Dead Silence

How it reads

Dead Silence is science fiction (space horror, specifically), and its dominant mood is eerie. It's atmospheric and uncanny, with a sense that something is wrong. It moves fast: plot-driven and hard to put down, the kind of book that carries you along even when you're tired.

It's set in the wilderness or at sea, in the future, told in the third person, staying close to one character. Its central concerns are survival, nature and secrets. In weight it sits in the middle: substantial without being heavy going.

It stands alone, so there's nothing else you need to read first or after. The ending is dark — no rescue, no neat bow. At 343 pages it's an ordinary novel's length. It's moderately known: read by plenty of people, but not a household name.