Hi all!

Welcome back! In July, we read Ghost Station by S.A. Barnes for The You’ll Read Too Bookclub! Spoilers ahead!

Quick Reminder: This month we are reading ‘Ghost Camera’ by Darcy Coates.

Today I’m going to give a quick plot summary, plus my overall star/scare-factor ratings. Then I will share the discussion topics and trivia questions. Please include all of your answers and opinions down below. I want to know exactly what you thought. I’ll also leave the answers to the trivia questions at the very bottom of the post. Without further ado, let’s get into it!

GHOST STATION BY S.A. BARNES – JULY 2024

PLOT SUMMARY

Psychologist, Dr. Ophelia Bray, has dedicated her life to the study and prevention of ERS – a space-based condition most famous for a case that resulted in the brutal murders of 29 people. When she’s assigned to a small exploration crew, she’s eager to make a difference. But as they begin to establish residency on an abandoned planet, it becomes clear that the crew is hiding something.  While Ophelia focuses on her new role, her crewmates are far more interested in investigating the eerie, ancient planet and unraveling the mystery behind the previous coloniser’s hasty departure. That is, until their pilot is discovered gruesomely murdered. Is this Ophelia’s worst nightmare starting – a wave of violence and mental deterioration from ERS? Or is it something more sinister? 

OVERALL STAR RATING 

I gave this book 3.5/5 stars. It took a very long time to get into, but once the third act hit, the pace picked up. It became a very action-packed story. I liked the gore and horror elements, but the characters themselves felt a bit one-dimensional. A lot of them were quite mean, rude and harsh. I related to Ophelia regarding her generational trauma, but I wanted her to be more independent than she was. It felt like she always needed somebody to help her.

OVERALL SCARE-FACTOR RATING 

I gave this book a 3/5 scare-factor rating. As mentioned above, there was plenty of gore and stomach-churning moments. I was able to visualise exactly what was happening to the characters. Having said that, there were less ‘ghosts’ as the book’s title suggests and more artificially intelligent beings. The story became progressively eerier as it went along.

DISCUSSION TOPICS 

1.) How did Ophelia break the cycle of her generational trauma? 

Ophelia was able to break the cycle of her generational trauma by accepting that whilst she shared similarities to her parents, she wasn’t them. In the end, she was able to separate herself from her father’s legacy, by making different decisions.

2.) How did this book differ from Dead Silence and what similarities did it share? 

Ghost Station was similar to Dead Silence in the way that the main character was isolated from her crew. In both books, the protagonist was not on the friendliest terms with the rest of the team. They also had characters with dark pasts, that were progressively revealed as the story went on. In terms of differences, Ghost Station had a more impactful second half, whereas Dead Silence was stronger at the beginning. You can read my Dead Silence review here.

3.) Were you satisfied with the ending? Why/why not? 

The ending was quite abrupt. I was expecting more closure.

TRIVIA QUESTIONS 

Easy: What was the name of the condition Ophelia specialises in? 

Medium: What was Ophelia Bray’s real name? 

Hard: What was the name of the crew’s ship?

I hope you enjoyed the book club discussion. As mentioned above, share all of your thoughts in the comments below! If you have any feedback/suggestions to improve the book club, please let me know. I look forward to talking to you all next month! Thanks for reading!

Peace & Love xoxo

TRIVIA ANSWERS: Easy: ERS. Medium: Lark Bledsoe. Hard: The Resilience.