Across the Void

A Novel

By: S.K. Vaughn

Narrated by: Adjoa Andoh

A visceral space thriller—perfect for fans of Arrival and The Martian—following the sole survivor of a catastrophic accident in space that leaves her drifting in the void with only the voice of her estranged husband, a NASA scientist, to guide her back to Earth.

Commander Maryam “May” Knox awakes from a medically induced coma alone, adrift in space on a rapidly failing ship, with little to no memory of who she is or why she’s there.

Slowly, she pieces together that she’s the captain of the ship, Hawking II; that she was bound for Europa—one of Jupiter’s moons—on a research mission; and that she’s the only survivor of either an accident—or worse, a deliberate massacre—that has decimated her entire crew. With resources running low, and her physical strength severely compromised, May must rely on someone back home to help her. The problem is: everyone thinks she’s dead.

Back on Earth, it’s been weeks since Hawking II has communicated with NASA, and Dr. Stephen Knox is on bereavement leave to deal with the apparent death of his estranged wife, whose decision to participate in the Europa mission strained their marriage past the point of no return. But when he gets word that NASA has received a transmission from May, Stephen comes rushing to her aid.

What he doesn’t know is that not everyone wants May to make it back alive. Even more terrifying: she might not be alone on that ship. Featuring a twisting and suspenseful plot and compelling characters, Across the Void is a moving and evocative thriller that you won’t be able to put down.

One of My Favorite SF Novels Ever!

I have listened to "Across the Void" several times, and it is suspenseful, touching, and satisfying all over again. The characters, including an AI, are unique, each appealing or horrifying, with fully realized personalities. The heroine's isolation, grief, and struggle to survive are intensified within the framework of a troubled marriage. This is a wonderful book!

it says optional. but then required. lol

Story was pretty good. the accents were very distracting.
seems like there are a few plot holes.

Too many "said"s

Gripping story, exciting pace once it warms up (don't give up before the rescue plan). the only problem that's easily irritating is that the editor didn't make the author use other words for "said". You can hear it all too often while it's being read aloud. Everything else is great!

This was terrible.

The way it was marketed I expected Interstellar, with a dash of 2010, and enough romance to bring me to tears. It was none of those things.

Maryann Knox is the most dislikable character of the year. Imagine Lorie Grimes filled with vitriol. Now make it worse, make her think she’s funny.

The humor fell flat, it was continuous, low, and grating. And I like British humor.

There was no redeeming hard science fiction. There was no redeeming romance.

And the overall story? Days of Our Lives has born more realistic heartfelt plot lines.

This was so bad.

Bournemouth is now my least favorite British accent. The Texas accent portrayed was so bad I screamed curses at my iPhone. Also Eve, Maryanne’s mother, had a thick foreign accent for no reason. Other than saying she was black I don’t recall anything about her not being from England. This was painful on all fronts.