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Happy Halloween, sci-fi fans! In honor of the holiday this week, I have five sci-fi horror books set in space, because space is SCARY. There are a million things that can go wrong in space, the tiniest little things, and then, welp, that’s it for you. And that’s only the stuff we know about, like mechanical failure or tears in a spacesuit. There are also the things we don’t know about. Because let’s face it, we don’t know everything about space. We don’t even know that much about our brains, and they are with us everywhere we go! So not knowing everything about an infinite universe is completely understandable.
That leaves plenty of room for space monsters, extraterrestrial contagions, killer robots, and anything else that hangs out in the back of your imagination when you’re in space. And I do mean you. Because I’m not going. These five frightening sci-fi books have menacing monsters, scary ships, creepy caves, spine-chilling sentients, and addled androids. So get your glass of Tang and get ready to blast off with these books, And remember, in space, no one can hear you read.
Dead Silence by S. A. Barnes
A salvage vessel captained by Claire Kovalik is headed back to Earth after its final job, with the crew wondering what they are going to do next for money. But then they pick up a distress signal, far at the edge of the explored space. Upon investigation, it turns out to belong to the Aurora, a luxury spaceliner that disappeared two decades ago on its maiden voyage. Seeing as Claire and her crew are on a salvage ship, and will soon be unemployed, they decide to board the Aurora to strip it of its valuables. But they really, really should have stayed on their own ship…
The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling
How about a scary novel set in space with the added bonus of terrifying enclosed spaces? Not many people would agree to be lowered into a space cave to mine for minerals. But Gyre Price isn’t most people—she’s desperate. So desperate, in fact, that she lied to get the job, hoping to get money to get her off-planet to find her mother. Her lie comes back to bite her in the butt when her life is put in the hands of Em, who is up top controlling Gyre’s suit. Because Em knows that Gyre is a liar, and now she has to pay.
The Scourge Between Stars by Ness Brown
In this exciting space horror, the scary things are so considerate, they come inside the ship! Jacklyn Albright is the acting captain of the Calypso, a large generational starship carrying what is left of humanity. The ship is running out of supplies and limping along after damage from a minefield. So, sure, why not add some strange sounds, murdered crew members, and horrifying frights to the pile of problems. This is the most immediate problem, though, because an intruder is killing people on the ship. And if Jacklyn can’t find them and stop the carnage, it will be the end of humanity. (No pressure.)
Semiosis by Sue Burke
This is the first in a duology about alien encounters! Humans having to find a new planet because the Earth sucks is one of my favorite sci-fi subgenres. In this debut novel, colonists have made their home on a new planet. But it isn’t as amazing as they had hoped for. And it also isn’t vacant—something is watching them, and it doesn’t appreciate the intrusion. Can the colonists get away from the danger before it’s too late? Spoiler: Nope.
We Have Always Been Here by Lena Nguyen
And for my last pick, this intense space exploration horror! Dr. Grace Park is one of two psychologists aboard the Deucalion, a survey ship looking to explore an ice planet in a previously unknown galaxy. But space travel does not agree with Grace, and she doesn’t particularly like the crew, so she finds friendship among the ship’s androids instead. After reaching the planet, the crew and the androids start acting strangely, and Grace realizes there’s something sinister happening on the Deucalion. But is it human, android, or extraterrestrial? She’ll have to figure tit out before the danger finds her.
Okay, star bits, now take the knowledge you have learned here today and use it for good, not evil. If you want to know more about books, I talk about books pretty much nonstop (when I’m not reading them), and you can hear me say lots of adjectives about them on the Book Riot podcast All the Books! and on Instagram.
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