The Last Astronaut: David Wellington
Reviewed By Steve Stred
- Paperback: 384 pages
- Publisher: Orbit (25 July 2019)
“There was no clear delineation between the darkness external and internal.”
What would you do if you were given a second chance? You worked your entire life to achieve your dream before something horrific happens and that dream is snuffed out?
Through Sally Jansen, the last astronaut, we get to experience just that.
David Wellington has created an immense work of sci-fi/horror and I’m so thankful I saw Lilyn from Sci-Fi & Scary’s review for this book. Because of her review, I snagged this on Netgalley and it is easily in my top 5 reads of the year.
Sally was the mission commander of NASA’s manned trip to Mars. After an accident happens, and an astronaut dies, Sally is blamed and the space program is defunded, put aside while private firms begin to focus on space exploration.
Then Wellington introduces the amazing to us. What was believed to be an asteroid that has entered our solar system, doesn’t act like one. It’s believed to be a spaceship. So Sally is recruited and leads a group to the suspected ship to make first contact.
Everything about this story was cinematic and massive. I couldn’t believe the visual scope created here and I felt like I was reading a Ridley Scott script at times. Think Alien meets The Thing meets The Martian for the style of story that plays out.
I’ve always loved the idea put forth of Ancient Aliens and those star folks who came before, etc. This played right into it and I ate it up.
I’ve already told a dozen people that they need to read this book ASAP and in every message I’ve said – “read this before it becomes a movie.”
As the story unfolds and we get deeper into the alien idea, Wellington ramps up the horror, the terror and the psychological dread. It was superb. This was the most recent book to actual infiltrate my dreams, which is very rare, but also shows just how much I was devouring this read.
This should be on everyone’s must-read lists if only to then be moved to their top reads of the year lists.
The Last Astronaut
A huge alien object has entered the solar system and is now poised above the Earth. It has made no attempt to communicate.
Out of time and options, NASA turns to its last living astronaut – Commander Sally Jansen, who must lead a team of raw recruits on a mission to make First Contact.
But as the object reveals its secrets, Jansen and her crew find themselves in a desperate struggle for survival – against the cold vacuum of space, and something far, far worse . . .
You can buy The Last Astronaut from Amazon UK & Amazon US
Steve Stred
Steve Stred writes dark, bleak horror fiction.
Steve is the author of the novels Invisible & The Stranger, the novellas The Girl Who Hid in the Trees, Wagon Buddy, Yuri and Jane: the 816 Chronicles and two collections of short stories; Frostbitten: 12 Hymns of Misery and Left Hand Path: 13 More Tales of Black Magick, and the dark poetry collection Dim the Sun.
On September 1st, 2019 his second collection of dark poetry and drabbles called The Night Crawls In will arrive. This release was specifically created to help fund the 1st Annual LOHF Writers Grant.
Steve is also a voracious reader, reviewing everything he reads and submitting the majority of his reviews to be featured on Kendall Reviews.
Steve Stred is based in Edmonton, AB, Canada and lives with his wife, his son and their dog OJ.
You can follow Steve on Twitter @stevestred
You can visit Steve’s Official website here
The Stranger
Ahhh… nothing like the annual summer family camping trip, right?
Malcolm, his wife Sam and their two kids have been staying at the same cabin, at the same campground for years now. Heck, Malcolm’s been coming to the campground since he was a kid.
Miles and miles of groomed trails, hiking, kayaking on the pristine lake. What’s not to like?
But this year… well this year’s different. You see, roof repairs have caused them to have to change their plans. Now they’re staying at the cabin at the end of season, in fact they’re the last campers before it closes for the winter.
While happy to be spending time with the family, Malcolm feels a shift.
The caretaker next door makes it known he hates him.
The trees… move and dance, as though calling him, beckoning him.
Then on a seemingly normal kayaking trip, the family makes a discovery.
YOU TAKE FROM ME
I TAKE FROM YOU
Something’s out there, just on the other side of the fence. Malcolm’s positive it’s just the caretaker trying to scare him, teach the family a lesson.
But what if it’s not…
What if there is something out there?
The Stranger is the second novel from Steve Stred and 9th release overall. The Stranger is another offering following in the footsteps of similar books Invisible, YURI and The Girl Who Hid in the Trees. As Steve describes his works; “dark, bleak horror.”
With this release, Steve has decided to look deeper into what makes humans tick. He confronts two key elements of mankind; bigotry and our environmental footprint.
Featuring stunning cover art by Chadwick St. John (www.inkshadows.com), The Stranger will be a story that will leave you feeling uneasy and have you looking at the trees differently.
Maybe it’s not the wind making the branches sway…
Maybe…
It’s…
The Stranger.
You can buy The Stranger from Amazon UK & Amazon US
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