The Void [Hardcover]

Brett J. Talley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 13, 2012

In the deepest reaches of space, on a ship that no longer exists, six travelers stare into the abyss . . . and the abyss stares back.

Man has finally mastered the art of space travel and in a few hours passengers can travel light years across the galaxy. But, there's a catch-the traveler must be asleep for the journey, and with sleep come the dreams. Only the sleeper can know what his dream entails, for each is tailored to his own mind, built from his fears, his secrets, his past . . . and sometimes his future.

That the dreams occasionally drive men mad is but the price of technological advance. But when a transport on a routine mission comes upon an abandoned ship, missing for more than a decade, six travelers-each with something to hide-discover that perhaps the dreams are more than just figments of their imagination. Indeed, they may be a window to a reality beyond their own where shadow has substance and the darkness is a thing unto itself, truly worthy of fear.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"VERDICT - This unique and unnerving read is a sure bet for horror and SF fans... the horror elements are very well written and fascinating."  - ­Rebecca M. Marrall, Western Washington Univ. Libs., ­Bellingham - Library Journal.

"Talley follows Stoker finalist That Which Should Not Be with another tale of cosmic horror. This tale of aliens preying on humanity stands out from the crowd thanks to the strength of Talley's prose and creative imagination."  - Publishers Weekly.

"With THE VOID, Brett J. Talley guides us out to the vastness of space and deep into the landscape of nightmare. Talley gives us elegant prose that whispers unspeakable horrors. Highly recommended." - Jonathan Maberry, New York Times best-selling author of ASSASSIN'S CODE and DEAD OF NIGHT

"A cosmically magnificent piece of dark science fiction. Talley is a gifted story teller. Every word is an inevitable piece derived from a past dream, and every sentence, a haunting insinuation of what might come next."  - Benjamin Kane Ethridge, Bram Stoker Award winning author of BLACK & ORANGE and BOTTLED ABYSS.

"The Void is one of the best horror novels that I've read this year, hands down. It is a vast improvement on That Which Should Not Be and firmly establishes Brett Talley as an author to watch out for in the future."  -  Starburst Magazine --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

From the Author

"Talley has composed an immensely effective novel. It's rare we stumble onto a new author so consistent in their capability to allure us into their next anticipated journey. Talley proves That Which Should Not Be, his debut effort, was no fluke. He's here to stay deeply embedded in our darkest dementia.  -  HorrorNews.net --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 250 pages
• Publisher: JournalStone (July 13, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1936564440
• ISBN-13: 978-1936564446
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.7 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,088,058 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

A native of the South, Brett Talley received a philosophy and history
degree from the University of Alabama before moving to witch-haunted
Massachusetts to attend Harvard Law School. When people ask, Brett
tells them he writes for fortune and glory. But the truth is the
stories in his head simply refuse to stay put. Brett loves every kind
of fiction--from horror to literary to historical to sci-fi--as long as
there are fantastic characters with a compelling purpose. There's
still magic to be found in fiction, the mysterious and the unknown
still beckon there, and the light can always triumph over the
darkness, no matter how black the night may be.

Brett writes when he can, though he spends most of his time working as
a lawyer so that he can put food on the table. That is, until the air
grows cool and crisp and fall descends. For then it is football time
in the South, and Brett lives and dies with the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Roll Tide.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Many reviewers, like myself, received an uncorrected proof, please take that into account - loved it!! July 13, 2012

By K. Sozaeva TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

Full review, with links and illustrations, can be seen on my blog, Now is Gone, a link to which is in my profile, which can be reached by clicking on my name.

Book Info: Genre: Dark Science Fantasy Reading Level: Adult Ebook available at Journalstone or Amazon; Paperback or Hardcover copy is available as of today, 7/13/12 on Amazon

Disclosure: I received a free eBook ARC from LibraryThing in exchange for an honest review. To make things even better, I just received a free paperback uncorrected proof from Journalstone in a promotion! This will not, of course, affect my opinion of the book, but it is awesome!

Synopsis: In the deepest reaches of space, on a ship that no longer exists, six travelers stare into the abyss . . . and the abyss stares back.

Man has finally mastered the art of space travel and in a few hours passengers can travel light years across the galaxy. But, there's a catch--the traveler must be asleep for the journey, and with sleep come the dreams. Only the sleeper can know what his dream entails, for each is tailored to his own mind, built from his fears, his secrets, his past . . . and sometimes his future.

That the dreams occasionally drive men mad is but the price of technological advance. But when a transport on a routine mission comes upon an abandoned ship, missing for more than a decade, six travelers--each with something to hide--discover that perhaps the dreams are more than just figments of their imagination. Indeed, they may be a window to a reality beyond their own where shadow has substance and the darkness is a thing unto itself, truly worthy of fear.

My Thoughts: Brett J. Talley burst onto the scene last year with his Bram Stoker finalist, Lovecraftian debut, That Which Should not Be , which I absolutely loved, and so did many others. To say I was anticipating this book would be seriously understating the excitement I've felt while anticipating the chance to finally read it.

One thing Talley does really well is to create that form of creeping suspense, that feeling that something .... terrible and terrifying waits just right around that corner up ahead. At first this is done subtly, with minor things happening around the characters that could just be their own paranoia, their imagination, but then it starts to ramp up and pretty soon the reader is hanging on the edge of their seat and ready to jump if there is an unexpected sound in the house.

I had initially figured this to be a form of horror/science fiction blend, but after finishing the book, I don't think I could define it as horror, although it does have some horrific elements, and is very Lovecraftian. No, I have changed my definition to dark science-fantasy, and I think once you read this book you will agree this is fitting. Highly recommended for fans of Cthulhian/Lovecraftian fiction, for fans of the darker prose, for those who enjoy an element of fantasy in their science fiction. This is a really well-written book, and I think that you absolutely cannot go wrong in grabbing a copy to read.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A quick read, but a good one June 17, 2012

By RickyB

Format:Paperback

[Kindle version] Having never read any of Brett J. Talley's previous work I started this book with only the cover blurb to go on. But it was enough to hook me, and I wasn't disappointed once I started reading. While not familiar with a lot of science fiction writing, I have read a few contemporary writers and really enjoyed discovering a long-ignored (by me) genre.
While The Void would probably be classed as science fiction, it also has a bit of a supernatural and horror theme in the story, which adds some suspense and gore to the book (which I loved). While it's probably not the most original premise (again, I haven't read enough sci-fi to adequately compare it) it's the writing that makes it different. It was really fast paced, which kept me turning the page, and Talley's prose is so descriptive I had no trouble picturing myself in every scene and really feeling the suspense of the story. I will definitely be seeking out other writing by Talley after reading this.

Outline: A new way of space travel sees a group of people aboard a ship headed for a distant planet. To get there they have to enter a state of stasis that puts them into a dream state like no other. These dreams are different, sometimes even deadly, and always frightening. When the discovery of another ship, one that shouldn't even exist, disrupts the crew's dreams and their journey things are revealed and discoveries made that will endanger everyone.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Are they dreams or not? June 15, 2012

By Richard C. Hayes

Format:Paperback

In the future mankind has figured out how to travel to the far ends of the universe using a warp drive. There is a problem, to do so the people have to sleep and with the sleep comes the dreams. But what are the dreams? Are they just that or something more sinister or deadly? Each person has one and it is the same for them no matter how many times they make a warp jump. Aidan Connor was found in a life pod in a part of space no one should have been in and so the story begins.

This book explores what happens to a diverse group of characters as they make what is suppose to be a routine jump only to drop out in a place they shouldn't be, looking at a ship that is not known and in a place it shouldn't be. A place surrounded by black holes. In this book each character is forced to face their dream and their fears. Will they unravel the mystery of the ship and even if they do will they manage to stay alive and if they do can they stay sane?

This book grabbed me at the first page and just held on. It was one of those books where you just wanted to read another page or two before you let life take you away. It has human interest, sci-fi and horror. Something hard for any author to do well but Mr. Talley managed to do it. Highly recommended.