Cold Eternity

Name: Cold Eternity
Price: 28.99 USD
Availability: InStock
ISBN: 9781250884954

✍️ S a Barnes

Reader Score

4.4

(1 review)

$28.99

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📚 WHAT THE BOOK IS ABOUT

A woman hides in a cryo-barge haunted by glitchy AI and crawling shadows.

The narrative centers on Halley's desperate attempt to disappear from political fallout. She chooses a decaying storage facility for frozen elites as her sanctuary. The setting transforms from a place of safety into a trap. Glitching holograms mimic the creator's children, creating an uncanny valley effect. Sounds in the ventilation system suggest unseen entities are moving through the ship. Halley realizes the danger she faces is not external pursuers but the environment itself. The story relies on sensory details like scraping metal and slithering movements to build tension. It explores the failure of technology to protect humanity from its own creations.

Key Themes

cryogenic storage glitchy AI hosts interplanetary scandal

Literary Context

This work emerges from the Tor Nightfire imprint, published in April 2025. It engages with contemporary anxieties about artificial intelligence and cryonics. The setting reflects a future where wealth dictates survival after death. The narrative draws on gothic traditions of haunted houses, transposing them to a sterile, isolated space barge.

Difficulty

●● Medium

Recommended For Fans Of

Claudia Gray · Alien franchise · John Carpenter · Silent Hill

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Horror Fiction

🏛 Tor Nightfire 📅 2025 📖 304 pages 🌐 English 📔 Hardcover ISBN: 9781250884954

📝 Description: Cold Eternity

Halley flees an interplanetary political scandal by seeking refuge in a massive space barge designed to store cryogenically frozen bodies. This vessel holds the remains of Earth's most fortunate citizens from over a century ago, preserved under the long-defunct cryo program established by trillionaire tech genius Zale Winfeld. The ship’s atmosphere is oppressive, resembling a crypt where isolation weighs heavily on Halley almost immediately upon arrival. The environment is haunted by glitchy AI hologram hosts modeled after Winfeld's three adult children. These ghoulish figures wander the corridors, adding to the sense of dread. Halley begins to notice figures crawling in the hallways and hears constant scraping, slithering, and rattling echoing through the vents. The technological failures and physical decay create a claustrophobic nightmare that tightens around her. S a Barnes constructs this narrative by focusing on the intersection of advanced technology and ancient fears. The story examines how isolation amplifies paranoia when safety is an illusion. It suits readers who enjoy psychological horror set in confined, high-concept sci-fi environments. Those seeking fast-paced action or clear resolutions may find the creeping dread and ambiguous threats less satisfying.

💎 Our verdict on Cold Eternity

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Horror Reads editorial team

Horror desk

S a Barnes effectively constructs a claustrophobic nightmare by intersecting advanced technology with ancient fears. The narrative centers on Halley’s desperate attempt to disappear from political fallout, transforming a decaying storage facility into an inescapable trap. Glitching holograms mimic the creator's children, creating an uncanny valley effect that heightens the sense of dread. The story relies heavily on sensory details, such as sounds in the ventilation system suggesting unseen entities, to build tension. This approach explores how isolation magnifies paranoia when the environment itself becomes the enemy. It suits readers who enjoy psychological horror over action, offering a tense exploration of technological failure and human vulnerability.

✓ EDITOR'S REVIEW

📖 Why choose it

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Why this book is worth reading

Readers who appreciate psychological horror set in confined, high-concept sci-fi environments will find this narrative compelling. The book offers a deep dive into the failure of technology to protect humanity from its own creations. Those who enjoy sensory details like scraping metal and slithering movements to build tension will appreciate the immersive atmosphere. It is ideal for fans of stories where isolation amplifies paranoia and safety is an illusion. However, it may not suit those seeking fast-paced action or clear resolutions, as the story relies on creeping dread and ambiguous threats rather than definitive answers.

⭐ Reader reviews

The starting rating comes from the team Horror Reads —

Reader rating

4.4

Based on 1 reviews

Horror Reads editorial team

S a Barnes effectively constructs a claustrophobic nightmare by intersecting advanced technology with ancient fears. The narrative centers on Halley’s desperate attempt to disappear from political fallout, transforming a decaying storage facility into an inescapable trap. Glitching holograms mimic the creator's children, creating an uncanny valley effect that heightens the sense of dread. The story relies heavily on sensory details, such as sounds in the ventilation system suggesting unseen entities, to build tension. This approach explores how isolation magnifies paranoia when the environment itself becomes the enemy. It suits readers who enjoy psychological horror over action, offering a tense exploration of technological failure and human vulnerability.