The Burning Dark

The Burning Dark, originally titled *Shadow's Call*, is a 2014 science fiction horror novel by Adam Christopher. It serves as the first installment of the Spider War trilogy but is also designed to function as a standalone story. The book was released on March 25, 2014, by Tor Books in the United States and Titan Books in the United Kingdom.

Christopher drew inspiration for the novel from the Lost Cosmonauts conspiracy theory, the television series *Blake's 7*, and Japanese mythology. He has indicated that while the Spider War series will consist of three books, he intends to write additional stories set in the same fictional universe.

The plot follows a group of people assigned to decommission the remote space station U-Star Coast City. This mission is the final assignment for black ops Captain Abraham Idaho Cleveland, known as "Ida," who plans to retire afterward. Ida is haunted by memories of a battle against a Mother Spider, an alien creature capable of consuming entire planets. He succeeded in stopping her from destroying a world, but the victory cost several lives and left him with a damaged knee.

Upon arriving at Coast City, Ida faces hostility from crew members Carter and DeJohn, who doubt his story—especially since no news reports covered the event. His only confidant is the medic Izanami. With little real work to do, Ida spends his time building a space radio, listening to conversations between other crews. He is shocked to overhear an ancient transmission from a distressed Russian woman, who speaks of burning and being in danger from a ship failure.

Meanwhile, strange events plague the station. The psi-marine Serra repeatedly hears the voice of her dead grandmother calling to her. Electronic malfunctions become common, and Coast City is cut off from the rest of humanity. Tensions escalate when Zia Hollywood, a space profiteer and celebrity, arrives to refuel. As the bizarre and frightening phenomena intensify, the crew must uncover the source of the trouble and its meaning.

Critical reception for *The Burning Dark* was mostly positive, with praise from *The Roanoke Times*, *SciFiNow*, and *Starburst Magazine*. *SFX* noted the book was "studded with memorable imagery" and kept readers guessing about how the major plot elements connect, even if certain things are clear early on.