Shattered by Pauline Yates
Shattered is a sci-fi horror novella by award-winning Australian author Pauline Yates. Published November 16, 2024 by Black Hare Press, it weighs in at 151 pages and is book 36 in the Hell Hare House Short Reads collection.
The moment I read the first sentence of this novella, I was all in—even stating that “this is my kind of story!” when taking review notes. With the recent Artemis II mission, I’ve been transfixed with sci-fi, wanting to dip back into reading it since I love it. Of course, injecting it with copious amounts of horror makes it even better, hence my reading of this terror-filled sci-fi novella.
Something mysterious is happening onboard the Space Corp sweeper shuttle. As a reader, I enjoyed all of the layers being peeled back slowly as I learned more and more of the backstory of all of the characters. Not only did it allow me to contemplate what was actually going on, but I felt like I was there in real time discovering what was happening.
This isn’t a jump scare “Boo” type of horror. It’s a story where horrific things have happened/are happening, and you get to experience it through the point of view of several characters. Though it’s in space, there are real-world emotions at hand: loss of control. grief, trauma (invisible & physical), and greed.
Panic, lying, deceit, and hidden agendas are lurking around every corner. I enjoyed trying to suss out which characters I could trust. Yates creates characters with unreliable POVs, making it that much more exciting and mysterious as you rocket toward the end of the book, trying your best to figure out what’s happening. I was kept guessing the entire time, which is a huge plus for me, and I was not disappointed by the ending.
I love a book where, as I’m reading, I get just the right amount of hints and breadcrumbs to lead me down the trail to that satisfying and craved aha moment while still allowing me to think things through and come up with the reason something is occurring rather than having it hit me over the head. I especially loved realizing why the book is called Shattered.
This novella is also a treat for the senses. Alarms blaring, sounds as space debris pounds the vessel, the rumbling of the ship’s vibration chamber, and the smells and screams assaulting the compact shuttle all serve to quicken your pulse as you turn the pages.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention one of my favorite things about this book, and that’s the gore and body horror I hadn’t anticipated. I was giddy as I read those scenes, impressed by the descriptions Yates used to describe what was happening while keeping me engrossed in every gory detail.
Shattered is a fantastic and suspenseful read loaded with mystery, body horror, fear, isolation, and deceit at every turn. If you enjoy sci-fi and the above, grab a copy. You won’t be disappointed.
Check out other reviews I’ve written that include Pauline’s writing:
Need more works from Pauline Yates?
Get to know Pauline Yates:
Pauline Yates is an award-winning author from Queensland, Australia. She writes novels, novellas, short fiction, and poetry across the horror, science fiction, and dark speculative genres, often exploring themes of memory, identity, and the uncanny.
***Taken from Pauline’s website
Get to know Black Hare Press:
Black Hare Press is a small, independent publisher based in Melbourne, Australia.
We aim to make opportunities for authors all around the globe to participate in short form story anthologies in various Speculative Fiction and Horror genres.
Our micro- and flash-fiction anthologies provide compensation in the form of a copy of the published eBook, but our short story anthologies will be compensated either via flat rates or by equal royalty splits by word count.
Like our Facebook page to keep up-to-date with all open calls for submissions.
***Taken from the Black Hare Press website
