A review by killa_bunnies
Pitch Dark by Courtney Alameda

adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

 

A fast-action story set in deep space on a “derelict” spaceship with cargo that might save mankind. Not exactly a pure horror story, but it has nice moments. Few fresh and amusing ideas, as well as some character backgrounds that bring wider diversity to the genre and cool pop culture references. 

I was looking for a good space horror, with Dead Space in mind. Although this one has some “horrific” moments and some locations bear some resemblance to the aforementioned game, it stands on its own. A fast, action-moving space story of dying mankind, even more dead-er Earth, and one last chance for salvation in the shape of an old generation spaceship. It is also marketed sometimes as young adult, but I would not say that is the selling point here (the main characters, boy and girl are in their late teens, there are some teen-like issues, but the book does not put emphasis on it). 

In a universe, where mankind’s last chance to survive is a soil bacteria responsible for anything to grow, we follow characters, Tuck and Laura, both separated by the 400 years difference. The books blend nicely the themes of ecoterrorism, climate crisis, terraforming of Mars and space exploration, with fresh look at space archeology (ship raiding), survival of mankind and horror action. The main characters are lovable and servest the story well, although Tuck is a bit of a jock, in my opinion. A bit one-layered, but that is compensated by Laura, main female lead here, hacker and “ship raider”, aspiring archeologist with a name making allusion to another tomb raider, Lara Croft.

If you are looking for a great action-packed book set in space, which is more confined, a story not spanning several books and involving many fractions, Pitch Dark is your thing.