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teresab78's review against another edition
4.0
Almost lost faith at 90% but got my HFN. Though I agree with many of the other reviews that the ending was a little abrupt to accomplish this. I loved the story otherwise!
downtown_kb's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
“With a field of stars behind it, it was a black shape. It was the absence of light. It was a thing carved out of the never-ending night. It was dark space.”
Cameron Rushton is a hero, captured 4 years ago by the alien race known as The Faceless. When he suddenly turns up on Brady Garrett’s space station in an alien stasis pod and the doctors botch his extraction, Brady finds himself as some sort of human battery to keep Cameron alive. They have to touch frequently. In fact, the closer they get physically the stronger Cam becomes.
I found the set up of this book: a post-apoc/dystopia/space war setting where the Earth is ravaged and doing its best to defend itself against an evil alien race, fascinating and it sucked me right in. Partially because Brady’s very conversational, stream of consciousness rambling narration was pretty funny and endearing. But I’m also a sucker for good sci-fi.
I’ll admit I was a bit thrown by this being a gay awakening, and by the forced proximity/intimacy of these two being very dubcon in nature. It threw me off because I didn't expect this to be such a bleak setting. That combined with Cam’s history and position being complicated. He’s keeping secrets and Brady’s glimpses of his time with the aliens are disturbing. So their connection feels a bit unstable and contaminated? There is also a lot of homophobia in this book, internalized as well, and yes the book was written in 2012, and has a very bro military setting but I would hope if we were that far advanced in the future to space travel that gender and sexuality would be less archaic. But I guess that might be very optimistic of me.
Anyway, I loved Garrett, the tone of this book is very stark and melancholy. The suspense gave you a strong sense of impending doom and I could not stop reading. The last 70% was wild, and intense, with some serious space horror elements. I could not put it down and things started to make more sense. Just whoa. What a ride. I’m excited to read where they go in book 2.
Cameron Rushton is a hero, captured 4 years ago by the alien race known as The Faceless. When he suddenly turns up on Brady Garrett’s space station in an alien stasis pod and the doctors botch his extraction, Brady finds himself as some sort of human battery to keep Cameron alive. They have to touch frequently. In fact, the closer they get physically the stronger Cam becomes.
I found the set up of this book: a post-apoc/dystopia/space war setting where the Earth is ravaged and doing its best to defend itself against an evil alien race, fascinating and it sucked me right in. Partially because Brady’s very conversational, stream of consciousness rambling narration was pretty funny and endearing. But I’m also a sucker for good sci-fi.
I’ll admit I was a bit thrown by this being a gay awakening, and by the forced proximity/intimacy of these two being very dubcon in nature. It threw me off because I didn't expect this to be such a bleak setting. That combined with Cam’s history and position being complicated. He’s keeping secrets and Brady’s glimpses of his time with the aliens are disturbing. So their connection feels a bit unstable and contaminated? There is also a lot of homophobia in this book, internalized as well, and yes the book was written in 2012, and has a very bro military setting but I would hope if we were that far advanced in the future to space travel that gender and sexuality would be less archaic. But I guess that might be very optimistic of me.
Anyway, I loved Garrett, the tone of this book is very stark and melancholy. The suspense gave you a strong sense of impending doom and I could not stop reading. The last 70% was wild, and intense, with some serious space horror elements. I could not put it down and things started to make more sense. Just whoa. What a ride. I’m excited to read where they go in book 2.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Homophobia, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Death of parent and Grief
oliviak_31's review against another edition
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
shemi's review
4.0
I felt a pit of despair from the beginning till the end of this book. The ending didn't match the pace of the rest of the book and was lacking because of that. I loved the premise, and the writing was superb.
jolie1883's review against another edition
4.0
4 shining stars!!!
I had this snow globe once
It was very quiet, like if you didn't touch it, it would just sit there
quiet, unassuming, almost forgettable
but then I would shake it
and all the snow and sparkles would come alive under that dome
and it made me smile because it was so fucking beautiful,
you know
just making me happy
by coming alive beneath my hands
but then things would settle and I would feel so sad for all the happy that was trapped in that damn dome
just waiting to come alive again
There's this quietness in dark space
Cam ? (super hot hero pilot who was abducted by some alien bastard)
and Brady? (the lowly recruit who shakes the globe)
They need each other like chocolate needs to melt
'cause alien bastard is coming back to disrupt their happy
Great read, can't wait to start book 2.
***Is it weird that I want to see alien bastard get his own book?***
I had this snow globe once
It was very quiet, like if you didn't touch it, it would just sit there
quiet, unassuming, almost forgettable
but then I would shake it
and all the snow and sparkles would come alive under that dome
and it made me smile because it was so fucking beautiful,
you know
just making me happy
by coming alive beneath my hands
but then things would settle and I would feel so sad for all the happy that was trapped in that damn dome
just waiting to come alive again
There's this quietness in dark space
Cam ? (super hot hero pilot who was abducted by some alien bastard)
and Brady? (the lowly recruit who shakes the globe)
They need each other like chocolate needs to melt
'cause alien bastard is coming back to disrupt their happy
Great read, can't wait to start book 2.
***Is it weird that I want to see alien bastard get his own book?***
marlobo's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 Stars
I liked the book. And I'll sure read the sequel,. I liked the premise, main characters and the author's work with the rest of the cast.
My major buts are about the atmosphere. With atmosphere I refer to the "human" part of story, that it has too many contemporary elements which wind up as anachronisms in a futuristic setting..
The story happens in a considerably distant future according to certain clues:
* habitual and abundant traffic of aerospace vessels -shitboxes-,
* allusion, toward the ending of the book, to virtually extinct languages. The disappearance of a language lingers generations in crystallizing, specially if it have a writing system.
Given this context, for me it is not enough to "know" intellectually that the story is futuristic; The sense of being immersed in a futuristic tale doesn't originate so much of the mentions of outer space but of multitude of petty details of the day-to-day life: The speech is fundamental, idioms and colloquialisms brand the period; are important also the description of the station, what and how they eat, how they wash up, how it is medical attention, etc. Even the little bit that it can be seen of day-to-day life in Kopa seemed anachronic to me, the image in my mind about Kopa is related more with a scene from the Second Industrial Revolution (Victorian Age at its peak), but without nothing that "smells" to steampunk.
Nothing of the kind happens with all matters related to the Faceless : its aspect, its ship, its technology. Being a fictional construction is more easy accept it without reserves.
Otherwise, the story is absorbing, the issue here about telepathy is fascinating. And if the last chapter leaves something too opened clearly give rise to the sequel .
The way which Kai-Ren solves the communicational problem is obviously necessary to the plot, although it's somewhat silly. I bet that a so advanced technologically race would have been able to resolve it differently.
Cam is okay, although for moments he seemed a bit flat and sounded single-stringed.
And Brady, Brady eats up the book!! Brilliantly achieved, I could "feel" him, he's multidimensional and believable; you want to hug him and to protect him and to help him... and to give him an self-esteem shot.
Finally... I Love Lucy.
I liked the book. And I'll sure read the sequel,. I liked the premise, main characters and the author's work with the rest of the cast.
My major buts are about the atmosphere. With atmosphere I refer to the "human" part of story, that it has too many contemporary elements which wind up as anachronisms in a futuristic setting..
The story happens in a considerably distant future according to certain clues:
Spoiler
* at least 8 space stations with thousands of men living in each one of them during years,* habitual and abundant traffic of aerospace vessels -shitboxes-,
* allusion, toward the ending of the book, to virtually extinct languages. The disappearance of a language lingers generations in crystallizing, specially if it have a writing system.
Given this context, for me it is not enough to "know" intellectually that the story is futuristic; The sense of being immersed in a futuristic tale doesn't originate so much of the mentions of outer space but of multitude of petty details of the day-to-day life: The speech is fundamental, idioms and colloquialisms brand the period; are important also the description of the station, what and how they eat, how they wash up, how it is medical attention, etc. Even the little bit that it can be seen of day-to-day life in Kopa seemed anachronic to me, the image in my mind about Kopa is related more with a scene from the Second Industrial Revolution (Victorian Age at its peak), but without nothing that "smells" to steampunk.
Nothing of the kind happens with all matters related to the Faceless : its aspect, its ship, its technology. Being a fictional construction is more easy accept it without reserves.
Otherwise, the story is absorbing, the issue here about telepathy is fascinating. And if the last chapter leaves something too opened
Spoiler
- why Kai-Ren liberates Cam-The way which Kai-Ren solves the communicational problem is obviously necessary to the plot, although it's somewhat silly. I bet that a so advanced technologically race would have been able to resolve it differently.
Cam is okay, although for moments he seemed a bit flat and sounded single-stringed.
And Brady, Brady eats up the book!! Brilliantly achieved, I could "feel" him, he's multidimensional and believable; you want to hug him and to protect him and to help him... and to give him an self-esteem shot.
Finally... I Love Lucy.
jacqueleenthereadingqueen's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars
Dark space was different from any book I have ever read. It is told in single person POV by Brady, a drafted soldier at the age of 18 on board a space station. One drafted at 16, young men are to spend 10 years in service until they are sent back to Earth. There are no women aboard. They are not permitted to serve due to their "breeding" ability. This is a sci-fi novel set in a completely different world, where Earth has the misfortune of having been attacked by a superior alien race known as the Faceless. Earth has survived, but not without casualties.
I quite liked being in Brady's head for the duration of the novel. His sarcasm and banter was enjoyable. He has a strange, yet interesting way of viewing things even if he is a bit melodramatic. This is not to say I didn't wish we got more of Cam's POV. But as you read the story you will see that we do get some of Cam's thoughts through his connection with Brady. I tend to prefer dual POV stories myself, but thats just personal preference.
The story is engaging and a bit dark at times. The romance is there, but it isn't the whole focus of the story. It's cryptic and kept me guessing and some of the surprises threw me for a loop. At one point I almost stopped reading because I swore if this book ended with everyone miserable or dead I was going to scream. But I kept on reading, because I just HAD to know how it all turned out. And I am not going to spoil with whether or not I got the outcome I wanted. You'll just have to read it yourself to find out. If your looking for a sappy romance novel, look elsewhere, this isn't that tale. But if your looking for something different, maybe a little dark and twisty and dirty then jump on in.
Dark space was different from any book I have ever read. It is told in single person POV by Brady, a drafted soldier at the age of 18 on board a space station. One drafted at 16, young men are to spend 10 years in service until they are sent back to Earth. There are no women aboard. They are not permitted to serve due to their "breeding" ability. This is a sci-fi novel set in a completely different world, where Earth has the misfortune of having been attacked by a superior alien race known as the Faceless. Earth has survived, but not without casualties.
I quite liked being in Brady's head for the duration of the novel. His sarcasm and banter was enjoyable. He has a strange, yet interesting way of viewing things even if he is a bit melodramatic. This is not to say I didn't wish we got more of Cam's POV. But as you read the story you will see that we do get some of Cam's thoughts through his connection with Brady. I tend to prefer dual POV stories myself, but thats just personal preference.
The story is engaging and a bit dark at times. The romance is there, but it isn't the whole focus of the story. It's cryptic and kept me guessing and some of the surprises threw me for a loop. At one point I almost stopped reading because I swore if this book ended with everyone miserable or dead I was going to scream. But I kept on reading, because I just HAD to know how it all turned out. And I am not going to spoil with whether or not I got the outcome I wanted. You'll just have to read it yourself to find out. If your looking for a sappy romance novel, look elsewhere, this isn't that tale. But if your looking for something different, maybe a little dark and twisty and dirty then jump on in.
missawn's review against another edition
2.0
I really did not enjoy this book. The premise is interesting and the initial build-up was interesting ... however, once the plot began to unfold - I found that I was not really into the story at all. I found parts of it melodramatic and the certain scenes, unnecessarily disturbing. There was this very strange uncomfortable, predatory vibe that wove its way through this book - I have a hard time pining down what exactly caused this - but it was possibly a combination of various things like ever present exes, inappropriate workplace relationships etc. I don't know ... I expected something quite different and this didn't really work for me ...
Spoiler
like the alien rape scenes,fishyla's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars
Oh how I regret for not reading this any sooner, for keep putting it off my next-to-read list and for reading it at all.
Because now I want to relive it all over again.
And I literally just closed the damn book.
Really, Brady is now one of best MC I've ever encountered. For once being a poor 16 year-old drafted kid, he turned out to be alright. More than alright. A little bit angry and cynic maybe, but really, who wouldn't? When you have a big scary alien, the Faceless, coming to Earth with the intention an exterminator would to bugs, you are more than free to be angry and cynic.
But Brady was so much more than that. He was unbelievably real in the midst of the most unreal situation you could ever imagine. It was a very exhilarating and intense experience to be in his head, and Cam's by extension. I think I was half in love with him, because even when things were creeping the hell out of me I still wanted to actually go there and hold him. God.
And boy, the bloody writing, it was so awesome. Sure I was a little overloaded and confused over the first few pages, and if you find yourself experiencing that, please do me a favor and CONTINUE. Sci-Fi is not my thing, it never has, but this? It definitely is mine. The whole telepathy thing is not overdone and the GFY theme is one of the best I've seen yet.
I wish Ms. Henry had a few more pages for the ending though. I'm hoping for a sequel, or even a novella here. Meh who am I kidding? Another page of Brady's mind and I'd be happy as a clam.
It's sexy, it's funny, it's scary, it's heartbreaking, thrilling and at the same time romantic. Sigh.
And to quote Joolz: "Anyone who thinks Sci-Fi isn't for them. SCI-FI IS TOTALLY FOR YOU"
Also at Scrollin' Them Papers
Oh how I regret for not reading this any sooner, for keep putting it off my next-to-read list and for reading it at all.
Because now I want to relive it all over again.
And I literally just closed the damn book.
Really, Brady is now one of best MC I've ever encountered. For once being a poor 16 year-old drafted kid, he turned out to be alright. More than alright. A little bit angry and cynic maybe, but really, who wouldn't? When you have a big scary alien, the Faceless, coming to Earth with the intention an exterminator would to bugs, you are more than free to be angry and cynic.
After girls we talked about the officers, and which ones hated us most that week, and how we never did anything to deserve it, and they were just assholes, and if they didn’t have those stripes on their shoulders, they wouldn’t be so tough. Man-to-man we could take them. That was all talk too, I guess.
But Brady was so much more than that. He was unbelievably real in the midst of the most unreal situation you could ever imagine. It was a very exhilarating and intense experience to be in his head, and Cam's by extension. I think I was half in love with him, because even when things were creeping the hell out of me I still wanted to actually go there and hold him. God.
And boy, the bloody writing, it was so awesome. Sure I was a little overloaded and confused over the first few pages, and if you find yourself experiencing that, please do me a favor and CONTINUE. Sci-Fi is not my thing, it never has, but this? It definitely is mine. The whole telepathy thing is not overdone and the GFY theme is one of the best I've seen yet.
I wish Ms. Henry had a few more pages for the ending though. I'm hoping for a sequel, or even a novella here. Meh who am I kidding? Another page of Brady's mind and I'd be happy as a clam.
It's sexy, it's funny, it's scary, it's heartbreaking, thrilling and at the same time romantic. Sigh.
"Do you want to get fucked, recruit?"
I squeezed my eyes shut under the blindfold as a jolt ran through my body. "Yes, sir!"
He ghosted his palm across my nipple. "And what does that make you?"
"Yours, sir," I said.
And to quote Joolz: "Anyone who thinks Sci-Fi isn't for them. SCI-FI IS TOTALLY FOR YOU"
Also at Scrollin' Them Papers
friends2lovers's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Sexual content
Moderate: Rape