Dead Space by Kali Wallace

Dead Space

by Kali Wallace

Nominated for the Philip K. Dick Award

An investigator must solve a brutal murder on a claustrophobic space station in this tense science fiction thriller from the author of Salvation Day.

Hester Marley used to have a plan for her life. But when a catastrophic attack left her injured, indebted, and stranded far from home, she was forced to take a dead-end security job with a powerful mining company in the asteroid belt. Now she spends her days investigating petty crimes to help her employer maximize its profits. She's surprised to hear from an old friend and fellow victim of the terrorist attack that ruined her life—and that surprise quickly turns to suspicion when he claims to have discovered something shocking about their shared history and the tragedy that neither of them can leave behind. 

Before Hester can learn more, her friend is violently murdered at a remote asteroid mine. Hester joins the investigation to find the truth, both about her friend's death and the information he believed he had uncovered. But catching a killer is only the beginning of Hester's worries, and she soon realizes that everything she learns about her friend, his fellow miners, and the outpost they call home brings her closer to revealing secrets that very powerful and very dangerous people would rather keep hidden in the depths of space.

Reviewed by Quirky Cat on

4.5 of 5 stars

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I'm just going to come out and say it: Dead Space is the best science fiction novel I've read this year. And I expect it will still be my favorite by the end of the year. This is a thrilling tale written by Kali Wallace that merges science fiction with horror, with touches of mystery.

Once upon a time, Hester Marley had a plan. She had a job she loved; she had friends, the works. But that all went away the day of the tragedy. While she was lucky to escape with her life, she lost so much in the process.

Now she's stuck indebted to a company she hates, working a dead-end job that she can barely pretend to tolerate. It's a life of misery, and it's about to get a whole lot more complicated with the death of an old friend and college.

“This was my body now. Nothing more, nothing less, and never what the biohackers and transhumanists and weird fetishists wanted to hear.”

Dead Space grabbed my mind with both hands and refused to let go. No, seriously, I was that invested in the plot. In some ways, I still find myself thinking back to Hester and all of the insanity that she found herself involved in.

This novel combined two of my greatest loves: science fiction and horror. But it did more than that as well, throwing in some thriller and mystery elements, as well as having a lot of fantastic representation (LGBT+ and a prosthetic-wearing main character).

On that note, Kali Wallace did an excellent job describing the world and situation. Hester's pain and PTSD felt both real and accurate – almost too much so at points. There's plenty of danger and gore to go around as well, so keep all of that in mind.

This is a dark book. Not just because of the horror elements, but for the view on corporations and humanity as a whole. It was actually the ideal setting for everything else that happened. This is also a novel that will make you think, which you guys know I adore. There's a moral center to this story, and it will not hand feed it to you.

Dead Space by and far has one of the best endings I've read in such a long time. It actually left me both amused and satisfied, which I feel is a rare thing, especially in the horror genre. I seriously cannot recommend this book more.

Thanks to Berkley Publishing Group and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Check out more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks (of Books)

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 18 March, 2021: Finished reading
  • 18 March, 2021: Reviewed