfect and the story was gripping from start to finish if you’re a fan of the alien franchise, you should enjoy this it’s spooky and creepy and keeps you guessing all the way through! thoroughly enjoyed!!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Stunning story and perfect narrator

I can’t understate how much I loved Dead Silence. A brilliantly written story that fans of Aliens will thoroughly enjoy, though the plot, theme, and characters stand on their own merit. The narrator was perfect and made it almost impossible to put down. Five stars!

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent

Gripping from start to finish, very well written and Lauren Ezzo performs this narration with real emotion.

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