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Reviewed by Jamie Michele for Readers' Favorite
In Cargo Hold 4 by Lonnie Busch, the crew of the spacecraft Gretel faces escalating disturbances from Cargo Hold 4, prompting First Mate Berlin and Captain Desna to investigate. Things get worse when crew member Chelsey experiences disorientation during an outside inspection, indicating a genuine presence. As the crew loses sleep from the noise and increased stress and fear about an entity potentially threatening them and their mission, they debate whether to open Cargo Hold 4, which contains valuable research materials, to get it off the ship. As a string of events, including failed docking maneuvers and crippling violence, it becomes apparent what the entity in Cargo Hold 4 is doing, leading to intense confrontations and critical decisions about survival, identity, and if they can even function anymore.
“Desna could feel it, nothing lining up quite right. She suspected Gretel and the crew were not yet free of the entity that had taken up residence in Cargo Hold 4.” Lonnie Busch knows how to push all the psychological buttons, and proceeds to do so in the science fiction thriller Cargo Hold 4. I actually had to wait until my anxiety reduced and my palms dried before talking about this. But here we are now, so let's talk about that thing in the hold. I liked how Busch jumps directly in with the agony of noise that will not go away, but slowly rolls us to an understanding of what it is, and what it is not. There's even time for a bitty sizzle scene that calmed me down as much as it did Desna, so thanks to Busch for that. When the mood and actions among the crew evolve into what I might politely call completely non compos mentis, there's no stopping the story. It is a full-throttle barrel roll and firm toilet flush of all shreds of ethics, and it is magnificent. Well well-written, surprisingly twisty, and unexpectedly fab. Very highly recommended.
