The novel “Void Station One” by Mike Futcher was published for the first time in 2023.
Simon Cole is an astronaut who specializes in long-duration missions aimed at salvaging anything still of value from old installations such as space stations. A normal life would be too limited for him, but being estranged from the rest of humanity is having a very negative effect on him.
When he’s offered a new salvage mission to the old Void Station One, Simon Cole accepts. The recovery was decided because the space station is on the trajectory of a black hole, which will destroy it. This also makes the mission an opportunity for Cole to end his life.
“Void Station One” is set in a future where humanity has begun to expand into space. The Martian colony of Marsport has long been an important human outpost. Interstellar travel also occurs, but it lasts for years and is therefore conducted by humans using what is called hypersleep.
Mike Futcher’s futuristic space travel isn’t the romantic kind of the frontier explored by heroic travelers, but rather the result of a projection of today’s Western society. This means that everything is decided on economic grounds by the big corporations that manage those journeys.
Ordinary people are cogs in the machinery controlled by big corporations. For most of those people, life is routine on Earth, on the Martian colony, or on a space station. From what we see in the novel, for the people who consider that enough for them, this isn’t a negative prospect, but it’s not the kind of life Simon Cole wanted.
There are moments in the novel that recall classic science fiction space adventures, but the plot is primarily a way to develop the protagonist’s introspection. For this reason, it is definitely unsuitable for those seeking a fast-paced space adventure.
The themes explored in this novel are heavy and complex, and may trigger strong emotions in readers struggling with depression. This is because Simon Cole hasn’t found a reason to live, even in the deep space frontier, and is thinking about suicide. Even when the protagonist isn’t contemplating suicide, his entire attitude conveys a sense of melancholy, not only regarding himself but also all humanity, which at that point seems to have become primarily a mechanism serving the economy.
The black hole that Simon Cole plans to use to end his life is the ultimate metaphor for his mental state. It’s no coincidence that he decided to commit suicide precisely when he was offered that very mission, allowing himself to be swallowed up by the black hole along with his inner malaise.
Through Simon Cole’s thoughts, memories, and reflections, the reader can appreciate his complexity. He’s the classic man who has seen a lot in his life, even though, from a purely biological perspective, unaffected by his many years of interstellar travel, he’s only 27. His attitude and the conversations he has with the people he meets give the impression of a much older man, as if his mind has aged even during the years spent in hypersleep.
The novel is relatively short, and the plot is linear, although Simon Cole encounters a few unexpected events during his mission. The entire story focuses on the protagonist, so other characters have limited development and sometimes seem to exist only to trigger certain types of reactions in Cole.
All this makes “Void Station One” a peculiar novel. For many readers, it may be boring, and the themes explored might make it too heavy to read. If you’re interested in deeply introspective stories and don’t mind gazing into the abyss of a black hole, you might like it. It’s available on Amazon USA, UK, and Canada.
